Galen Avery Rowell (August 23, 1940 – August 11, 2002) was an American wilderness photographer, adventure photojournalist and mountaineer . Born in Oakland, California , he became a full-time photographer in 1972.
94-533: Rowell was introduced to the wilderness at a very young age and he completed his first roped climb in Yosemite Valley when he was 16. For the rest of his life, he climbed mountains and explored landscapes. He began taking pictures on excursions into the wild so that he could share his experiences with friends and family. After graduating from Berkeley High School in 1958, he stayed in Berkeley to study at
188-445: A Bishop resident and sound effects specialist, mitigated the economic loss by persuading several Los Angeles studio bosses that the town of Bishop would be ideal as a location to shoot westerns. The city of Bishop was named for one of the first European settlers in the area, Samuel A. Bishop. Owens Lake was named for Richard Owens, a member of John C. Fremont 's 1845 exploration party which included Kit Carson and Ed Kern. Later
282-518: A bill on June 30, 1864, granting Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias to the State of California "for public use, resort and recreation," the two tracts "shall be inalienable for all time". This was the first time in history that a federal government had set aside scenic lands simply to protect them and to allow for their enjoyment by all people. Simply designating an area
376-536: A couple of months, often as entire families with many possessions. Early hotels were therefore set up for extended stays and catered primarily to wealthy patrons who could spend extended periods away from home. One of these hotels—the Wawona Hotel , built in the 1880s—still operates. After the Valley became a park, the surrounding territory was still subject to logging, mining, and grazing. John Muir publicized
470-467: A female householder with no husband present, and 50.6% were non-families. 44.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
564-544: A homestead, the San Francis Ranch , along the creek which still bears his name, Samuel Bishop set up a market to sell beef to the miners and business owners in Aurora. One of the residents of Aurora at that time was a young Samuel Clemens who later gained fame as author Mark Twain (see Twain's book Roughing It for his comments on the area). By 1862, a frontier settlement (and later town), known as Bishop Creek ,
658-436: A new 300-car parking lot. The plan will allow the valley to accommodate a peak of 20,100 visitors per day. The plan has been criticized for prioritizing park visitors over the preservation of the river and the valley. Some believe there should be further limitations to the number of cars and parking lots in the valley, and more focus on public transportation. On busy summer days, there can be long delays and traffic gridlock at
752-494: A park isn't sufficient to protect it. California did not set up an administration for the park until 1866 when the state appointed Galen Clark as the park's guardian. An 11-year struggle followed to resolve homesteading claims in the valley. The challenge of increasing tourism, with the need to first build stagecoach roads, then the Yosemite Valley Railroad , along with hotels and other facilities in and around
846-734: A plane crash in Inyo County near Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop, California , at 01:23 am on August 11, 2002. The Rowells were returning from a photography workshop in the Bering Sea area of Alaska on a flight that had originated in Oakland, California . The National Transportation Safety Board determined (NTSB report LAX02FA251) that Reid had only 52 hours in the Aero Commander 690 and only 1.6 hours at night. He
940-431: A record number of 5 million visitors in 2016. In 2020 visitation dropped to 2,268,313 visitors. A reservation system was implemented in 2020, which required a reservation in order to enter the park. The reservation system has been periodically lifted and reimplemented since 2021. On July 24, 2018, several areas of the park, including the Valley, were closed due to wildfires in the area. Several trails lead out of
1034-514: A set of graduated neutral density filters produced by filter manufacturer Singh-Ray. They were sold under his name and became a standard for dealing with high contrast scenes. Galen Rowell mastered the technique of using balanced fill flash , allowing him to subtly lighten the deepest shadows to match the relatively narrow dynamic range of color reversal film . Rowell, his wife – photographer, author and pilot Barbara Cushman Rowell – pilot Tom Reid, and Reid's friend Carol McAffee were all killed in
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#17327939030661128-554: A stand of Ancient Lake Yosemite developed. The valley floor owes its flatness to sediment deposited by these stands (the last glaciers in the valley were small and did not remove much old lake sediment). The last stand of Lake Yosemite was about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long and was impounded by a terminal moraine near the base of El Capitan. It was later filled by sediment, becoming a swampy meadow. The parallel Tenaya Canyon and Little Yosemite Canyon glaciers were, at their largest, 2,000 feet (610 m) deep where they flowed into
