Next: Introduction

Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
by Francis P. Farquhar

- Title Page

- Table of Contents

- Introduction

- Place Names of the High Sierra [with an added index map to Sierra Nevada 30' topo maps]
[ A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y, & Z. ]

- Supplementary Biographies
[ James Adams, Jesse Agnew, Thomas Ayres, William Badè, John Boling, Kit Carson, Alfred Craven, George Davidson, Gustavus Eisen, John Fremont, William Greeley, Walter Huber, James Lamon, Washington Lewis, Robert Marshall, François Matthes, Tredwell Moore, Robert Price, Paul Redington, James Savage, Jedediah Smith, Theodore Solomons, Gabriel Sovulewski, George Stewart, Clair Tappaan, George Wheeler, John White, Elisha Winchell, Lilbourne Winchell, and Thérèse Yelverton. ]

- List of Maps

- Publications of the Sierra Club

About the Author

Francis P. Farquhar was born in Newton, Massachusetts in Dec. 31, 1887. He graduated from Harvard and came to San Francisco to set up practice as a CPA. He married his wife Marjory Bridge in 1934 and they had two sons and a daughter. Francis Farquhar was an active Sierra Club leader and served as its president 1933-1935 and 1948-1949, Sierra Club Bulletin editor from 1926 to 1946, and served in other club offices as director from 1924 to 1951. Mr. Farquhar was a mountaineer who introduced proper use of rope to Sierra Club members on a club trip in 1931. He has made multiple first ascents, including the Middle Palisades in 1921. Mr. Farquhar is the author of several books and wrote the foreword for other books. He is best known for his book History of the Sierra Nevada (1946), which is still in print. He died Nov. 21, 1974 in Berkeley, California. His wife Marjory died 1999 in San Francisco. Mt. Francis Farquhar (12,893'), located 1.6 miles NW of Mt. Brewer in Kings Canyon National Park, was named in honor of him.

- Biographical sketch (Bancroft Library)

- Francis Farquhar Obituary (Sierra Club Bulletin)

- “Exploration of the Sierra Nevada” by Francis P. Farquhar (1925)

Bibliographical Information

Francis Peloubet Farquhar (1887 - 1974), Place Names of the High Sierra (San Francisco: Sierra Club, 1926) LCCN 26-013444. x+128 pages. 25 cm. Library of Congress call number F868.S5 S47b no. 62. Originally published in the Sierra Club Bulletin for 1923, 1924, and 1925. Revised and enlarged for publication in book form. 1000 copies printed, 200 in rag paper. Half Morocco and board cover, wood veneer pattern endpapers. Printed wrappers. No copyright.

Digitized by Dan Anderson, October 2004, from a copy at the UCLA Young Research Library. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice is left intact.
—Dan Anderson, www.yosemite.ca.us

Next: Introduction

History of the Sierra Nevada
by Francis Farquhar   (Paperback, 1965)
Buy this book at Amazon.com

Place Names of the Sierra Nevada
by Peter Browning   (Paperback, 1991)
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PLACE NAMES
OF THE HIGH SIERRA

By
Francis P. Farquhar

San Francisco
PUBLISHED BY SIERRA CLUB
1926

Publications of the Sierra Club No. 62 The edition consists of
1000 copies, of which this is one of 200 printed on all-rag paper.

Printed by Taylor & Taylor, San Francisco

to
Joseph Nisbet LeConte
mountaineer and explorer
of the high sierra

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Page vii

PLACE NAMES OF THE HIGH SIERRA

1

SUPPLEMENTARY BIOGRAPHIES

111

LIST OF MAPS

121

PUBLICATIONS OF THE SIERRA CLUB

127

INTRODUCTION

The mountain range that forms the eastern wall of the great interior valley of California became definitely known to white men for the first time in 1776, when Padre Garcés visited the Indian rancherias on the eastern side of the Tulare Valley. The knowledge of the Spaniards was limited to distant views of the snow-capped peaks and to the lower courses of the rivers that flow from them. To these rivers they gave names that in later years were applied to their upper reaches.

Indians lived along the rivers and had summer camps in the mountains. They traded back and forth with tribes on the eastern side of the range. But so far as can be discovered they had no specific names for places in the High Sierra. Most of the Indian names outside of the lower cañons have been bestowed by white men. Attempts to interpret such names poetically are likely to lead one astray from the true character of the Indian significance. The thoughts of these California tribes were largely concerned with the functions of everyday life, with animals, and with legends in which animals played a principal part.

The American trappers reached the vicinity of the Sierra Nevada in 1826, and for a decade looked it over, not finding it very productive in furs. They were the first to cross the range, however; Jedediah S. Smith making the first passage in 1827, from west to east, and Joseph R. Walker crossing in 1833 in the opposite direction.

The nomenclature of the Sierra, other than the Spanish and Indian names for the rivers, begins with the exploring expeditions of Fremont in the ’40s, when the names of members of the party were given to several of the rivers and passes. Then suddenly came the discovery of gold, bringing a throng of adventurous prospectors. The wonders of Yosemite and the Big Trees became known. Knowledge of the resources of the state became an important matter, and a state geological survey was authorized.

The State Geological Survey under Whitney explored the Sierra Nevada from one end to the other, placing names upon the prominent peaks and mapping the principal features. There were few local names, as there were few local people to give them, so names had to be supplied. For the most part the names of persons connected with the survey or the names of men of science were selected. This practice, begun by Fremont and extended by the Whitney Survey, has been continued to the present time, with the result that a large portion of the names in the Sierra Nevada are names of persons.

While there are some objections to this practice, it is, nevertheless, not without its advantages. In the nomenclature of the Sierra we find preserved a great deal of its history, and this history becomes more interesting as we discover the varied personalities of those who have taken part in it. It is with the hope of preserving to some extent these personalities that the biographical data in this book have been compiled. Not a great deal can be said about a man in the few lines available for each of these names, yet some conception can be obtained from even a bare statement of the episodes of his career.. The f act that an army officer, well known in his later years as a colonel or general, was but a second lieutenant just out of the Military Academy when he took part in exploring the mountain passes is worth keeping in mind. In the same way, the personality of a man of science becomes more vivid if we know that he received academic honors from many institutions.

It is unfortunate that we cannot have more knowledge of the old-timers who spent summer after summer in the High Sierra. Their characters are scarcely indicated by the brief biographical facts available. Many of them are far more deserving of place names in their own mountains than are the casual visitors from cities. Fortunately they are well represented in the mountain meadows and streams.

This record of the origin and significance of the place names of the High Sierra was begun in 1919 as the result of numerous inquiries passed around camp-fires on trips in the mountains. What at first seemed like a simple task grew into quite a formidable undertaking, largely due to the variety of the sources of information. After a while, however, there seemed to be a sufficient volume of data to make it worth while to publish it, and it was presented in three installments in the Sierra Club Bulletins of 1923, 1924, and 1925. With the publication of this material, corrections and additions began to come in and new sources of information opened up. The volume of material has more than doubled, and it has seemed worth while to issue it in the more permanent form of a book.

Acknowledgments of the sources of information are in most instances given with the data themselves. In references to publications I have endeavored to be specific, in order that others may be led as directly as possible to the original sources. These references, moreover, furnish a fairly comprehensive bibliography. A great deal of the information has been obtained directly from persons having a first-hand knowledge. For biographical data I have consulted “Who’s Who in America,” “Engineering Who’s Who,” Heitman’s “Historical Register of the United States Army,” the official Army registers, catalogues of graduates of universities, and other reference books.

I cannot adequately express my appreciation of the generous assistance that I have had in the preparation of this book. Most of those who have helped are, like myself, enthusiastic lovers of the Sierra, and will take some satisfaction in having had a part in this co-operative effort to make the region better known and more interesting to those who visit it. It is impossible to mention all of them, but to several of them who have rendered abundant and continuous assistance some special acknowledgment is due.

I have been especially fortunate in having the constant co-operation of Professor J. N. Le Conte, who probably has a more intimate acquaintance with the High Sierra than any other person. Mr. Theodore S. Solomons, Colonel N. F. McClure, the late Colonel Harry C. Benson, the late Mr. George R. Davis, Mr. W. A. Chalfant, Mr. Lilbourne A. Winchell, Mr. Walter L. Huber, and Colonel George W. Stewart have responded repeatedly to calls for information and have taken a most encouraging interest in the progress of the work. The assistance of Colonel R. B. Marshall, formerly Chief Geographer of the United States Geological Survey, has been especially valuable. Mr. Chester Versteeg, of Los Angeles, has most generously placed at my disposal a great deal of interesting information that he has been gathering from pioneer residents of the Sierra foothills with a view to publishing a book on the Sierra Nevada. This has added substantially to the volume and reliability of the data upon which I have drawn. I also want to express to Mr. George P. Vance, reader for the printers, my appreciation of his assistance in reading the proof. Because of his long association with the Sierra Club Bulletin as proof-reader, Mr. Vance has been able to offer many helpful suggestions. It is worthy of observation that he read the proof of the first number of the Sierra Club Bulletin, published in 1893.

In order to keep the work within bounds, the region of the High Sierra included in this volume has been limited on the north by the divide separating the Tuolumne from the Stanislaus watershed, and on the south by the vicinity of Olancha Peak. In a few instances, names are found beyond these boundaries. From the Stanislaus River, north, the origins of place names are largely from sources quite different from those included in this book and might properly form the subject of a separate publication.

Completeness in a work of this character is out of the question. Many names are excluded because they are commonplace or obvious; others because no reliable information seems obtainable; and others simply because of lack of time to run down promising clues. New information will continue to appear, and no doubt some of it will disclose errors in what is already published. Nevertheless, a substantial portion of the ground has been covered, and reasonable care has been exercised in establishing authority for the facts.

