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57-566: Historically, the valley was inhabited by the Yokuts tribe during the summer months. They would come up to escape the high heat of the Central Valley and to hunt and forage. They would also meet with bands coming over from the eastern side of the Sierra to trade. In the 1870s, silver was discovered on the slopes of a mountain overlooking Mineral King. Mineral King Road was built in 1873 and

114-669: A crow. As they were flying they came upon a duck and asked the duck to bring up mud from the water so there can be land again. The duck did as he was asked and this mud became the land of the Yokuts, more specifically the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Mountains . To this day the crow and the eagle continue to be symbolic figures in Yokuts religious ceremonies. Yokuts life was rather peaceful. There were more than 60 tribes with an estimated 400-600 or more people in each tribe at

171-405: A formal Grand Reopening Ceremony took place on January 15, 2016. Every tribe has a head chief, winatun, and a village chief. Boomtown A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth , or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold , silver , or oil , although

228-703: A mining-specific boomtown into three categories: The initial increasing population in Perth, Western Australia , Australia (considered to be a modern-day boomtown) gave rise to overcrowding of residential accommodation as well as squatter populations. "The real future of Perth is not in Perth's hands but in Melbourne (and London) where Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton run their organizations", indicating that some boomtowns' growth and sustainability are controlled by an outside entity. Boomtowns are typically extremely dependent on

285-460: A variety of bird and insect life. Mining activities during the silver boom severely hurt the ecology of the lower East Fork below the Empire mine and White Chief Canyon, but wildlife has slowly rebounded. The Mineral King Valley is accessed by a long, narrow, winding mountain road that leads 25 miles (40 km) generally southeast from the junction with Highway 198 near Three Rivers. At the end of

342-559: A variety of local animals, such as game birds, waterfowl, rabbits, turtles, various fish, mussels, and wasp grubs. Big game was hunted less frequently, but included deer, elk, and antelope. Their staple food was derived from acorn mash, though they also gathered tule roots and iris bulbs to make flour. Other foraged food includes manzanita berries, pine nuts, and seeds. They used a form of horticulture to cultivate tobacco. Salt came from salt grass . The contemporary Wukchumni and Choinumni communities do not yet have federal recognition. As of

399-694: Is Trieste in Italy. In the 19th century the free port and the opening of the Suez Canal began an extremely strong economic development. At the beginning of the First World War, the former fishing village with a deep-water port, which used to be small but geographically centrally located, was the third largest city of the Habsburg monarchy . Due to the many new borders, World War II and the Cold War,

456-470: Is both plural and singular; Yokut , while common, is erroneous. 'Yokut' should only be used when referring specifically to the Tachi Yokut Tribe of Lemoore . Some of their descendants prefer to refer to themselves by their respective tribal names; they reject the term Yokuts, saying that it is an exonym invented by English-speaking settlers and historians. Conventional sub-groupings include

513-470: The 2010 census there are a total of 6,273 people who identify as Yokuts. Many of them live on reservations that have casinos, these casinos have been essential to providing the Yokuts with jobs, money, and healthcare. The Yokuts tribe of California are known to have engaged in trading with other California tribes of Native Americans in the United States including coastal peoples like, for example,

570-678: The 1870s and 1880s, assays of precious metals in White Chief Canyon and on Empire Mountain led to the boomtown of Beulah. The first discovery of silver in the Mineral King Valley occurred in 1872, below Mineral Peak and Empire Mountain. Following the discovery, the Mineral King Wagon and Toll Road Company was established in December 1873 to build a wagon road. The first routing of Mineral King Road followed

627-617: The 1920s and many are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The name Faculty Flat derives from a group of Los Angeles educators that originally populated the area. The Cabin Cove settlement comprises seven cabins, of which six are historic preserved structures. West Mineral King grew up around a place called Barton's Camp, and comprises 35 cabins, all of which are at their original locations and all of which are considered historic structures. East Mineral King, also known as