1222-616: A substation of the Inyo County Sheriff's Department on the outskirts of the city. The California Highway Patrol also has an office in town. U.S. Route 395 is the four-lane divided highway serving Bishop between southern California and Reno while U.S. Route 6 provides access to Tonopah and other communities in Nevada . The junction of U.S. Routes 395 and 6 is one of only two junctions of two U.S. Routes in California,
1316-550: Is 223 miles (359 km) long, used no pumping stations; only gravity siphons. By 1928, Los Angeles owned 90 percent of the water in Owens Valley and agriculture interests in the region were effectively dead. With the diversion of water to Los Angeles, the Owens Lake and lower Owens River dried up, forcing many valley residents to leave the area. For a number of years, Owens Valley residents expressed much animosity toward
1410-539: Is Spanish for Indian. It is possible that the Paiute were trying to explain to the earliest English speaking settlers in the Owens Valley that this was their land by using a form of "Indio" they had learned from other Indian tribes, who in turn, had learned it from the Spanish or Mexicans, not realizing that not all Europeans spoke the same language. Thus Inyo may actually mean "Indian Land." The first American explorers in
1504-420: Is a big attraction, especially in the spring, when the water flow is at its peak. The valley is renowned for its natural environment and is regarded as the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park . The valley is the main attraction in the park for the majority of visitors and a bustling hub of activity during tourist season in the summer months. Most visitors enter the valley from roads to the west and pass through
1598-560: Is about 7.5 mi (12.1 km) long and 3,000–3,500 ft (910–1,070 m) deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan , and densely forested with pines . The valley is drained by the Merced River , and a multitude of streams and waterfalls flow into it, including Tenaya , Illilouette, Yosemite and Bridalveil Creeks . Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and
1692-544: Is listed as a National Historic District and as a California Historical Landmark . After the creation of the Park Service, many separate hotel owners held separate concession contracts. The Yosemite Park Company had built the Yosemite Lodge and Yosemite Village had its own group of merchants. Fire had destroyed a number of the original valley hotels and concession owners came and went until Park Service forced
1786-409: Is marked by hunting with the atl atl and the use of grinding stones ; the "Tarmarack" phase (500 to 1200 CE), marked by a shift to using smaller rock points, indicating development and use of the bow and arrow ; and the "Mariposa" phase, from 1200 until European contact in the mid-19th century. In the 19th century, it was inhabited by a Miwok band who called the Valley "Ah-wah-nee" and themselves
1880-685: Is much larger; more than 14,500 people live in a compact area which includes Bishop, West Bishop , Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek , and the Bishop Paiute Reservation . It is by far the largest settlement in Inyo County. A number of western films were shot in Bishop, including movies starring John Wayne , Charlton Heston , and Joel McCrea . The Bishop Creek post office operated from 1870 to 1889 and from 1935 to 1938. The first Bishop post office opened in 1889. In order to support
1974-509: Is now called Old Inspiration Point (close to the better-visited Tunnel View). Dr. Lafayette Bunnell later wrote: The grandeur of the scene was but softened by the haze that hung over the valley – light as gossamer – and by the clouds which partially dimmed the higher cliffs and mountains. This obscurity of vision but increased the awe with which I beheld it, and as I looked, a peculiar exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being, and I found my eyes in tears with emotion. Camping that night on
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#17327939030662068-463: Is often called the Giant Staircase . The first drop is Nevada Fall , which drops 594 feet (181 m), bouncing off the granite slope below it. Below is Vernal Fall , 317 feet (97 m) high, one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the Valley. The Merced then descends rapids to meet Illilouette Creek, which drops from the valley rim to form Illilouette Fall . They combine at the base of
2162-688: Is the Bishop Indian Reservation . Bishop lies west of the Owens River at the northern end of the Owens Valley . The city is located on U.S. Route 395 , the main north–south artery through the Owens Valley, connecting the Inland Empire to Reno, Nevada . US 395 also connects Bishop to Los Angeles via State Route 14 through Palmdale . Bishop is the western terminus of U.S. Route 6 . The Paiute-Shoshone Indians of
2256-634: Is the Tunnel View . So many paintings were made from a viewpoint nearby that the National Park Service named that viewpoint Artist Point . The view from the lower (western) end of the Valley contains the great granite monolith El Capitan on the left, and Cathedral Rocks on the right with Bridalveil Fall . Just past this spot the Valley suddenly widens with the Cathedral Spires, then the pointed obelisk of Sentinel Rock to