Supplementary to the place names there are presented a few biographies of persons who have played important parts in the history of the High Sierra, but for whom no places have been named. This list could, of course, be expanded indefinitely, but has been confined to a few representative individuals concerning whom data could be obtained. There is added a list of maps showing the development of the nomenclature of the High Sierra. Finally, a table of the publications of the Sierra Club is given for the purpose of increasing the facility of looking up references.

Francis P. Farquhar.

San Francisco, April, 1926.

PLACE NAMES OF THE HIGH SIERRA

PLACE NAMES OF THE HIGH SIERRA

The names in brackets at the right of the place names refer to the quadrangles of the United States Geological Survey topographic maps upon which the names occur. The full titles of these quadrangles will be found in the list of maps at the end of the book. Figures in parentheses Following the names of mountains are the altitudes in feet above sea-level, as given on the U. S. G. S. maps. Sources of information are indicated by names of persons or publications in parentheses. References to publications are usually to the earliest edition in which the information is to be found. Abbreviations have been generally avoided, but U. S. G. S. is used for United States Geological Survey; U. S. A., for United States Army; S. C. B., for Sierra Club Bulletin.

[ A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y, & Z. ]

[Editor’s note: for the convenience of modern readers, who don’t have access to 30' topographic maps, I prepared the following index map of the early 19th century topo maps of the Sierra Nevada, California. This map does not appear in the original printed edition—DEA.]

A

ABBOT, MOUNT (13,736)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by the Whitney Survey; the name appears on Hoffmann’s map, 1873. Erroneously spelled “Abbott” on some maps and in many references to the mountain.

Henry Larcom. Abbot, born in Massachusetts, 1831; still living in Cambridge, Mass., 1925; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1854; captain, 1862; major, 1865; lieutenant-colonel, 1880; colonel, 1886; major-general of volunteers, 1865; retired, 1895; brigadier-general, retired, 1904; LL.D., Harvard, 1886; joint author, with Captain Andrew Atkinson Humphreys, of the classic Report on the Physics and Hydraulics of the Mississippi River, 1861; member of the Williamson party of the Pacific Railroad Surveys in California and Oregon, 1855. First ascent by Joseph N. Le Conte, James S. Hutchinson, Duncan McDuffie, July 13, 1908. (S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, p. 13.) Second ascent 1922, by William H. Staniels and party. (California Alpine Club Trails, 1922, II:1, pp. 57-58.)

ACKER PEAK (10,918)

[Dardanelles]

William Bertrand Acker, connected with the Department of the Interior since 1880; assistant attorney since 1908. For many years had charge of all national park matters in the department. (R. B. Marshall.)

AGASSIZ NEEDLE (13,882)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Lilbourne A. Winchell in 1879 for Louis Agassiz (1807-1873); professor of zoology and geology, Harvard, 1847-1873. (L. A. Winchell.) Has been climbed; but names and dates not ascertained.

AGNEW MEADOW, PASS, LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Theodore C. Agnew, a miner, settled on land at Agnew Meadow in 1877, applying in vain for patents in 1885, 1886, and 1891. “Mr. Agnew has been of a good deal of service to the Government by acting as guide to troops patrolling the park, by giving information as to the whereabouts of trespassers on the park, and by preventing sheep-herders from driving sheep through the land occupied by him, which they believe belongs to him.” (Letter from Captain Alexander Rodgers, U.S.A., acting superintendent, Yosemite National Park, to Secretary of the Interior, August 6, 1895.)

AHART MEADOW

[Kaiser]

Patented as homestead by John Ahart about 1890; now owned by D. C. Sample. (Chester Versteeg.)

AHWAHNEE

[Yosemite]

“Village on Black Oak Flat, extending from site of Galen Clark’s grave easterly to Yo-watch-ke [at mouth of Indian Cañon]. As in the case of most of the villages, the village name was applied also to a definite tract of land belonging to it. . . . This being the largest tract of open level ground in the valley, the name Ah-wah-ne came to be applied by outside Indians to the whole valley.” (C. Hart Merriam: Indian Village and Camp Sites in Yosemite Valley, S.C.B., 1917, X:2, p. 205.—See, also, Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 34.)

“The valley has always been known to them, and is to this day, when speaking among themselves, as A-wa'ni. This, it is true, is only the name of one of the ancient villages which it contained; but by prominence it gave its name to the valley, and, in accordance with Indian usage almost everywhere, to the inhabitants of the same.” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 361.)

[Editor’s note: For the origin of the word Ahwahnee see “Origin of the Word Yosemite.”—DEA]

ALGER LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named in 1909 by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for John Alger, a packer for the Geological Survey. (R. B. Marshall.)

ALTA MEADOW, PEAK (11,211)

[Tehipite]

In 1876, W. B. Wallace, Tom Witt, and N. B. Witt, on their way from Big Meadow to Mineral King, camped at Alta Meadow and gave it its name because it was higher than any other meadow in the vicinity. Alta is Spanish for “high.” (G. W. Stewart.)

“It is suggested that ‘Alta Peak’ be substituted as a name for what is denominated Tharp’s Peak on the present club map. It is a most conspicuous crag eastward from the Giant Forest as seen from Three Rivers. We climbed it in 1896, when, so far as we knew, it had no name. The name Alta Peak then given from the long-named Alta Meadow on its slope, has been almost universally adopted by the Three Rivers people and the frequenters of Giant Forest.” (William R. Dudley, in S.C.B., 1903, IV:4, pp. 306-307.)

A prominent crag, forming part of Alta Peak, has since been known as Tharps Rock.

AMPHITHEATER LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by J. N. Le Conte in 1902. (J. N. Le Conte.)

AMPHITHEATER LAKE

[Kaweah]

Named by W. F. Dean in 1889. (W. F. Dean.)

ARMY PASS

[Olancha]

Trail constructed by troop K, 4th Cavalry, U.S.A., while stationed in Owens Valley in the ’90s. (Chester Versteeg, from General M. F. Davis.) Sometimes difficult of passage on account of snow. Used by Sierra Club outing party, 1912. (S.C.B., 1913, IX:1, p. 23, plate XIX.)

ARNDT LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Named by Lieutenant Harry C. Benson for First Sergeant Alvin Arndt, I troop, 4th Cavalry, U.S.A., 1896. (H. C. Benson.)

Arndt crossed from Slide Cañon to Tiltill Valley in September, 1893, and found a route from Matterhorn Cañon to Hetch Hetchy Valley. (S.C.B., 1895, I:5, p. 168.)

ARNOLD MEADOW

[Kaiser]

Probably for Ben Arnold, a rancher of the foothills. (Chester Versteeg.)

ARROW PEAK (12,927)

[Mount Whitney]

Named by Professor Bolton Coit Brown, 1895, when he made first ascent. (S.C.B., 1896, I:8, pp. 305-309.)

ATWELLS MILL

[Kaweah]

Site of sawmill built by Collins and Redfield, 1879; land, 160 acres, patented by Isham Mullenix, 1890, under homestead entry of 1885; later became property of A. J. Atwell, of Visalia; purchased from Henry J. Alles, 1920, by D. E. Skinner, of Seattle, who donated it to United States Department of the Interior, through National Geographic Society. (G. W. Stewart.—National Geographic Magazine, July, 1921, p. 85.)

“The Atwell mill has started again, and is fast denuding that vicinity of a most beautiful grove of sequoias. The property is leased for three years yet, and the rent is a certain percentage on the lumber actually cut, really setting a premium on the death of the big trees; and for what purpose? Only to make shingles, posts, and flume boards! This estate should be acquired by the Government at once, and thus save this most beautiful sequoia grove.” (Report of the Acting Superintendent of the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks, 1899, [Henry B. Clark, 2nd Lt., 3rd Artillery, U.S.A., p. 7.)

AVALANCHE PEAK (10,085)

[Tehipite]

Peak directly south of Kings River Cañon above Grand Sentinel. Shown on sketch-map accompanying article by John Muir, A Rival of the Yosemite, in Century Magazine, November, 1891, p. 79. Name subsequently became transposed on maps to peak farther south.

B

BABCOCK LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure in 1895 for John P. Babcock, chief deputy, California State Board of Fish Commissioners. (N. F. McClure.)

BACON MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Fielding Bacon, a pioneer stockman. (J. B. Agnew, Walter Fry.)

BALLOON DOME (6900)

[Kaiser]

“Two or three miles southeast of this is a most remarkable dome, more perfect in form than any before seen in the state. It rises to the height of 1800 feet above the river, and presents exactly the appearance of the upper part of a sphere; or, as Professor Brewer says, ‘of the top of a gigantic balloon struggling to get up through the rock.’” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 401.)

BANNER PEAK (12,957)

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Willard D. Johnson, topographer, U.S.G.S., in 1883, on account of cloud-banners streaming from the summit. (J. N. Le Conte.)

First ascent by Willard D. Johnson and John Miller, August 26, 1883. (S.C.B., 1905, V:3, p. 193.)

BARNARD, MOUNT (14,003)

[Mount Whitney]

Edward Emerson Barnard (1857-1923); astronomer, famous for discovery of many comets, for studies of the Milky Way, and for development of photography in astronomical work; B.S., Vanderbilt, 1887; S.D. (hon.), 1893; LL.D., Queen’s University, Ontario, 1909; astronomer at Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, 1888-1895; at Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago, 1895-1923. (Edwin B. Frost, in The Astrophysical Journal, July, 1923.)

Named by C. Mulholland and W. L. Hunter, who, with John and William Hunter, made the first ascent, September 25, 1892. (S.C.B., 1894, I:3, pp. 85-89.)

BARNEY LAKE

[Bridgeport]

Barney Peeler, an old resident of Bridgeport. (W. H. Spaulding, in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, p. 126.)

BARTON PEAK (10,400)

[Tehipite]

Named for Jim Barton, who has run cattle on this mountain for twenty years. Formerly shown on maps as Mount Moraine.