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684-783: The Beulah Tract, was built around the site of Crowley's Hotel. There are 24 cabins in East Mineral King. Cabins are typically simple frame structures with board-and-batten siding and metal roofs. In addition to the cabins, the Atwell Mill ranger residence is preserved, exemplifying the National Park Service rustic style. The Lookout Point entrance station and residence were built in the Mission Revival style. A number of water troughs, sited along

741-603: The Chumash tribe of the Central California coast, and they are known to have traded plant and animal products. Other items part of Yokuts trade included salts, soap stones, and obsidian. They used marine shells as a form of money showing they had a functional monetary system in place. On April 5, 2015, it was reported that members of the Chukchansi tribe near Yosemite had been disenrolling other members from

798-561: The East Fork Canyon's south side. Until then, access to Mineral King was by rough tracks. A second discovery of silver in 1878 drew more prospectors to the Mineral King area and a second Mineral King Road, following a different route up the north side of the canyon, was constructed in 1879. This created the route for much of the present-day Mineral King Road. The Mineral King Road passes through two groves of giant sequoias ,

855-495: The East Fork Kaweah River. As the flat meadows give way to rocky slopes, there are many congregations of conifers that climb the slopes to the tree line . Above the tree line, there are sheer or almost sheer granite walls that slope up to form Sawtooth Peak , Empire Mountain, Mineral Peak, Hengst Peak, and others. There are two prominent mountain passes leading out of Mineral King: Timber Gap, which leads into

912-545: The Empire Gold and Silver Mining Company. The lowermost part of the road was rebuilt in 1915 to its present-day route. Over time, the minerals were found to be unprofitable to extract from their ore and no significant mining ever took place, but the valley kept its hopeful name: Mineral King . By the 1920s and as part of the Sequoia National Forest , the area became a recreational center, reinforced by

969-475: The Foothill Yokuts, Northern Valley Yokuts, and Southern Valley Yokuts . Another name used to refer to the Yokuts was Mariposans. The endonym "Yokuts" itself means "people." There are many stories, depending on the tribe, on how the Yokuts and their land came to be but most follow a similar form. Their creation story is such: Once the world was completely covered in water. Then came an eagle and

1026-682: The Middle Fork Kaweah River drainage, and Farewell Gap at the valley head , which leads into the Kern River drainage. The first half of the valley runs from south to north and the second half runs from east to west. Fed by snowmelt, springs, and abundant lakes in granite bowls at the upstream end of the valley, creeks plunge down the steep valley walls as long and twisting waterfalls. These include Tufa Falls, Crystal Creek Falls, and Franklin Falls, in upstream order. This section of

1083-498: The Mineral King Valley and visitors must bring food, camping supplies, firewood and other essentials with them. None of the cabins have electricity and most use propane for lighting, cooking and fireplaces providing heat. There are a few public telephones scattered throughout the Mineral King Valley, notably at the Cold Springs Campground, a trail head parking lot and at the end of the road. Cell phones do not work in

1140-617: The Park Service at the public campgrounds. Camping is not permitted in any location along the road except in the public campgrounds. The Mineral King road corridor was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 24, 2003. Several significant vacation home settlements are preserved along Mineral King Road. One mile before reaching the Mineral King cabins is a grouping of 30 or so cabins in an area named Faculty Flat. The Faculty Flat cabins were mostly built in

1197-607: The Redwood Creek Grove and the Atwell Grove. In 1890 the groves were included in the boundaries of the newly established Sequoia National Park, encompassing the central portion of the road. Mineral King itself was excluded from the new park. The Mineral King entrance was the most heavily used gateway to the park until 1903. A Tom Fowler purchased the Empire Mine, then the largest mine in the area, and created

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1254-564: The Yokuts tribe were forced to move to the Fort Tejon Reservation. A few years later, the reservation was attacked by white vigilantes, leaving most of the inhabitants dead. By 1859, the reservation was completely abandoned. The Tule reservation was established in 1873 and many Yokuts moved to that reservation. Disease, violence, and relocation severely diminished the Yokuts population so much that today their numbers do not even come close to what they once were. Estimates for