2350-632: Is the 87-million-year-old Half Dome granodiorite, which makes up most of the rock at Glacier Point , the Royal Arches , and its namesake, Half Dome. For the last 30 million years, glaciers have periodically filled much of the valley. The most current glaciation , the Wisconsinian was not, however, the most severe. Ice ages previous to the Wisconsinian were colder and lasted longer. Their glaciers were huge and covered nearly all
2444-527: Is the highest point near Yosemite Valley. Snow melting in the Sierra forms creeks and lakes. In the surrounding region, these creeks flow to the edge of the Valley to form cataracts and waterfalls. A fan of creeks and forks of the Merced River take drainage from the Sierra crest and combine at Merced Lake. The Merced then flows down to the end of its canyon ( Little Yosemite Valley ), where it begins what
2538-521: The Ahwahnechee . This group had trading and family ties to Mono Lake Paiutes from the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. They annually burned the vegetation on the Valley floor, which promoted the black oak and kept the meadows and forests open. This protected the supply of their principal food, acorns , and reduced the chance of ambush. At the time of first European contact, this band
2632-836: The Committee of 100 for Tibet to the World Wildlife Fund . Rowell was particularly keen on seeking out and photographing optical phenomena in the natural world. He referred to his landscape photographs as "dynamic landscapes," due to both the fast-changing nature of light and conditions and his energetic pursuit of the best camera position at the optimal moment. Rowell wrote about the quest for such images in Mountain Light , and also in Galen Rowell's Vision (1993) and Inner Game of Outdoor Photography (2001). A retrospective book on his life, career, and impact on
2726-530: The San Joaquin Valley . The flat floor of Yosemite Valley holds both forest and large open meadows , which have views of the surrounding crests and waterfalls . Below is a description of these features, looking first at the walls above, moving west to east as a visitor does when entering the valley, then visiting the waterfalls and other water features, returning east to west with the flow of water. The first view of Yosemite Valley many visitors see
2820-466: The Sierra Nevada range; the creek was named after Samuel Addison Bishop , a settler in the Owens Valley. Bishop is a commercial and residential center, while many vacation destinations and tourist attractions in the Sierra Nevada are located nearby. The population of the city was 3,879 at the 2010 census , up from 3,575 at the 2000 census . The population of the built-up zone containing Bishop
2914-493: The Tunnel View entrance. Visitor facilities are in the center of the valley. There are both hiking trail loops that stay within the valley and trailheads that lead to higher elevations. Yosemite Valley is on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, 150 miles (240 km) east of San Francisco . It stretches for 7.5 miles (12.1 km) in a roughly east–west direction, with an average width of about 1 mile (1.6 km). Yosemite Valley represents only one percent of
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3008-512: The University of California but dropped out to pursue climbing. In 1972, Rowell sold his small automotive business and became a full-time photographer. Within a year, he had completed his first major assignment, published as the June 1974 cover story for National Geographic . The story originated from an invitation by fellow photographer Dewitt Jones to help him on an assignment, when Jones
3102-537: The Yosemite Firefall . This "fall" was large batches of red hot embers dropped from Glacier Point. The Park Service stopped this practice in 1969 as part of their long process of de-emphasizing artificial park attractions. On July 6, 1996, a massive rock slide , weighing an estimated 60,000–80,000 tons, crashed 1,800 feet (550 m) into the valley from the east side of Glacier Point, traveling at over 160 mph (260 km/h). Dust blanketed that part of
3196-704: The Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony control land just west of the town. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) controls much of the upstream and surrounding area. Bishop is immediately to the east of the Sierra Nevada , and west of the White Mountains . Numerous peaks are within a short distance of Bishop, including Mount Humphreys (13,986 ft; 4,263 m) to the west, White Mountain Peak (14,242 ft; 4,341 m) to
3290-618: The Happy and Sad boulders) and granite (at the Buttermilks). Bishop, as well as the rest of the Owens Valley, has an arid climate ( Köppen BWk ) with an annual average of 4.84 inches (123 mm) of precipitation, and is part of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7b. The wettest year was 1969 with 17.09 in (434 mm) of precipitation and the driest 2013 with 1.33 in (33.8 mm). Measurable precipitation occurs on an average of 26 days annually. The most precipitation in one month