BATTLE CREEK

[Kaweah]

Named for a famous battle that took place on this creek between a burro and a mountain lion. There are several versions of the story. Guy Hopping, of Three Rivers, says the burro was owned by his family for many years after the battle, which he describes as follows:

George Cahoon owned the burro, named Barney. Barney came into camp one day bloody and torn. Men followed back along the bloody tracks and came to the scene of the battle. It was apparent that there had been a struggle, and it seemed most probable that the lion had been injured by kicks or biting and had crawled off to the stream where it was drowned in the high water, leaving the burro victorious.

Walter Fry says that Cahoon found the lion dead from the effects of the wounds.

BAXTER, MOUNT (13,118)

[Mount Whitney]

Probably for John Baxter, a rancher in Owens Valley. (W. A. Chalfant.) First ascent by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., 1905. (J. N. Le Conte.)

BEAR CREEK

[Mount Goddard]

Theodore S. Solomons says that this name was current among sheepmen when he first came there in 1894.

BEAR CREEK SPIRE (13,705)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by J. N. Le Conte, 1908. (S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, p. 12, and map.) First ascent by Hermann F. Ulrichs, August 16, 1923. (Letter from H. F. Ulrichs.)

BEARPAW MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Said to have been named by early stockmen, who found a bear’s paw nailed to a tree.

BEARSKIN MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Said to be named on account of a snow-patch that was the last to go in summer and which resembled a bearskin. (J. B. Agnew.)

“We now descend to Bearskin Meadow, a sheet of purple-topped grasses enameled with violets, gilias, larkspurs, potentillas, ivesias, columbine, etc.; parnassia and sedges in the wet places, and majestic trees crowding forward in proud array to form a curving border, while Little Boulder Creek, a stream twenty feet wide, goes humming and swirling merrily through the middle of it.” (Muir: A Rival of the Yosemite, in Century Magazine, November, 1891, p. 79.)

BEARUP LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure for a soldier in his detachment, 1894— Pronounced “Beer-up.” (N. F. McClure.)

BEASORE MEADOWS, CREEK

[Kaiser]

George Powell, a pioneer prospector, says correct spelling is “Beausore,” pronounced “Bā’saw,” according to Sam Ellis; shown on some maps as “Basaw.” Named for a stockman of the ’60s. (Chester Versteeg.)

BECK LAKES

[Mount Lyell]

Named about 1882 for John Beck, a prospector of the Minaret district. (Chester Versteeg, from George Powell.)

BENCH LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Named by J. N. Le Conte in 1902. (J. N. Le Conte.)

BENNETT CREEK

[Kaweah]

William F. Bennett, a stockman of the ’70s. (Walter Fry.)

BENSON LAKE, PASS

[Dardanelles]

Harry Coupland Benson (1857-1924); on duty with troops in Yosemite National Park, as a lieutenant, from 1895 to 1897; later, as captain and major, was acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, from 1905 to 1905; acting superintendent Yellowstone National Park, 1909 to 1910; also with troops in Sequoia National Park, 1891 and 1892; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1882; first lieutenant, 1888; captain, 1897; major, 1905; lieutenant-colonel, 1911; colonel, 1914; retired, 1915. (Biography and portrait in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2 pp. 175-179.)

Name given in 1895. (H. C. Benson.)

BIG ARROYO

[Olancha]

Known in early days as Crabtree Creek or jenny Lind Cañon. (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, p. 41.)

John Crabtree and Bill Corse had a mine on the cast side of the Great Western Divide which they named Jenny Lind Mine; they called the creek Jenny Lind Creek. (G. W. Stewart.)

BIG BIRD LAKE

[Tehipite]

Name given by James Clay, 1902; suggested by the tracks of a large bird seen on the shore. (James Clay.)

This name appears to antedate the name Dollar Lake found on most maps. The latter name, if given because of the supposed shape of the lake, is inappropriate, because the lake is decidedly irregular in contour and considerably longer than it is wide. (F. P. Farquhar.)

BIG OAK FLAT ROAD

Road from Knights Ferry, via Chinese Camp and Priests, was extended in 1869 from Big Oak Flat to Hardin Ranch, and in 1870 to Hodgdon Ranch.. During next two years it was continued to Gentry’s Station; completed by Yosemite Turnpike and Road Company, under authority of State Legislature, to floor of Yosemite Valley, July 17, 1874. Title passed to Big Oak Flat and Yosemite Turnpike Road Company, 1879, with franchise to operate it as tollroad. Portion from boundary of State Park to floor of Valley, three miles, purchased by State of California, 1888. (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 335.—Report of the Commission on Roads in Yosemite National Park, California, dated December 4, 1899. [Colonel S. M. Mansfield, Captain Harry C. Benson, J. L. Maude, commissioners.] Senate Document No. 155, 56th Congress, 1st Session, 1900.)

“Nor must we pass unseen the sturdy, branch-topped, and root-cut veteran of a noble and enormous oak; Quercus lobata; some eleven feet in diameter, now prostrate, on our right; as it was from this once famous tree that ‘Big Oak Flat,’ the village through which we pass, and the route, received their name.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 323.)

BIGELOW PEAK (10,510)

[Dardanelles]

John Bigelow, Jr., major 9th Cavalry, U. S. Army, acting superintendent Yosemite National Park, 1904; born, 1854; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1877; first lieutenant, 1883; captain, 1893; major, 1902; retired, 1904; lieutenant-colonel, retired, 1919.

BIGHORN LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

“An exclamation of surprise burst from one of the party, and we found directly before us a band of ‘big-horn’ sheep. We had supposed the animal long since extinct in the Sierra, and at first we could scarcely believe our eyes. . . . There were perhaps twenty in all. . . . There confronted us a wild array of rugged gorges and peaks glowing pink in the setting sun, and deep down in the amphitheater below us lay an azure lake. . . . This we named Big Horn Lake.” (Lincoln Hutchinson, in S.C.B., 1903, IV:3, pp. 202-203.)

The Sierra Nevada Mountain Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) has not been seen in the Sierra for a number of years, although possibly a few bands remain in the southern portion or on the eastern slope of the range.

BISHOP PASS, CREEK

[Mount Goddard, Bishop]

Samuel Addison Bishop (1825-1893), an early settler of Owens Valley, 1863-1866; native of Virginia; came to California in 1849 and engaged in various activities about Fort Tejon; in 1866 a supervisor of Kern County; constructed first street-car line in San Jose, 1868. (Chalfant: The Story of Inyo, 1922, pp. 90-92.)

The creek was probably the first feature to receive the name; later it was applied to the pass and to the town of Bishop.

BLACK DIVIDE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., when making Mount Goddard quadrangle, about 1907. (J. N. Le Conte.)

BLACK GIANT (13,312)

[Mount Goddard]

“A few miles to the south rose a particularly inviting point, which certainly commands a peerless view. But time forbade an ascent this year, so I named it the Black Giant, and wondered how long it would stand as it has so far stood, an untrodden summit.” (J. N. Le Conte in S.C.B., 1905, V:3, p. 236.) In making the map of the Mount Goddard quadrangle, 1907-1909, the U.S.G.S. placed the name Mount Goode on this peak, apparently unaware of the name given by Le Conte. The earlier name was restored by decision of the U. S. Geographic Board, January, 1926, and the name of Goode was transferred to peak on the main crest of the Sierra.

First ascent by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., 1905. (Letter from G. R. Davis to W. L. Huber, September 14, 1916.)

BLACK KAWEAH (See Kaweah Peaks)

BLACK ROCK PASS

[Kaweah]

Judge W. B. Wallace, of Visalia, says he went over this pass with a riding-horse and pack-animals in 1879, and believes he was the first to do so. It was for a time called “Black Pass.” It is designated “Black Rock Pass” on Lieutenant Milton F. Davis’ map of 1896. The name is derived from a band of black rock that is in noticeable contrast to the red and white formations near by. Known also as “Cliff Pass” in early days.

BLANEY MEADOWS

[Mount Goddard]

Lost Valley is the first and true name. It was known as early as 1870. Blaney later had a sheep-camp there every year. (L. A. Winchell.)

BLOODY CAÑON

[Mount Lyell]

“It is very steep and rough; the name is suggestive of the disagreeable effects of the sharp edges of the slates on the legs of the unfortunate animals driven over it.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 436.)

“It was known and traveled as a pass by wild animals and the Indians long before its discovery by white men in the gold year of 1858, as is shown by old trails which come together at the head of it. The name may have been suggested by the red color of the metamorphic slates in which the cañon abounds, or by the blood-stains on the rocks from unfortunate animals that were compelled to slide and shuffle over the sharp-angled boulders.” (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 289. —See, also, Picturesque California, edited by John Muir, 1888, vol. I, pp. 24, 28.)

BLOSSOM LAKES

[Kaweah]

Named in 1909 by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Charles W. Blossom, park ranger. (R. B. Marshall.)

BOLTON BROWN, MOUNT (13,527)

[Bishop]

“It stands at the junction of the Sequoia, Sierra and Inyo Nat. Forests. We hereby name it ‘Mt. Bolton Brown’ in honor of Bolton C. Brown of the Sierra Club, who was the first to explore, map and write of the Upper Basin of the So. Fork of the Kings River.” (Chester Versteeg, in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, p. 426.)

First ascent by Chester Versteeg and Rudolph Berls, August 14, 1922.

Bolton Coit Brown, professor of drawing and painting at Stanford University, 1891-1902, wrote a series of articles for Sierra Club Bulletin describing his explorations and climbs in the Sierra: Three Days with Mt. King, 1896, I:7, pp. 241-253; A Trip About the Headwaters of the South and Middle Forks of Kings River, 1896, I:8, pp. 293-313; Wanderings in the High Sierra Between Mt. King and Mt. Williamson, 1897, II:1, pp. 17-28, and 1897, II:2, pp. 90-98; Another Paradise, 1900, III:2, pp. 135-149; A Glimpse of the Winter Sierra, 1901, III:3, pp. 242-248.