1311-849: The adjacent foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which lies to the east. In the northern half of the Yokuts region, some tribes inhabited the foothills of the Coast Range to the west. There is evidence of Yokuts inhabiting the Carrizo Plain and creating rock art in the Painted Rock area. According to San Diego State University , the Yokutsan languages are members of the Penutian language family . Yokuts used spears, basket traps, and assorted other tools to hunt

1368-454: The broad valley adjoining and in the present-day site of Lake Kaweah . They created summer settlements on the valley floor and also around the area that was later to be the site of Atwell Mill. The primary purpose of these summer settlements was hunting and trading with the Paiutes , who lived east of the Sierra Nevada. The first explorer of European descent known to have visited Mineral King

1425-457: The city was completely isolated, abandoned and shrank for a long time. The handling of goods in the port and property prices fell sharply. Only when the surrounding countries joined the EU did Trieste return to the economic center of Europe. In the mid-19th century, boomtowns that were based on natural resources began to proliferate as companies and individuals discovered new mining prospects across

1482-405: The community for mining prospects, high-paying jobs, attractive amenities or climate, or other opportunities. Typically, newcomers are drawn by high salaries or the prospect of "striking it rich" in mining; meanwhile, numerous indirect businesses develop to cater to workers often eager to spend their large paychecks. Often, boomtowns are the site of both economic prosperity and social disruption , as

1539-639: The course of the next 50 years, settlers and eventually the California State Militia would wage war on the Yokuts and other native tribes in what became known as the California genocide . The Yokuts were reduced by around 93% between 1850 and 1900, with many of the survivors being forced into indentured servitude sanctioned by the so-called "California State Act for the Government and Protection of Indians ". A few Valley Yokuts remain,

1596-410: The death of many Yokuts. With their work force dwindling the missions moved further inland forcing those they encountered to convert and work. In 1833, malaria was brought by British fur traders, spreading through the native population through their use of the sweat houses. This decrease in population left the Yokuts weak in numbers when gold was discovered, bringing with it more foreigners. Gold

1653-522: The decade or so it took to clearcut nearby forests. Modern-day examples of resource-generated boomtowns include Fort McMurray in Canada , as the extraction of nearby oilsands requires a vast number of workers, and Johannesburg in South Africa , based on the gold and diamond trade. Boomtowns are typically characterized as "overnight expansions" in both population and money, as people stream into

1710-485: The destruction of most of the mining structures in landslides following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . Mineral King was used as a summer camping area. Continuing until 1942, private cabins were built in the Mineral King area, expanding the communities of Cabin Cove , Silver City , and Beulah. (All of these communities, including Silver City, would later become part of the National Register of Historic Places ' Mineral King Road Cultural Landscape.) In 1926, Mineral King

1767-603: The eighteen treaties in a secret vote cast on July 8, 1852, with every member either abstaining or voting no. The result of the vote was not made public until 1905. The newly organized state government took a different approach. In 1851, California Governor Peter Burnett said that unless the Indians were moved east of the Sierras, "a war of extermination would continue to be waged until the Indian race should become extinct". Over

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1824-510: The granite peaks rising above the head of the valley reach heights of 11,000 feet (3,400 m) or more. As the crow flies , Mineral King is located about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Three Rivers , which is near the confluence of the East Fork Kaweah River and Middle Fork Kaweah River . The valley floor is an expanse of open meadows with a narrow strip of riparian vegetation, including short trees and bushes, along

1881-499: The highest regional population densities in pre-contact North America. The federal government, which had recently acquired California after defeating Mexico in the Mexican–American War , signed a treaty (one of eighteen such treaties signed state-wide, setting aside seven and a half percent of California's land area) defining a proposed reservation and two hundred head of cattle per year. The US Senate failed to ratify any of

1938-548: The historic mining camps and towns in and near the valley, including Silver City and Cabin Cove. The settlements as a whole are referred to as the Mineral King Road Cultural Landscape , which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Mineral King is a 7.5-mile-long (12.1 km), 1-mile-wide (1.6 km) glacial valley in the southern Sierra Nevada . The valley floor lies at an elevation of 7,400 feet (2,300 m), while