3384-512: The McGee brothers, Bishop was one of the first white settlers in the valley. Sheepmen soon followed the cattlement and they initially struggled due to a lack of forage for their stock in the area. Remnants of the early settlers' stone corrals and fences can still be seen north of Bishop along Highway 395 in Round Valley, California (barb wire fencing was not invented until 1873). Establishing
3478-622: The Owens Valley of Eastern California included the famous mountain men Jedediah Smith in 1833 and Joseph Walker in 1834. This remote area of California had never been explored by the Spanish and even though it was shown as Mexican territory on early maps, the Eastern Sierra region remained unvisited by them. Present day Walker Lake in western Nevada, the Walker River on the California/Nevada border and Walker Pass in
3572-668: The Throne Room of the Mountain Gods about the history of mountaineering on K2 (1977) is considered a classic of mountaineering literature, and his 1986 book Mountain Light: In Search of the Dynamic Landscape is one of the best selling how-to photo books. As an energetic advocate for the causes in which he believed, Rowell served on multiple advisory and directors' boards for organizations ranging from
3666-551: The Valley floor, the group agreed with the suggestion of Dr. Bunnell to call it "Yo-sem-i-ty", mistakenly believing that was the native name. The term is from the Southern Sierra Miwok word Yohhe'meti, meaning "they are killers," which referred to Savage and the Mariposa Battalion. . James Hutchings—who organized the first tourist party to the Valley in 1855—and artist Thomas Ayers generated much of
3760-400: The Valley was met during the rest of the 19th century. But much environmental damage was caused to the valley itself at that time. The problems that Yosemite Park had under state control was one of the factors in establishing Yellowstone National Park as the first completely national park in 1872. Due to the difficulty of traveling there, early visitors to the valley came for several weeks to
3854-548: The Valley, including Yosemite is now a world rock climbing attraction. The massive 'big walls' of granite have been climbed countless times since the 1950s and have pushed climbers' abilities to new heights. While climbers traditionally take several days to climb the monoliths , bivvying on the rock faces, modern climbing techniques help climbers ascend the cliffs in mere hours. Many climbers stay at Camp 4 before beginning big wall climbs, which became notable after World War II as "a birthplace of rock climbing’s modern age" and
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3948-511: The Yosemite Valley near the base of Half Dome. They also formed Clouds Rest behind Half Dome as an arête . Near Glacier Point there are 2,000 feet (610 m) of mostly glacial sediment with at least six separate sequences of Lake Yosemite sediments. Here, huge and highly erosive pre-Wisconsinian glaciers excavated the bedrock valley floor, and much smaller Wisconsinian glaciers deposited glacial debris. The biological community on
4042-413: The Yosemite Valley proper can be traced to about 3,000 years ago when vegetation and game in the region was similar to that present today; the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada had acorns, deer, and salmon, while the eastern Sierra had pinyon nuts and obsidian . The prehistory of the area is divided into three cultural phases on archaeological grounds: the "Crane Flat" phase, (1000 BCE to 500 CE)
4136-427: The age of 18 living in them, 574 (32.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 181 (10.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 99 (5.7%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 143 (8.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 10 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 767 households (43.9%) were made up of individuals, and 288 (16.5%) had someone living alone who
4230-450: The capital of Nevada, Carson City , was named. Also in the party were Ed Kern for whom Kern County, California was named, and Richard Owens, who gave his name to Owens Lake near Lone Pine, California and later Owens Valley itself. Fremont lost a cannon which he had brought along in case of Indian attacks near present-day Bridgeport, California (about 80 miles [130 km] north of Bishop). The city of Bishop came into being due to
4324-486: The city limits of Bishop; 3,879 people are in downtown Bishop. The "greater Bishop area," which includes unincorporated nearby neighborhoods such as West Bishop, Meadow Creek-Dixon Lane, Wilkerson Ranch, Rocking K, Mustang Mesa, Round Valley and the Bishop Paiute Tribe has an additional 11,000 residents. The 2010 United States Census reported that Bishop had a population of 3,879. The population density
4418-676: The city of Los Angeles; for example, in Dry Ditches, a book of poems published in 1934 by the Parcher family of Bishop. The Owens Valley–city of Los Angeles conflict was the inspiration of the 1974 film Chinatown , starring Jack Nicholson . Indigenous peoples live in and near Bishop on four reservations. The southernmost is the Lone Pine Indian Reservation ; northward is Fort Independence Reservation and Big Pine Indian Reservation . The largest and northernmost