BOND PASS

[Dardanelles]

Frank Bond, of the U. S. General Land Office, one of the Yosemite National Park Boundary Commission in 1904; now chairman of the U. S. Geographic Board. (R. B. Marshall.)

BOUNDARY HILL

[Yosemite]

One of the points on the boundary of the original grant of the Yosemite Valley by the Federal Government to the State of California as a state park, Act of June 30, 1864. Name appears on Wheeler Survey map of Yosemite Valley, 1883.

BRADLEY, MOUNT (13,780)

[Mount Whitney]

Cornelius Beach Bradley; born in Siam, 1643; B.A., Oberlin, 1868; M.A.,

1886; B.D., Yale, 1871; missionary to Siam, 1871-1874; taught at Oakland High School, 1875-1882; at University of California since 1882; professor of rhetoric, 1894-1911; professor emeritus since 1911; a charter member of the Sierra Club.

Named by Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Price and Joseph C. Shinn, who made first ascent, July 5, 1898. (S.C.B., 1899, II:5, p. 273.)

BRANIGAN LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure for a soldier of his detachment while exploring the park in 1894. Branigan was killed in the Philippines. (N. F. McClure.)

BREEZE CREEK

[Dardanelles, Yosemite]

BREEZE LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

William F. Breeze, of San Francisco, who assisted his brother-in-law, Lieutenant Benson, in making map, 1896. (H. C. Benson.)

BREWER, MOUNT (13,577)

[Mount Whitney]

William Henry Brewer (1828-1910); Ph.B., Yale, 1852; LL.D., Yale, 1903, Wesleyam 1904, University of California, 1910; professor of natural sciences, University of California 1863-1864; professor of agriculture, Yale, 1864-1903; professor emeritus, 1903-1910; principal assistant of Whitney in California State Geological Survey, 1860-1865, and chief of field party that explored central High Sierra in 1864. Portrait in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, plate CXL, and S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, plate XLIV.

Named by members of Brewer’s party, 1864. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 378.)

First ascent by William H. Brewer and Charles F. Hoffmann, July 2, 1864. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 379; King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, pp. 52-56; S.C.B., 1896, I:7, p. 289; S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 252.)

BRIDALVEIL FALL

[Yosemite]

Although Hutchings says that he suggested the name on his first visit to Yosemite in 1855 (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 89), it is said by Bunnell to have been named by Warren Baer, editor of the Mariposa Democrat (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 208). This is corroborated by the following quotation from a reprint of an article in the Mariposa Democrat of August 5, 1856: “We make bold to call it Bridal Veil; and those who may have the felicity to witness the stream floating in the embrace of the morning breeze, will acknowledge the resemblance, and perhaps pardon the liberty we have taken in attempting to apply so poetical a name to this Queen of the Valley.” (Quarterly of the California Historical Society, 1923, I:3, p. 277.)

“Po'ho-no, Po-ho'no (though the first is probably more correct.)” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 363.) The Indian name, has been commented upon by Hutchings, Bunnell, Whitney (Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 16), and many others. Kroeber says: “Pohono Falls, in Yosemite Valley, appears to be of Miwok Indian origin. These Indians, however, do not recognize the often-quoted meaning ‘evil wind,’ and connect the word rather with Pohonichi, the Yokuts’ name of a Miwok group in the vicinity, in which -chi is an ending denoting ‘people.’” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 55.) (See Pohono Trail.)

BRODERICK, MOUNT (6705)

[Yosemite]

Broderick’s name was originally placed on what is now known as Liberty Cap. (Whitney Survey, Geology, 1865, pp. 418-419.) Displaced in 1865. (See Liberty Cap.) On Wheeler Survey map of Yosemite Valley, 1883, it appears in present location.

David Colbert Broderick; born in Ireland, 1820; U. S. Senator from California, 1857-1859; killed in duel with David S. Terry, 1859.

BUBBS CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

John Bubbs was one of a party of prospectors who crossed Kearsarge Pass from Owens Valley in 1864. (S.C.B., 1918, X:3, p. 340.) These prospectors are mentioned by Brewer’s party of the Whitney Survey. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 394.)

BUCK CAÑON

[Tehipite]

Some say it was named for Jim Budd, an Indian; but others say from the killing of a large buck. Long known as Buck Cañon. (G. W. Stewart.)

BUNNELL POINT

[Mount Lyell]

Lafayette Houghton Bunnell (1824-1903); born at Rochester, New York; moved to Detroit, 1832; there, and later in Wisconsin, became familiar with Indians and learned Indian languages; served in Mexican War, 1847; came to California, 1849; joined Mariposa Battalion, organized by Major James D. Savage in 1851 for suppression of Indian raids; member of Mariposa Battalion expedition, first party of white men to enter Yosemite Valley, March 25, 1851; proposed name Yosemite for the valley; returned to Yosemite on second expedition under Captain Bowling (or Boling), May, 1851; remained in California, trading, mining, and surveying, for five or six years; returned to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and enlisted in U. S. Army, April, 1861; served throughout Civil War, commissioned assistant-surgeon, 1865; honorary degree of M.D., La Crosse Medical College, 1864; spent remainder of his life in Minnesota. (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880; Kuykendall, in Hall’s Handbook of Yosemite National Park, 1921, pp. 3-13; Dr. Howard A. Kelly, in Annals of Medical History, vol. III, no. 2, 192 1.)

C

CAHOON MEADOW

[Tehipite]

CAHOON MOUNTAIN (4200)

[Kaweah]

George Cahoon lived on South Fork of Kaweah River, hence the name of the mountain; had a summer home at meadow, north of Marble Fork, that bears his name. (G. W. Stewart.)

CAMP CURRY

[Yosemite]

Established June 1, 1899, by Mr. and Mrs. David A. Curry, and maintained annually ever since. David A. Curry (1860-1917) and Jennie Foster (born 1861), both natives of Indiana, were married in 1886. “As students under David Starr Jordan at Indiana University, they were inducted into the joys of tramping and camping, and, as teachers, carried on such work for several years as vacation employment, chiefly in the Yellowstone National Park, until . . . Camp Curry was founded.” (Letter from Mrs. Curry.)

CARDINAL MOUNTAIN (13,388), LAKE

[Mount Whitney.]

Named by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., on account of brilliant coloring of the mountain summit—like the red cap of a cardinal. The lake was named from the mountain. (J. N. Le Conte.)

First ascent, August 11, 1922, by George Downing, Jr. (S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, p. 425.)

CARROLL CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

A. W. de la Cour Carroll, of Lone Pine. (Chester Versteeg.) Carroll climbed Mount Williamson in 1893 and named Mount Le Conte in 1895. (S.C.B., 1894, I:3, pp. 90-92; S.C.B., 1896, I:8, pp. 325-326.). A charter member of the Sierra Club.

CARTRIDGE CREEK

[Tehipite]

Named by Frank Lewis in the ’70s. “While hunting there with a young friend, Harrison Hill, I wounded a bear and told him to finish it. He became excited and threw all the shells out of his Winchester without firing a shot.” (Letter from Frank Lewis, February 12, 1926.)

CASCADE VALLEY

[Mount Morrison]

Name given by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S. The meadow was originally named Peninsula Meadow by J. N. Le Conte and J. S. Hutchinson in 1908, because of a peninsula jutting into the stream. (J. N. Le Conte, S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, p. 7.)

CASCADES

[Yosemite]

“I named these falls the Cascades on a first exploration.” (Bunnell, in Biennial Report of the Commissioners to Manage Yosemite Valley, 1889-90, p. 13.)

CASE MOUNTAIN

[Kaweah]

Bill Case had a cabin at the head of Salt Creek, and used to run a team on this mountain for sledding shakes. His team was famous for its mixture of four different animals: a horse, a mule, a burro, and a steer. (Guy Hopping, Walter Fry.)

CASSIDY MEADOW

[Kaiser]

Named for an early sheepman. (Chester Versteeg, from S. L. N. Ellis.)

CASTILLEJA LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

“This we named Castilleja Lake, the castilleja blossoms being especially perfect and brilliant upon its shores.” (Bolton Coit Brown, in S.C.B., 1897, II:1, p. 21, and map opposite p. 26.) This lake is not named on U.S.G.S. maps,—it is near the head of East Creek on the route to Harrison Pass.

Castilleia, or castilleia, is the botanical name for the Indian paintbrush.

CATARACT CREEK

[Mount Goddard]

“Cataract Creek, we called it, and marveled at its wonderful setting.” (J. N. Le Conte, in S.C.B., 1904, V:1, pp. 10-H.)

CATHEDRAL PEAK (10,933)

[Mount Lyell]

“From a high ridge, crossed just before reaching this lake [Tenaya], we had a fine view of a very prominent exceedingly grand landmark through all the region, and to which the name of Cathedral Peak has been given.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 425.)

“No wonder the hills and groves were God’s first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself. The same may be said of stone temples. Yonder, to the eastward of our camp grove, stands one of Nature’s cathedrals, hewn from the living rock, almost conventional in form, about two thousand feet high, nobly adorned with spires and pinnacles, thrilling under floods of sunshine as if alive like a grove-temple, and well named ‘Cathedral’.” (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 196.)

John Muir climbed to the topmost spire, September 7, 1869. (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 332.)

Theodore S. Solomons describes an ascent in 1897. (S.C.B., 1901, III:3, p. 236.)

CEDAR GROVE

[Tehipite]

A small hotel was built here about 1897 by Hugh Robison, but as it was on government land and he had no permit, he was dispossessed the following year. (G. W. Stewart.)

CENTER PEAK (12,767)

[Mount Whitney]

Named by Cornelius Beach Bradley and Robert M. Price in 1896, when Professor Bradley made the first ascent. (S.C.B., 1899, II:5, p. 273.)

CHAGOOPAH PLATEAU, FALLS

[Mount Whitney, Olancha]

The falls were named by W. B. Wallace, J. W. A. Wright, and F. H. Wales, in 1881, for an old Piute chief. (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, no. 1, p. 11.)