1995-577: The largest plans. Disney had also met renowned University of Denver and Olympic ski coach Willy Schaeffler , and together they developed the village and mountain resort plans. Conversely, the Sierra Club supported the ski resort proposal during the embryonic stages of its development. Its original plans then were changed to a proposal involving the construction of 14 ski lifts, and hotels and large parking areas. The final plan called for 27 ski lifts and facilities for two million visitors per year. It

2052-400: The local culture and infrastructure , if any, struggles to accommodate the waves of new residents. General problems associated with this fast growth can include: doctor shortages, inadequate medical and/or educational facilities, housing shortages, sewage disposal problems, and a lack of recreational activities for new residents. The University of Denver separates problems associated with

2109-419: The more important market towns of Bristol , Norwich , and York , but they soon became major urban and industrial centres. Although these boomtowns did not directly owe their sudden growth to the discovery of a local natural resource, the factories were set up there to take advantage of the excellent Midlands infrastructure and the availability of large seams of cheap coal for fuel. Another typical boom town

2166-622: The most prominent tribe among them being the Tachi Yokut. Kroeber estimated the population of the Yokuts in 1910 as 600. Today about 2,000 Yokuts are enrolled in the federally recognized tribe. An estimated 600 Yokuts are said to belong to unrecognized tribes. Yokuts tribes populated the San Joaquin Valley , from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ("the delta") south to Bakersfield and

2223-633: The oldest communities in the High Sierra, with many families owning cabins for six or seven generations. Many of the communities date from the 1870s silver boom and have been inhabited since. Evidence suggests that Native Americans long ago used Mineral King to camp and hunt in. These Native American groups included the Wikchúmni Yokuts (or Wukchumni ) and the Tübatulabal . The Yokuts' main settlements actually had their main villages in

2280-484: The plan to ever develop the area into a ski resort. Upper Mineral King remains largely in its natural state, while lower Mineral King has been somewhat developed. Wildlife is abundant in the valley, including black bears , mule deer , and yellow-bellied marmots . Mountain lions are sometimes seen as well. The East Fork of the Kaweah River which runs through the valley is a small, high-gradient stream that supports

2337-478: The pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially (See Population of Native California ). Alfred L. Kroeber in 1925 put the 1770 population of the Yokuts at 18,000. Several subsequent investigations suggested that the total should be substantially higher. Robert F. Heizer and Albert B. Elsasser 1980 suggested that the Yokuts had numbered about 70,000. They had one of

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2394-477: The road is the Mosquito-Eagle Trailhead, which allows hikers to access trails leading out of the south end of the valley. There are also hiking trails leading north out of the valley through Timber Gap. Two Sequoia National Park campgrounds are located in Mineral King, Atwell Mill Campground and Cold Springs Campground, with a total of 61 tent campsites. No commercial services are available in

2451-403: The road to provide water for overheated car radiators, are also historic structures. There are two groups devoted to preserving Mineral King: Yokuts people The Yokuts (previously known as Mariposas ) are an ethnic group of Native Americans native to central California . Before European contact, the Yokuts consisted of up to 60 tribes speaking several related languages. Yokuts

2508-530: The sick. However, shamans were able to use their power for good or evil, and depending on how they used their power they could be executed. The first time the Yokuts encountered Europeans was in 1772, when Spanish troops were in the area searching for soldiers. In the 19th century, missions were introduced by the Spaniards and as they expanded they forced the Yokuts to work the land for farming. The harsh working conditions along with disease and abuse led to

2565-430: The single activity or resource that is causing the boom (e.g., one or more nearby mines, mills, or resorts), and when the resources are depleted or the resource economy undergoes a "bust" (e.g., catastrophic resource price collapse), boomtowns can often decrease in size as fast as they initially grew. Sometimes, all or nearly the entire population can desert the town, resulting in a ghost town . This can also take place on

2622-543: The term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons, such as a proximity to a major metropolitan area , huge construction project, or attractive climate. Early boomtowns, such as Leeds , Liverpool , and Manchester , experienced a dramatic surge in population and economic activity during the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 19th century. In pre-industrial England these towns had been relative backwaters, compared to