4512-408: The city was 84.6% White , 0.2% Black or African American , 2.0% Native American , 1.4% Asian , <0.1% Pacific Islander , 6.5% from other races , and 5.4% from two or more races. 17.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,684 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 11.8% had
4606-462: The damage to the subalpine meadows that surround the Valley and in 1890, the government created a national park that included a much larger territory—enclosing Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove. As with Yellowstone, the new federal park was under U.S. Army jurisdiction until 1914. In 1906, the state ceded the Valley and Mariposa Grove to the federal government. The National Park Service , on its creation in 1916, took over Yosemite. Yosemite Valley
4700-474: The earliest publicity about Yosemite, creating articles and entire magazine issues about the Valley. Ayres' highly detailed angularly exaggerated artwork and his written accounts were distributed nationally and an art exhibition of his drawings was held in New York City. Two of Hutchings' first group of tourists, Milton and Houston Mann, built the first toll route into the valley, with the development of
4794-435: The entire valley became known as The Owens Valley (see First Settlers below). The Paiute Indians called Owens Lake by the name of "Pacheta" and the Owens River "Wakopee." Geographically, Inyo County is today the second largest county in California with a population of slightly over 18,000 residents. The county is so large that several eastern states put together would fit neatly within its boundaries. Inyo County contains both
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#17327939030664888-525: The entrance to Yosemite. Bishop, California Bishop (formerly Bishop Creek ) is a city in California , United States. It is the most populous place and the only incorporated city in Inyo County . It is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley within the Mojave Desert , at an elevation of 4,150 feet (1,260 m). The city was named after Bishop Creek , flowing out of
4982-628: The first hotels in the area and other trails quickly following. Many of the early pioneers in the valley of European descent, and a few Native Americans, are buried in Yosemite Cemetery . The work of Ayres gave Easterners an appreciation for Yosemite Valley and started a movement to preserve it. Influential figures such as Galen Clark , clergyman Thomas Starr King and leading landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted were among those who urged Senator John Conness of California to try to preserve Yosemite. President Abraham Lincoln signed
5076-412: The floor of Yosemite Valley is a diverse one, with more than 400 species of grasses and wildflowers and thousands of species of insects having been identified there. At the most general level, the valley can be classified as a dry yellow pine forest with a number of large open meadows. Plant and animal species that make up a significant part of this natural community include: Yosemite National Park had
5170-535: The gorges that contain each stream, and then flow around the Happy Isles to meet Tenaya Creek at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley proper. Tenaya Creek flows southwest from Tenaya Lake and down Tenaya Canyon, finally flowing between Half Dome and North Dome before joining the Merced River. The following falls tumble from the Valley rim to join it at various points: The features in Yosemite Valley are made of granitic rock emplaced as plutons miles deep during
5264-594: The growth aspirations of Los Angeles , water was diverted from the Owens River into the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. From the 1910s to 1930s, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power purchased much of the valley for water rights and control. The result was a substantial change to the Owens Valley culture and environment. The economy of Bishop suffered when farmers, ranchers and land owners sold much of their property. Jack Foley ,
5358-462: The highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States; Mt. Whitney , 14,496 feet (4,418 m) above sea level, and Badwater in Death Valley , 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. The "Inyo" in Inyo County is commonly believed to be a Paiute word meaning "dwelling place of the great spirit," although some scholars are now convinced that it is a mistranslation of the word Indio , which
5452-402: The landmarks around Yosemite Valley except Half Dome, Eagle Peak , Sentinel Dome , and the top of El Capitan. Wisconsinian glaciers, however, only reached Bridalveil Fall in the valley. The glaciers widened the valley, but much of its width is in fact due to previous stream erosion and mass wasting along vertical joints in the valley's walls. After the retreat of many of these glaciers,
5546-601: The landscape part of the adventure, and the adventure part of the landscape. Rowell won the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography in 1984. He had numerous photographic assignments for Life , National Geographic , Outdoor Photographer , and various other publications. Rowell was also a highly regarded writer on subjects ranging from photography, humanitarian and environmental issues, human visual cognition, and mountaineering , publishing numerous magazine articles and eighteen books in his lifetime. His In