The name is spelled “Sha-goo-pah” by Wallace; also in Elliott’s Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada (1883), where it is said to be the Indian name of Mount Williamson (pp. 38-39).

Kroeber says the meaning is unknown, but the name is almost certainly a Mono word. (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 38.)

“We have mapped it as the Chagoopah Plateau, as it is traversed by the creek forming the Chagoopah Falls.” (William R. Dudley, in S.C.B., 1898, II:3, p. 187.)

CHARLOTTE, LAKE, CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

The name appears on Hoffmann’s map, 1873, but the origin seems obscure. Locally known as Rhoda Lake at one time. (S.C.B., 1894, I:3, p. 99.)

CHARYBDIS (12,935)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1895, when with E. C. Bonner he descended from Mount Goddard to Simpson Meadow by way of Disappearing Creek and the Enchanted Gorge, passing between what he termed “Scylla and Charybdis.” It was not his intention to attach the word “mount” or “peak.” (T. S. Solomons.) (See Scylla.)

“But that other cliff, Odysseus, thou shalt note, lying lower, hard by the first: thou couldest send an arrow across. . . . and beneath it mighty Charybdis sucks down black water, for thrice a day she spouts it forth, and thrice a day she sucks it down in terrible wise.’” (The Odyssey of Homer, Done into English Prose, by S. H. Butcher and A. Lang, 1883, book XII, p. 195.)

CHINQUAPIN

[Yosemite]

Named for a species of chaparral prevalent in the vicinity, Castanopsis sempervirens, bush chinquapin.

CHIQUITO CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

From the Spanish diminutive, applied to a branch of the San Joaquin, Chiquito Joaquin, or Little Joaquin, contracted to Chiquito Creek.

CHITTENDEN PEAK (10,133)

[Dardanelles]

Hiram Martin Chittenden (1858-1917); captain and later brigadier-general, Engineer Corps, U. S. Army; with two other commissioners, Robert B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., and Frank Bond, U. S. General Land Office, made a report in 1904 on revision of boundaries of Yosemite National Park which was adopted by act of Congress, February 7, 1905. (R. B. Marshall.)

Chittenden is best known for his history, “American Fur Trade in the Far West,” and for his many years’ connection with Yellowstone National Park, where he rendered distinguished service in construction of roads and bridges.

CLARK, MOUNT (11,506)

[Mount Lyell]

Galen Clark, first guardian of the Yosemite State Park, 1864, and reputed discoverer of Mariposa Grove of big trees. Born in New Hampshire, March 28, 1814; died March 24, 1910, in Yosemite Valley, where he is buried. (S.C.B., 1910, VII:4, pp. 215-220; Muir: The Yosemite, 1912, pp. 240-248.) A charter member of the Sierra Club.

“At the northeast extremity of the Merced group is the grand peak to which we first gave the name of the ‘Obelisk,’ from its peculiar shape, as seen from the region north of the Yosemite. It has, since then, been named Mount Clark, While the range to which it belongs is sometimes called the Obelisk Group, but, oftener, the Merced Group, because the branches of that river head around it.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 108.)

First ascent by Clarence King and James T. Gardiner, July 12, 1866. (King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, pp. 197-205.)

CLICKS CREEK

[Kaweah]

Named for Martin Click. (G. W. Stewart.)

CLOUD CAÑON

[Tehipite]

This is the cañon of the east fork of Roaring River, erroneously labeled “Deadman Cañon” on many maps. (S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, p. 119.)

“I named it ‘The Cloud Mine’ because the clouds hung so low overhead. At the same time I named the creek Cloud Creek and put the name in my notebook. I often referred to my mine as being up in the clouds. . . . The claim I had recorded on my return to Visalia as the ‘Cloud Claim’.” (Letter from judge William B. Wallace, in S.C.B., 1924, XII:1, pp. 47-48.) The event occurred in 1880.

CLOUDS REST (9930)

[Mount Lyell]

“Because upon our first visit the party exploring the ‘Little Yosemite’ turned back and hastened to camp upon seeing the clouds rapidly settling down to rest upon that mountain, thereby indicating the snowstorm that soon followed.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 201.—See, also, Biennial Report of the Commissioners to Manage Yosemite Valley, 1889-90, p. 11.)

CLOUGH CAVE

[Kaweah]

Discovered by William O. Clough in 1885. He blasted a hole big enough to crawl through. He filed on it as a mineral claim, but the application lapsed. Clough was born in New York State, 1851, and died in the fall of 1917 on the Franklin Pass trail while trying to reach the lake in order to shut off the water from the power company’s flume for the winter. (Guy Hopping.)

COCKSCOMB CREST

[Mount Lyell]

Named by François E. Matthes, U.S.G.S., in 1919, on account of its appearance. (S.C.B., 1920, ] U:1, p. 26.)

COLBY MEADOW

[Mount Goddard]

COLBY MOUNTAIN (9700)

[Yosemite]

COLBY PASS

[Mount Whitney, Tehipite]

William Edward Colby, San Francisco attorney, president of the Sierra Club 1917-1919, and for many years its secretary and leader of the club outings; born at Benicia, California, 1875; LL.B., Hastings College of Law (University of California), 1898; lecturer on law of mines and waters at University of California; author of articles on mining law.

The meadow on Evolution Creek was named by members of the U. S. Forest Service engaged in building the John Muir Trail in 1915.

The mountain, overlooking the Tuolumne Cañon above Muir Gorge, was named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S. (R. B. Marshall.)

The pass was named by a Sierra Club party, July 13, 1912, upon discovering it as a promising route for animals between Kern and Roaring rivers. Colby was leader of that party, and subsequently did much to explore approaches and encourage attempts at crossing. The first-known crossing by saddle- and pack-animals was on August 5, 1920, by a party including Duncan McDuffie, James S. Hutchinson, Ernest McKee, and others. (S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, pp. 128-129.) There is evidence that the pass was used by sheepmen many years before. (S.C.B., 1900, III:2, p. 167.)

COLONY MEADOW, PEAK, MILL

[Tehipite]

The Kaweah Co-operative Commonwealth Colony was established on the North Fork of Kaweah River in 1886. Claims had been filed in 1885 on lands in the Giant Forest region, and it was proposed to cut and market lumber on a co-operative basis.

“Its prime mission is to insure its members against want, or fear of want, by providing comfortable homes, ample sustenance, educational and recreative facilities, and to promote and maintain harmonious social relations, on the solid and grand basis of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The much-vexed question as to why it is that those who do the work of the world do not enjoy its fruits, and the remedy therefor, is solved for the first time in the history of the world at Kaweah.” (The Kaweah Commonwealth, November, 1889.)

Construction of a road to Giant Forest was begun in 1886 and completed as far as Colony Mill in 1890. The establishment of Sequoia National Park put an end to aspirations for the Giant Forest. The history of the Colony was marked by fraudulent misrepresentation on the part of the promoters, alleged dishonesty among the managers, and dissension among the members. The organization collapsed in 1891, leaving a few innocent idealists as victims. (George W. Stewart, in Weekly Visalia Delta, November and December, 1891; Burnette G. Haskell, in Out West, September, 1902.)

COLUMBINE LAKE

[Kaweah]

Name given by Joseph Palmer, pioneer of the Kaweah region, because of quantities of columbine growing around it. (W. F. Dean.)

Two varieties of columbine, Aquilegia truncata and Aquilegia pubescens, are found in the High Sierra. The flowers of the former are scarlet, tinged with yellow; of the latter, cream yellow, varying occasionally to white or to shades of red, pink, or purple. (Jepson: Manual of the Flowering Plants of California, 1925, p. 375.)

CONNESS, MOUNT (12,556)

[Mount Lyell]

John Conness (1821-1909); native of Ireland; came to United States, 1836; member California legislature, 1853-1854, 1860-1861; United States Senator from California, 1863-1869; resided in Massachusetts from 1869 until his death in 1909.

“Mount Conness bears the name of a distinguished citizen of California, now a United States Senator, who deserves more than any other person, the credit of carrying the bill, organizing the Geological Survey of California, through the Legislature.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 100.)

“I recognized the old familiar summit . . . and that firm peak with titan strength and brow so square and solid, it seems altogether natural we should have named it for California’s statesman, John Conness.” (King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, p. 267.)

The members of the Whitney Survey were naturally appreciative of Senator Conness for helping their cause. Excepting for this mountain, however, his name has almost faded from history along with the names of other party politicians.

First ascent by Clarence King and James T. Gardiner, 1864. (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 103.) Occupied as a survey station by Lieutenant M. M. Macomb and party, of the Wheeler Survey, September 25, 1878. (S.C.B., 1918, X:3, plate CCXIX.) Occupied by U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1879, 1887, and 1890. (George Davidson: The Occupation of Mount Conness, in Overland Monthly, February, 1892, p. 116.)

CONVERSE BASIN

[Tehipite]

Once contained a very extensive grove of the finest big trees; now completely destroyed by lumbering.

Charles Converse took up timberlands here in the ’70s. He had come to California in 1849, and was in the vicinity of Millerton about 1852. He ran a ferry across the San Joaquin at what is now Friant until 1869. Built the first jail in Fresno County, and was the first person confined in it. (L. A. Winchell, George W. Stewart.)

CONVICT LAKE

[Mount Morrison]

A band of convicts escaped from the Nevada state penitentiary at Carson City, September 17, 1871, and went south to Owens Valley. On the morning of September 24, a posse, led by Robert Morrison, encountered some of the convicts nears the head of what was then known as Monte Diablo Creek. Morrison was killed. The convicts escaped, but were captured a few days later and were lynched. The lake and creek were thenceforth called Convict. (Chalfant The Story of Inyo, 1922, pp. 214-220.)

The Indian name of the lake was Wit-sa-nap, according to Mrs. A. A. Forbes, of Bishop. (S.C.B., 1913, IX:1, p. 55.)