2679-519: The time of contact with the Spaniards in 1770. In Yokuts culture, men and women had different responsibilities. Men usually did the hunting, fishing, and building while the women gathered, maintained the home, and cared for the children. Divorce was not difficult to achieve and could be done for a number of reasons, including affairs, laziness, and infertility. Artistic expression among the Yokuts included music, singing, and painting. Basket making

2736-487: The tribe for decades, so that the tribe's casino profits would go to fewer people. In the autumn of 2014, several disenrolled Chukchansi tribe members (who were no longer receiving a share of casino profits) arrived at the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino armed with guns, and violence ensued. As a result, a federal judge ordered that the casino be shut down. The casino reopened on December 31, 2015, and

2793-512: The valley due to the remote location and steep terrain. There are at least two webcams that provide year-round visibility into the Mineral King Valley. No gasoline is available after leaving State Route 198, 25 miles down the winding Mineral King road (a 90-minute drive). The National Park Service charges fees for using campsites at Cold Springs and Atwell Mill. Bears, marmots and other wild animals abound so campers take precautions to protect their food and vehicles. Suggested precautions are posted by

2850-596: The valley is dotted with tributary gorges that fan out from the main canyon. Lakes in this section of the valley include the Mosquito Lakes, Eagle Lake, the Franklin Lakes, and the Crystal Lakes. From the end of the valley, the East Fork Kaweah River drops over Mineral King Falls and East Fork Falls, before continuing down a steep and narrow gorge, following Mineral King Road. Mineral King is one of

2907-500: The world. The California Gold Rush of the Western United States stimulated numerous boomtowns in that period, as settlements seemed to spring up overnight in the river valleys, mountains, and deserts around what was thought to be valuable gold mining country. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, boomtowns called mill towns would quickly arise due to sudden expansions in the timber industry; they tended to last

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2964-455: Was also a way for the Yokuts to show their artistic skills by weaving designs and images into the baskets. Other forms of expression were done on the bodies of the Yokuts, such as tattoos and piercings. The Yokuts partook in two important religious ceremonies, the annual mourning rite and the first fruit rite. Shamans were important to the Yokuts as they were believed to have supernatural powers, helped conduct ceremonies, and were able to treat

3021-486: Was at this time that the Sierra Club announced its opposition to the project. The ski resort was never built, due to environmental concerns raised by a coalition of preservationists, led by the Sierra Club. After years of legal battles between pro-development and preservationist groups, the Mineral King Valley was annexed into Sequoia National Park in 1978 by an act of Congress . That legislation effectively stopped

3078-598: Was declared the Sequoia Game Refuge by the United States Congress . Disney's Mineral King Ski Resort was a project developed by Walt Disney Productions in the 1960s. Disney had become interested in skiing around this time, and decided to build a ski resort in the Mineral King Valley. At the time, many skiers believed this to be the largest potential resort in all of California. Disney's bid won out over those of other developers, having

3135-407: Was discovered in California in 19th century. The 1850s were a devastating time for California Indians due to the incursion of European settlers into their homelands, who enslaved or killed the natives in great number. The gold rush left the Yokuts with no land and a large decrease in their population. In 1853 malaria spread once again among the Yokuts, killing more natives. By 1854 what was left of

3192-404: Was gradually improved throughout the early 20th century. On September 19, 1966, Walt Disney Productions announced plans to build a ski resort called "Disney's Mineral King Ski Resort" in the valley. The project was canceled after lengthy opposition by preservationists, including the Sierra Club . In 1978, the valley became part of Sequoia National Park. The name Mineral King also refers to

3249-607: Was the Irishman Harry "Parole" O'Farrell, in 1862. While employed as hunters for a trail crew building the Hockett toll trail from Visalia to Independence , O'Farrell and a Paiute companion found the valley from the south, over Farewell Gap. Attracted by the promise of mineral riches, O'Farrell returned to prospect and build a summer settlement on the East Fork of the Kaweah River, which came to be called Harry's Bend. In

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