5640-536: The late Cretaceous . Over time the Sierra Nevada was uplifted, exposing this rock to erosion at the surface. The oldest of these granitic rocks, at 114 million years, occur along the Merced River Gorge west of the valley. The El Capitan pluton intruded the valley, forming most of the granitic rock that makes up much of the central part of the valley, including Cathedral Rocks , Three Brothers , and El Capitan. The youngest Yosemite Valley pluton
5734-535: The late 19th century, it began outgrowing its water supply. Fred Eaton , mayor of Los Angeles, promoted a plan to take water from Owens Valley, where Bishop lies, to Los Angeles via an aqueduct . Between 1905 and 1907, most of the land in the Owens Valley was purchased from farmers and ranchers at bargain prices by Eaton, ostensibly for a his own use. The real goal was to send Owens Valley water south to Los Angeles. In 1907, Eaton traveled to Washington to meet with advisers of Theodore Roosevelt to convince them that
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#17327939030665828-515: The low reaches the freezing mark, 104 days with 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs, and 29 days with 100 °F (38 °C)+ highs. Due to the aridity and hot high-altitude sun, there are only 34 days with maxima below 50 °F (10 °C) and only one per year with a maximum below 32 °F (0 °C), and the annual diurnal temperature variation is 36.9 °F (20.5 °C), reaching 42 °F (23 °C) in summer. The record high temperature of 111 °F (44 °C) occurred on July 10, 2021;
5922-449: The need for beef in a booming mining camp some eighty miles to the north, Aurora, Nevada , (Aurora was believed to be on the California side of the border at that time and was the county seat of Mono County, California). In 1861 cattlemen drove herds of cattle some three hundred miles from the great San Joaquin Valley of California, through the southern Sierra at Walker Pass, up the Owens Valley, and then through Adobe Meadows to Aurora. Along
6016-692: The next year to the Valley but took refuge among the Mono Paiutes after further conflicts with miners. Most of the Awaneechee (along with Teneiya) were chased back to the Valley and killed by the Paiutes after violating hospitality by stealing horses. While the members of that first expedition of the Mariposa Battalion had heard rumors of what could be found up the Merced River, none were prepared for what they saw March 27, 1851, from what
6110-722: The northeast, and pyramidal Mount Tom (13,658 ft; 4,163 m) northwest of town. Basin Mountain (13,187 ft; 4,019 m) is viewed to the west from Bishop as it rises above the Buttermilks . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km ), over 97% of it land. Bishop is known as the "Mule Capital of the World" and a week-long festival called Bishop Mule Days has been held since 1969 during
6204-424: The park area, but it is where most visitors arrive and stay. More than half a dozen creeks tumble from hanging valleys at the top of granite cliffs that can rise 3,000–3,500 feet (910–1,070 m) above the valley floor, which itself is 4,000 ft (1,200 m) above sea level . These streams combine into the Merced River , which flows out from the western end of the valley, down the rest of its canyon to
6298-410: The population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 2,418 people (62.3%) lived in rental housing units. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,575 people, 1,684 households, and 831 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,042.5 inhabitants per square mile (788.6/km ). There were 1,867 housing units at an average density of 1,066.7 per square mile (411.9/km ). The racial makeup of
6392-480: The poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over. In the state legislature Bishop is in the 8th Assembly District , represented by Republican Jim Patterson . It is also in the 4th State Senate district . Federally, Bishop is in California's 3rd congressional district , represented by Republican Kevin Kiley . Bishop maintains its own police force, but also has
6486-499: The record low of −8 °F (−22 °C) was recorded on December 22, 1990, and December 27, 1988. Diurnals are wide enough that temperatures both during summer and winter afternoons resemble Southern Spain 's interior, whereas nights in both seasons are similar to those found on the Baltic Sea in far northern Europe . Cold daytime highs and warm nights are rare, but have happened on occasion. The coldest daytime maximum measured
6580-417: The south, is Glacier Point , 3,200 feet (980 m) above the Valley floor. At this point the Valley splits in two, one section slanting northeast, with the other curving from south to southeast. Between them, at the eastern end of the valley, is Half Dome , among the most prominent natural features in the Sierra Nevada. Above and to the northeast of Half Dome is Clouds Rest , at 9,926 feet (3,025 m); it