COPPER CREEK

[Tehipite]

An old name for a creek that enters Kings River Cañon from the north. There are several outcroppings of copper in the vicinity, and a small copper mine east of the creek has been worked from time to time. (J. N. Le Conte.)

CORA LAKES

[Mount Lyell]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Mrs. Cora. Cressey Crow. (R. B. Marshall.)

COULTERVILLE ROAD

Road from La Grange to Coulterville and Bower Cave (or from Big Oak Flat Road, via Smith Station, to Bower Cave), was extended as a toll-road to Crane Flat by the Coulterville and Yosemite Turnpike Company, 1859. In 1872 this company (John T. McLean, president) obtained permission from Yosemite Valley Commissioners to continue the road into the valley. Portion from Hazel Green to Crane Flat was abandoned in order to pass through Merced Grove of Big Trees. Completed June 17, 1874. Portion from “Blacksmith Shop” to center of valley purchased by State of California, 1886.

(Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, pp. 287-288; Report of the Commission on Roads in Yosemite National Park, California, dated December 4, 1899—[Colonel Samuel Mather Mansfield, Captain Harry C. Benson, J. L. Maude, commissioners.] Senate Document No. 155, 56th Congress, 1st Session, 1900.)

Coulterville named for George W. Coulter, a pioneer of the Tuolumne-Merced region; one of the first commissioners appointed to manage the Yosemite Valley grant, 1864.

COYOTE CREEK, PASS

[Olancha]

The origin of the name Coyote is from the Aztec coyotl. (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 41.)

The mountain coyote (Canis latrans lestis) has a wide range throughout the Sierra. (Grinnell and Storer: Animal Life in the Yosemite, 1924, pp. 71-76.)

The coyote figures prominently in the myths of the California Indians, particularly in creation myths. (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877.— Merriam: The Dawn of the World, 1910.— Kroeber: Indian Myths of South Central California, in University of California Publications—American Archaeology and Ethnology, IV:4, 1907.)

CRAIG PEAK (11,041)

[Dardanelles]

John White Craig, born in Alabama, 1873; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1894; first lieutenant, 1899; captain, 1901; major, 1916; lieutenant-colonel, 1917; colonel, 1920; retired, 1921. (R. B. Marshall.)

CRANE FLAT

[Yosemite]

“This name was suggested by the shrill and startling cry of some sand-hill cranes we surprised as they were resting on this elevated table.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 316.)

“It is often visited by blue cranes to rest and feed on their long journeys.” (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 122.)

CROCKER, MOUNT (12,448)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Charles Crocker (1822-1888), one of the organizers of the Central Pacific Railroad. (R. B. Marshall.)

CROCKERS

[Yosemite]

Crockers Station, later known as Crockers Sierra Resort, established, 1850, by Henry Robinson Crocker (1827-1904), a native of Massachusetts. Buildings Constructed, 1880-1887; sold to John Baker, Jr., 1910; purchased by Yosemite National Park Company, 1917, and operations discontinued. Postoffice originally called Bronson, 1883; changed to Sequoia, 1886; has been discontinued. Captain Allen Swift Crocker (1822-1911), cousin of Henry R. Crocker, postmaster, 1883-1911. (Mrs. May Hall Crocker.)

CROWN MOUNTAIN (9339)

[Tehipite]

Named by Frank Dusy about 1870, on account of a crownlike cap of rocks. The creek, meadow, and valley were named from the mountain. (L. A. Winchell.)

CRYSTAL CAVE

[Tehipite]

Discovered April 28, 1918, by A. L. Medley and C. M. Webster; named by Walter Fry. (Walter Fry.)

D

DANA, MOUNT (13,050)

[Mount Lyell]

Named in 1863 by the Whitney Survey for James Dwight Dana (1813-1895), a leader among those who initiated the modem science of geology in America; professor of geology, Yale, 1850-1894. (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 100.)

In 1889 J. N. Le Conte copied from a record that he found on the summit the following: “State Geological Survey, June 28, 1863. J. D. Whitney, W. H. Brewer, Charles F. Hoffmann, ascended this mountain June 28th and again the 29th. We give the name of Mount Dana to it in honor of J. D. Dana, the most eminent American geologist. Approximate height 13,126 ft.” (S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 247.)

Although this is the first recorded ascent, it is possible that it had been climbed previously, as Whitney spoke of it as an easy trip for tourists. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 435.)

John Muir climbed Mount Dana in 1869. (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 320.)

DARWIN, MOUNT (13,841)

[Mount Goddard]

Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) author of “Origin of Species . . . . . Descent of Man,” and other works developing the theory of evolution.

Named in 1895 by Theodore S. Solomons as the highest summit of the “Evolution Group.” Solomons and E. C. Bonner attempted the ascent, but did not reach the summit. (Appalachia, 1896, VIII:1, p. 50.)

First recorded ascent by E. C. Andrews, Geological Survey of New South Wales, and Willard D. Johnson, U.S.G.S., August 12, 1908, Andrews alone reaching the highest point. (S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 288; S.C.B., 1924, XII:1, pp. 88-90.) This may be the mountain climbed by John Muir in 1879 under the impression that he was on the peak designated Mount Humphreys on Hoffmann’s map. (S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 250; Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923, I, p. 388.) Recent ascents are described in S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, pp. 286-289, and S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 306.

DAVIS LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Lake west of Wanda Lake, altitude 11,090, feet, named in 1925 for George Robert Davis, U.S.G.S. Born at Riverside, California, 1877; joined U.S.G.S. at age of 20; topographic engineer in charge of Pacific Division from 1912 until his death, in 1922. “Included in his work of topographic surveying was the mapping of the Mount Whitney, Mount Goddard, Bakersfield, and McKittrick quadrangles, in California, as well as mapping in the Yosemite National Park and Kings River Cañon, California, in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, in the Territory of Hawaii, and many other areas. Mr. Davis has thus indelibly imprinted his lifework on some thirty government maps portraying the highest type of topographic mapping.” (S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, p. 180, portrait.)

DAVIS MOUNTAIN (12,308)

[Mount Lyell]

Named in 1894 for Lieutenant Milton Fennimore Davis, 4th Cavalry, U.S.A., by Lieutenant N. F. McClure. Davis was with Captain A. E. Wood in 1891 with the first troops detailed to guard the newly created Yosemite National Park, and returned in 1892 and 1893; stationed in Sequoia National Park, 1896, and prepared map of that park and adjacent country. In his report for 1892 Captain Wood says: “In the performance of this duty (reconnoitering) I found the services of Second Lieutenant M. F. Davis, 4th Cavalry, almost invaluable. He discovered an eye for topography of the country and displayed a talent in woodcraft that were of a high order.”

Born in Minnesota, 1864; appointed to U. S. Military Academy from Oregon, 1886; graduated second lieutenant, 1890; first lieutenant, 1897; captain, 1901; major, 1909; retired as lieutenant-colonel, 1918; colonel, retired, 1921; brigadier-general, U. S. Reserve, 1922; now head of New York Military Academy, Comwall-on-Hudson.

First ascent by Lieutenant Davis, August 28, 1891. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, P. 305.)

DAYS NEEDLE

[Mount Whitney]

One of the pinnacles just south of Mount Whitney. Named for William Cathcart Day (1857-1905), of Johns Hopkins University, one of the Langley party of 1881 engaged in solar observations on Mount Whitney. (Langley: Solar Heat, 1884, p. 36.) Day was later professor of chemistry at Swarthmore College.

DEADMAN CAÑON

[Tehipite]

Cañon of the west branch of Roaring River. The name has been incorrectly given on some maps to the east branch. (S.C.B., 1920, XI:2, p. 119.)

There is a sheep-herder’s grave clearly marked at the lower end of the cañon, concerning which there are several legends.

DEADMAN PASS, CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

“Deadman Pass and Deadman Creek were named from the fact that the body Of a man, with his head cut off, was found near what is now known as the old Thompson ranch, and the body was buried at that place. I was not able to learn the man’s name, but he was an easterner on his way to the then flourishing mining town of Aurora, presumably for the purpose of purchasing mining Property. The murder took place about 1868. From this occurrence the creek was given the name of Deadman Creek, and later on, when the road was built through this region, the summit to the north was called Deadman Summit.” (Letter from T. J. Jones, Forest Supervisor, Inyo National Forest, to District Forester, May 4, .1923.)

DEERHORN MOUNTAIN (13,440, 13,275)

[Mount Whitney]

Named in 1895 by J. N. Le Conte because of the resemblance of its double summit to two horns. (J. N. Le Conte.)

DELANEY CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

Pat Delaney was the sheepman with whom John Muir made his first trip to the Sierra, visiting Tuolumne Meadows in 1869. (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, pp. 4, 288.)

“Mr. Delaney was an Irishman who was educated at Maynooth College for a Catholic priest. . . . He was lean and tall, and I naturally nicknamed him Don Quixote.” (Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923, I, p. 195.)

DESOLATION LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by J. N. Le Conte in 1898. (J. N. Le Conte.)

DEVILS BATHTUB

[Mount Goddard]

Named by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., about 1907. (G. R. Davis.)

DEVILS CRAGS (12,612)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by J. N. Le Conte in 1906. (J. N. Le Conte.) First ascent by Charles W. Michael, July 21, 1913. (S.C.B., 1914, IX:3, p. 188.)

DEVILS POSTPILE

[Mount Lyell]

“Some miles farther down stream near the place of crossing of the Mammoth Trail, there is a splendid specimen of columnar basalt, which was photographed many years ago by Mr. J. M. Hutchings while crossing the mountains. In every scenic freak the sheep-herder recognizes the handiwork of his, Satanic majesty. This formation is therefore known to local fame as the Devil’s Woodpile.” (Theodore S. Solomons in S.C.B., 1894, I:3, p. 74.)

Established as a national monument by President Taft on July 6, 1911. Officially, “Devil Postpile National Monument.” (S.C.B., 1912, VIII:3, pp. 170-173, 226-227.)