6674-626: The south. Across the Valley on the northern side are the Three Brothers , rising one above the other like gables built on the same angle – the highest crest is Eagle Peak, with the two below known as the Middle and Lower Brothers. To this point the Valley has been curving gently to the left (north). Now a grand curve back to the right begins, with Yosemite Falls on the north, followed by the Royal Arches, topped by North Dome . Opposite, to
6768-494: The southern Sierra were named for their discoverer, Joseph Walker. The most renowned early explorer to visit the area was John C. Fremont. He was the first Republican candidate to run for President of the United States in 1856 and later a famous Union Civil War general. Officially sanctioned by the federal government, his 1845 mapping party to the Eastern Sierra included the celebrated Indian scout Kit Carson , for whom
6862-799: The state formed the volunteer Mariposa Battalion as a punitive expedition against the Native Americans living in the Yosemite area. In 1851, the Battalion was led by Major Jim Savage , whose trading post on the Merced River the Awaneechee had raided. This and other missions (the Mariposa Wars ) resulted in Chief Teneiya and the Awaneechee spending months on a reservation in the San Joaquin Valley. The band returned
6956-594: The two largest companies to merge in order that one single concession contract could be given. In 1925 the two family-run companies became the Yosemite Park and Curry Company and went on to build and run the Ahwahnee Hotel as the company headquarters for years, introducing a number of traditions, including the Bracebridge dinner . Curry Village was the site from where villagers and visitors watched
7050-487: The valley for days, and the wind speed in front of the slide is estimated to have been 300 mph (480 km/h). One person was killed in the slide. In 1987, Congress designated 122 miles of the Merced as a Wild and Scenic River . Yosemite National Park contains 81 of these miles, and the valley contains eight of those miles. This designation will "... preserve the Merced River in free-flowing condition and to protect
7144-446: The various worlds he touched was published by Sierra Club Books . From 1968, he used 35mm Nikon cameras and lenses almost exclusively for their reliability and portability. His primary medium was color slide film , beginning with Kodachrome in the late 1960s through the 1980s, and Fuji Velvia following its introduction in 1990. Rowell conceived a technical approach of extending the dynamic range captured on film. He developed
7238-461: The water of the Owens River would do more good flowing through faucets in Los Angeles than it would if used on Owens Valley fields and orchards. Despite a political fight with Congressman Sylvester Smith , who represented the area around Bishop, Roosevelt decided in favor of the aqueduct. The aqueduct was built from 1907 to 1913 under the supervision of William Mullholland . The aqueduct
7332-642: The water quality and the outstandingly remarkable values (ORVs) that make the river worthy of designation." In March 2014, the park system released the Merced Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan/EIS to address the preservation of the river, safety, and to improve the visitor experience in the park. The plan will restore meadows and river bank areas and remove non-essential roads. Camping capacity will increase by 37%, and recreational services will be expanded. The plan calls for an 8% increase in parking for day use visitors to Yosemite Valley, including
7426-557: The way, some cattlemen noticed that the unsettled northern Owens Valley was perfect for raising livestock. To avoid the long journey from the other side of the mountains, a few of them decided to settle in the valley. Driving about 600 head of cattle and 50 horses, Samuel Addison Bishop , his wife, and several hired hands arrived in the Owens Valley on August 22, 1861 from Fort Tejon in the Tehachapi Mountains . Along with Henry Vansickle, Charles Putnam, Allen Van Fleet, and
7520-488: The week of Memorial Day, celebrating the contributions of pack mules to the area. The festival attracts many tourists, primarily from the Southern California area. Bishop is well known in the rock climbing community. Near the city are numerous climbing spots that attract visitors from around the world. There are over 2,000 bouldering locations in Bishop. The two main types of rock are volcanic tuff (at
7614-460: Was 19 °F (−7 °C) in 1962. Ice days are infrequent with the warmer climate of recent decades. Between 1991 and 2020 the coldest maximum temperature of the year averaged 35 °F (2 °C) with the coldest days barely remaining below freezing. The warmest night on record was 75 °F (24 °C) in 1961 while the average warmest night stands at 68 °F (20 °C). The demographic information here applies to residents living within
7708-603: Was 2,029.9 inhabitants per square mile (783.7/km ). The racial makeup of Bishop was 2,867 (73.9%) White , 22 (0.6%) African American , 91 (2.3%) Native American , 61 (1.6%) Asian , 1 (0.0%) Pacific Islander , 723 (18.6%) from other races , and 114 (2.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,200 persons (30.9%). The census reported that 3,771 people (97.2% of the population) lived in households, 36 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 72 (1.9%) were institutionalized. There were 1,748 households, out of which 499 (28.5%) had children under