“They are usually called ‘devil’s slides,’ though they lie far above the region usually haunted by the devil; for though we read that he once climbed an exceedingly high mountain, he cannot be much of a mountaineer, for his tracks are seldom seen above the timber-line.” (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 202.)

DIAZ CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

Named for the brothers Rafael and Eluteria Diaz, well-known cattlemen of Owens Valley of the ’60s, who owned a ranch on this creek. (Chester Versteeg.)

DINKEY CREEK

[Kaiser]

Dinkey was a little dog owned by a quartet of hunters who had a fight with a grizzly bear at this creek in August, 1863. The dog was injured and the men called the place Dinkey. The men were Joe Medley, Marion Medley, Joe Folsom, and Al Yarborough (the correct spelling of the name given to the settlement of Auberry). Frank Dusy later built a cabin at Dinkey. (L. A. Winchell.—See, also, Elliott: History of Fresno County, 1882, p. 246.)

John Muir mentions the Dinkey Grove of sequoias on “Dinkey Creek, one of the northmost tributaries of Kings River,” in Harper’s Magazine, November, 1878. Continuing, Muir says that this grove was discovered “several years ago by a couple of hunters who were in pursuit of a wounded bear; but because of its remoteness and inaccessibility it is known only to a few mountaineers.”

DISAPPEARING CREEK

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1895, when he and E. C. Bonner came down the cañon of this creek from Mount Goddard on their way to Simpson Meadow. (T. S. Solomons.)

DOG LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

In 1898, while surveying the region for the Mount Lyell quadrangle, R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., found an abandoned sheep-dog with a litter of puppies on the shore of this lake and named it Dog Lake. (R. B. Marshall.)

DONOHUE PASS, PEAK

The pass was named in 1895 by Lieutenant N. F. McClure for a sergeant in his detachment. (N. F. McClure.)

DORÉ PASS, CLIFF

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Israel C. Russell, U.S.G.S., about 1882, for Louis Auguste Gustave Doré (1832-1883), the celebrated French artist.

“The bottom of Lundy Cañon, above the point where Lake Cañon joins it, is irregular and is formed of alternate scarps and terraces all the way to the head of the gorge, where a scarp of grander proportions than those below crosses the trough and forms a wall of rock more than a thousand feet high. This rocky wall, together with the cliffs forming the eastern side of the gorge as far as Lake Cañon, has been named, in honor of the great French artist, the Doré Cliffs.” (Russell: Quarternary History of Mono Valley. In Eighth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1886-1887, pp. 332-333.)

DOROTHY LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Dorothy Forsyth, daughter of Major William W. Forsyth, 6th Cavalry, U.S.A., acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, 1909-1912. (R. B. Marshall.)

DORST CREEK

[Tehipite]

Joseph Haddox Dorst, captain, 4th Cavalry, U. S. A., the first acting superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant national parks, 1891-1892; born in Kentucky, 1852; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1873; first lieutenant, 1879; captain, 1885; major, 1898; lieutenant-colonel, 1901 colonel, 1903; retired, 1911; died, 1916.

DOUGHERTY CREEK, MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Bill and Bob Dougherty, pioneer sheepmen.

DRAGON PEAK (12,955), LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Named because of outline of mountain as seen from Rae Lake. Lake named for the peak. Climbed by Fred Parker and J. E. Rother, 1920. (Probably first ascent.)

DUMBBELL LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

“This, from its shape, we called Dumb-bell Lake.” (J. N. Le Conte, in S.C.B. 1904, V:1, p. 7.)

DUNDERBERG PEAK (12,374)

[Bridgeport]

“Locally called Castle Peak, but which we named [1878] Dunderberg, after the mines of that name upon its northerly slope.” (Wheeler Survey: Report of Lieutenant M. M. Macomb, in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, for 1879, Appendix F of Appendix OO, p. 2233, p. 255 of separate reprint.) (See, also, remarks under Tower Peak and Mount Warren.)

DUSY BRANCH, MEADOW

[Mount Goddard]

Frank Dusy (1836-1898); born in Canada; educated in Maine; came to California, 1858; engaged in mining in Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties; came to Fresno County, 1864; engaged in sheep-raising and ranching; took his stock to the mountains in region of North and Middle forks of Kings River; discovered Tehipite Valley, 1869; explored Middle Fork as far as the Palisades, with P. F. Peck, 1877. (Elliott: History of Fresno County, 1882, p. 213; and L. A. Winchell.) Portrait in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, plate CXII.

Dusy was the only stockman of his time who seemed to take an interest in the mountain region for other reasons than stock feed. He was a man of superior intelligence, high character, and wide experience. He took the first photographs of Tehipite, 1879, carrying a bulky portrait camera, with studio tripod, wet plates, and chemicals. L. A. Winchell, in 1879, gave Dusy’s name to the branch of the Middle Fork of Kings River north of the Palisades. (L. A. Winchell.)

E

EAGLE PEAK (7773)

[Yosemite]

“This was so named from its being such a favorite resort of this famous bird of prey. I once saw seven eagles here at play; they would skim out upon the air, one following the other, and then swoop perpendicularly down for a thousand or more feet, and thence sail out again horizontally upon the air with such graceful nonchalance that one almost envied them their apparent gratification.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 479.)

EAST LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Thomas Benton East, hunter, trapper, and cattleman, of Eshom Valley, Tulare County. Named by State Hydrographic Survey party about 1881 or 1882. (Chester Versteeg, from S. L. N. Ellis.—Water Fry.)

EDITH LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Named in 1910 by Major Forsyth, acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, for Edith Nance, daughter of his friend, Colonel Nance, U. S. Army.

EDNA LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Miss Edna Bowman, of San Jose, now (1926) Mrs. Charles J. Kuhn, of San Francisco. (R. B. Marshall.)

EHRNBECK PEAK (11,194)

[Dardanelles]

Lieutenant Arthur R. Ehrnbeck, Engineer Corps, U. S. Army, who made a report in 1909 on a comprehensive road and trail project for Yosemite National Park; born in Wisconsin, 1880; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1905; first lieutenant, 1908; captain, 1913; major, 1917; retired, 1922. (See appendix A of Report of the Acting Superintendent of the Yosemite National Park for 1909.

EL CAPITAN

[Yosemite]

“The native Indian name is To-to-kon oo-lah, from To-to-kon, the sandhill crane, a chief of the First People.” (C. Hart Merriam, in S.C.B., 1917, X:2, p. 206.)

The Indian name appears in various forms of spelling and accent through Yosemite literature, and is given various interpretations. (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 396. Hutchings: Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, 1860, pp. 103-106. Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 16. Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, pp. 363, 366-367. Bertha H. Smith: Yosemite Legends, 1904, pp. 47-54. Merriam: The Dawn of the World, 1910, p. 35.)

“In adopting the Spanish interpretation, ‘El Capitan,’ for Tote-ack-ah-noo-la, we pleased our mission interpreters and conferred upon the majestic cliff a name corresponding to its dignity.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 211.)

ELEANOR, LAKE, CREEK

[Yosemite]

The lake was named in the ’60s by the Whitney Survey for Eleanor Goddard Whitney (1856-1882), daughter of Josiah Dwight Whitney, state geologist of California. Shown on Hoffmann-Gardiner map of 1863-1867, in Whitney’s Yosemite Guide Book, 1870.

Lake converted into reservoir for City and County of San Francisco system, under act of Congress of December 19, 1913. (See Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.) Construction of dam begun 1917; completed 1918.

ELIZABETH LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., in 1909, for a daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Samuel E. Simmons, of Sacramento. (R. B. Marshall.)

ELIZABETH PASS

[Tehipite]

Stewart Edward White and Mrs. (Elizabeth Grant) White crossed from the head of Deadman Cañon in the Roaring River country to the Middle Fork of Kaweah River and named the pass for Mrs. White. (White: The Pass, 1906, pp. 157-158.) The account of their expedition was first published inOuting Magazine, March, April, May, 1906. By mistake, they crossed the divide a difficult route. The name is now generally accepted for the true pass, a little to the west of the one used by the Whites.

ELLERY LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Nathaniel Ellery, of Eureka, State Engineer in charge of construction of the State Highway from Mono Lake via Leevining Cañon to Tioga Pass in 1909. (R. B. Marshall.)

ELLIS MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Sam L. N. Ellis, for many years head ranger of the U. S. Forest Service in the Kings River region, and one-time supervisor of Tulare County. (Walter Fry.)

EL PORTAL

[Yosemite]

Spanish for “The Gateway,” “The Entrance.” Named by officers of Yosemite Valley Railroad Company, about 1907.

EL PORTAL ROAD

Portion from Pohono Bridge to Old Blacksmith Shop originally part of Coulterville Road; portion from Old Blacksmith Shop to El Portal built by Yosemite Valley Railroad Company, 1907, and, with exception of a mile outside park boundary, turned over to Government; completely reconstructed, 1916-1918, 1920; portion from park boundary to El Portal rebuilt by state, 1920, and paved, 1922. (W. B. Lewis.)

EMERALD LAKE

[Tehipite]

Named in 1925 by Superintendent John R. White, of Sequoia National Park.

EMERALD PEAK (12,517)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons, in 1895, on account of its color. (Appalachia, 1896, VIII:1, p. 46.) First ascent by Norman Clyde, Julie de C. Mortimer, Eleanor E. Bartlett. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 307.)

EMERIC LAKE, CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure, U.S.A., in 1895, for Henry F. Emeric, of San Francisco, president of the Board of Fish Commissioners, State of California, a charter member of the Sierra Club. (N. F. McClure.)

EMERSON, MOUNT (13,226)

[Mount Goddard]

“I have named a grand wide-winged mountain on the head of the Joaquin Mount Emerson. Its head is high above its fellows and wings are white with ice and snow.” (John Muir in a letter to Mrs. Ezra S. Carr, September, 1873. —Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923, I, p. 389.) An illustration by William Keith in Picturesque California, edited by John Muir, 1888, vol. I, opp. p. 4, suggests that Muir’s Mount Emerson is the present Mount Humphreys.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882); poet, essayist, and philosopher; A.B., Harvard, 1821; LL.D., Harvard, 1866.