7802-428: Was 38.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males. There were 1,926 housing units at an average density of 1,007.9 per square mile (389.2/km ), 1,748 of which were occupied, of which 676 (38.7%) were owner-occupied, and 1,072 (61.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%. 1,353 people (34.9% of
7896-406: Was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 27,338, and the median income for a family was $ 34,423. Males had a median income of $ 23,433 versus $ 24,545 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,660. About 14.0% of families and 16.3% of the population were below
7990-409: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16. There were 854 families (48.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.07. The population was spread out, with 925 people (23.8%) under the age of 18, 298 people (7.7%) aged 18 to 24, 1,014 people (26.1%) aged 25 to 44, 1,031 people (26.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 611 people (15.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
8084-514: Was 8.93 in (227 mm) in January 1969, which included 4.00 in (102 mm) on January 4, the most rainfall recorded in 24 hours in Bishop. Snowfall averages 6.8 inches (17 cm) per season. The snowiest season was from July 1968 to June 1969 with 57.1 inches (145 cm), which included the snowiest month, January 1969, at 23.2 inches (59 cm). There is an average of 3 nights of sub 10 °F (−12 °C) lows, 139 nights where
8178-412: Was called away and Rowell suggested an ascent of Yosemite National Park 's Half Dome that he documented by himself. When National Geographic received the pictures, they decided to do a story separate from Jones', thus Rowell got his start. He pioneered a new kind of photography in which he was not merely an observer, but considered himself a participant in the scenes that he photographed – he considered
8272-525: Was established a couple of miles east of the San Francis Ranch. Though the town continues to prosper, the only reminder of Samuel Bishop's ranch today is a monument placed near the original site at the corner of Highway 168 West and Red Hill Road, two miles west of downtown Bishop. In 1866, the County of Inyo was established from part of Tulare County . The Eastern High Sierra and the Owens Valley
8366-530: Was introduced into the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Half Dome figures prominently on the reverse side of the California state quarter. Hiking to the top of Half Dome is one of the most popular hikes from the valley, and very crowded. The park now requires permits to use the trail, and in 2011 the permits sold out very quickly after becoming available. The park now uses a lottery system for hikers to apply for permits. Habitation of
8460-507: Was led by Chief Tenaya (Teneiya), who was raised by his mother among the Mono Lake Paiutes . The first non-Native Americans to see Yosemite Valley were probably members of the 1833 Joseph Walker Party, which was the first to cross the Sierra Nevada from east to west. The first descriptions of Yosemite, however, came nearly 20 years later. The 1849 California Gold Rush led to conflicts between miners and Native Americans, and
8554-749: Was not certified for carrying passengers at night at the time of the accident. The aircraft crashed during the turn from base to final approach for runway 30, within a quarter mile of the runway threshold. The Rowells' business, Mountain Light Photography Gallery in Bishop, California, continued to operate (owned by Galen's children Nicole Ryan and Tony Rowell, and Barbara's brother Robert Cushman) until October 2017, first under General Manager and Curator Justin Black until June 2009, and subsequently under General Manager Kevin Calder until 2017. Rowell
8648-566: Was posthumously inducted into the fellowship of the International League of Conservation Photographers as an Honorary Fellow in 2009. Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( / j oʊ ˈ s ɛ m ə t i / yoh- SEM -ə-tee ; Yosemite , Miwok for "killer") is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California , United States. The valley
8742-558: Was the westernmost frontier in America at that time. In 1871, Daniel Bruhn was one of 41 wranglers herding nearly 3,000 wild Spanish mustangs from Stockton, California to Texas . Their travels brought them over the High Sierra and into the remote Owens Valley, where they lost over 500 head of horses. The descendants of those mustangs still roam wild on the California/Nevada border just north of Bishop. As Los Angeles expanded during
8836-627: Was the winner of the Sierra Club's Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award for 1977. In 1984, the Sierra Club honored Rowell with the Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography. https://www.sierraclub.org/library/collections/fine-art/ansel-adams-award He was inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame preceding his death in 2002. https://www.https://www.cohof.org/biographies/galen-rowell Rowell
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