Emerson visited Yosemite Valley in May, 1871, spending most of his time for several days with John Muir, who accompanied him to the Mariposa Grove. (John Muir: Our National Parks, 1901, pp. 131-136; Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923, I, pp. 252-257; Thayer: A Western Journey. with Mr. Emerson, 1884.)

ENCHANTED GORGE

[Mount Goddard]

Name given by Theodore S. Solomons, in 1895, to the gorge between Scylla, and Charybdis on Disappearing Creek. (Appalachia, 1896, VIII:1, p. 55.)

EPIDOTE PEAK (10,900)

[Bridgeport]

“Epidote, a complex lime-iron-alumina silicate, often recognizable by its peculiar pistachio-green color, is derived from other silicates, and is rather common in many varieties of crystalline rocks.” (Chamberlin and Salisbury: Geology, vol. I, 2d edition, 1909, p. 430

ERICSSON, MOUNT (13,625)

[Mount Whitney]

Captain John Ericsson (1803-1889), inventor of the Monitor. Named by Professor and Mrs. Bolton Coit Brown, in 1896, when they made the first ascent.

“As it seemed that we were the first to make this ascent, we built a monument and left a record, naming it in honor of Capt, John Ericsson, and in recognition of its extremely craggy character, ‘Crag Ericsson.’” (S.C.B., 1897, II:2, p. 92.)

ESHOM VALLEY, CREEK

[Tehipite]

Named for a man named Eshom, who was one of the first residents of the region. Eshom. Valley was a camping-place of Indians. The Indian name, Cha-ha-du, means “Place where clover grows the year round.” (George W. Stewart.)

EVELYN LAKE

[Kaweah]

Evelyn Clough, sister of William 0. Clough, who discovered Clough’s cave, married George Cahoon. By subsequent marriages she was Mrs. Busby, Mrs. Mentier, Mrs. Long. (Ansel F. Hall.)

EVELYN LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named for a daughter of Major Forsyth, acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, 1909-1912. (R. B. Marshall.)

EVOLUTION LAKE, CREEK, PEAKS

[Mount Goddard]

Theodore S. Solomons, in July, 1895, named the peaks at the head of what was then called “The Middle Fork of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River” for Darwin, Wallace, Huxley, Haeckel, Spencer, and Fiske—the “Evolution” group of philosophers. He called the lake at the foot of Mount Darwin, Evolution Lake. The name was naturally extended to the creek, and the mountains are often spoken of as the Evolution Group. (T. S. Solomons.)

F

FALLEN MOON, LAKE OF THE

[Tehipite]

Name given to lake on Middle Fork of Dougherty Creek by Frank Ernest Hill, 1921, subject of his poem “The Lake of the Fallen Moon,” in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, p. 374.

FAREWELL GAP

[Kaweah]

Named about 1872 by miners of the Mineral King region. (W. B. Wallace.)

FERGUSON CREEK

[Tehipite]

Named by S. L. N. Ellis for Andrew D. Ferguson.

FERNANDEZ PASS

[Mount Lyell]

First Sergeant Joseph Fernandez, Troop K, 4th Cavalry, U.S.A., was with Lieutenant Benson in exploration of headwaters of the Merced, 1895-1897. He was also in the Yosemite National Park later, when Benson, as captain and major, was acting superintendent. In his report for 1905 (p. 12) Captain Benson specially commends Sergeant Fernandez for assistance in planting fish. (H. C. Benson.)

FIN DOME (11,627)

[Mount Whitney]

Named by Dolton Coit Brown, in 1899, when he explored the lake basin in its vicinity. He likened the ridge between this basin and Rae Lake to a sea-monster, which he showed on a sketch-map with “The Head . . . . . The Fin,” and “The Tail.” (S.C.B., 1900, III:2, p. 136.)

FISH CREEK, VALLEY

[Mount Lyell]

“Apropos of the sheepmen, I afterward learned that such of the fraternity as had visited the cañon were less strongly impressed by its scenic features than by the abundance of trout; hence they gave the stream the name Fish Creek, ignoring the cañon completely, except (possibly) to recognize it as forming the banks of the creek.” (Theodore S. Solomons, in S.C.B., 1894, I:3, p. 79.)

FISKE, MOUNT (13,500, approx.)

[Mount Goddard]

One of the Evolution group, named by Theodore S. Solomons, in 1895 for John Fiske (1842-1901), historian and philosopher. (T. S. Solomons.)

John Fiske changed his name from Edmund Fiske Green; born in Connecticut; A.B., Harvard, 1863; LL.D., 1894.

The name was originally given to a peak on the ridge which forms part of the Goddard Divide, running southwest from the main crest of the Sierra toward Mount Huxley. It was erroneously transferred on the first edition (1912) of the U.S.G.S. Mount Goddard Quadrangle to a lower point at the intersection of the divide with the main crest, but on the edition of 1923 it is restored to the original location.

First ascent August 10, 1922, by Charles N. Fiske, John N. Fiske, Stephen B. Fiske, and Frederick Kellett. (S.C.B., 192,3, XI:4.)

FLETCHER LAKE, CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure in 1895 for Arthur G. Fletcher, deputy fish commissioner of State Board of Fish Commissioners, who did a great deal toward stocking the streams of Yosemite National Park. (N. F. McClure.)

FLORENCE LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named in 1896 for Florence Starr, sister of Walter H. Starr, who, with Allen L. Chickering and Theodore S. Solomons, camped here on a trip from Yosemite to Ockenden. (T. S. Solomons.)

The lake, enlarged by a dam, is now a reservoir of the Southern California Edison Company system.

FLORENCE MOUNTAIN (12,507), CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

Named for Florence Hutchings, daughter of James M. Hutchings. She was the first white child born in Yosemite Valley, where she was born August 23, 1864. She died in Yosemite Valley September 26, 1881.

“Mr. B. F. Taylor, in his charmingly sunny book, ‘Between the Gates,’ page 238, makes the following suggestion: ‘Let us give the girl, for her own and her father’s sake, some graceful mountain height, and, let it be called “Mount Florence"!’ This complimentary suggestion through the kindness of friends, has been carried out; as one of the formerly unnamed peaks of the High Sierra now bears the name of ‘Mount Florence.’ This is best seen and recognized from Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 147.)

FOERSTER PEAK (12,062), CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure on his expedition of 895 for Sergeant Lewis Foerster of his detachment. (N. F. McClure.)

Lewis Foerster, born in Germany, 1868; private, corporal, sergeant, first sergeant, 14th Infantry and 4th Cavalry, 1886-1899; lieutenant, U. S. volunteers, 1899; first lieutenant, 5th Cavalry, U.S.A., 1901; captain, 1911; major, 1920; lieutenant-colonel, 1920; retired, 1922; lieutenant-colonel, temporary, 1917.

FORSYTH PEAK (11,140)

[Dardanelles]

William Woods Forsyth, U. S. Army, was acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park during the seasons of 1909, 1910, 1911, and 1912; born in Georgia, 1856; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1882; first lieutenant, 1889; captain, 1899; major, 1908; lieutenant-colonel, 1912; colonel, 1916; retired, 1917.

FOX MEADOW

[Tehipite]

John Fox was for many years a hunter, packer, and guide in the Kings River region, with headquarters at Millwood. He built a cabin and a bridge in Kings River Cañon. “But Fox can afford to be flippant about bears; he used to be a professional hunter of them, and long ago he, with his partner, killed two hundred and thirty-six grizzlies in the Rocky Mountains. But at last a grizzly got his partner, and Fox exchanged the Rockies for an abode in the Sierra. He has been there seventeen years now; says he likes it better than he does anything else, and proposes to ‘stay with it.’” (Bolton Coit Brown, in S.C.B., 1897, II:2, p. 91.)

FRANKLIN LAKES

[Kaweah]

Name derived from the Lady Franklin mine owned by James Crabtree at the time of the Mineral King excitement of the ’70s. (W. B. Wallace.)

FRESNO COUNTY

Fresno is Spanish for ash-tree.

The county was created April 19, 1856, from territory previously part of Merced and Mariposa counties; reduced by creation of Mono County, 1861; further reduced by creation of Madera County, 1893; other lesser adjustments of boundaries, 1870, 1872, 1874, 1876, 1887, 1909. (Coy: California County Boundaries, 1923, pp. 101-106.)

FRYS POINT

[Tehipite]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., in 1909, for Walter Fry, of Three Rivers. Born in Illinois, 1859; moved to Kansas, 1868; came to California, 1887, and settled in Tulare County; worked for lumber company and helped cut a huge sequoia; counting the rings and finding it over 2000 years old, he revolted at cutting any more of the big trees; entered government service, 1901, on Giant Forest road construction; park ranger, chief ranger, and acting superintendent, 1905-1914; superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant national parks, 1914-1920; since 1920, U. S. Commissioner and ranger in charge of natural history. (Walter Fry.)

FUNSTON MEADOW, CAMP

[Mount Whitney]

Named for James Funston, a sheep-owner, about 1870. (Chester Versteeg from S. L. N. Ellis.) Upper Funston Meadow sometimes called Skyparlor Meadow.

Lower Funston Meadow, 200 acres, together with 200 acres in cañon just below, patented land, purchased from Harry Quinn by Stephen T. Mather, 1922, and placed in trust, to become public property when included in national park.

G

GABB, MOUNT (13,700)

[Mount Goddard]

“Another patch of slate was seen, however, in passing down the San Joaquin River from Camp 188 to Camp 189; these form rather prominent knobs, one of which was called Mount Gabb.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 397.)

William More Gabb (1839-1878), of Philadelphia, joined the Whitney Survey as paleontologist in 1861. Portrait in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, plate XLIV.

“The paleontologist was a distinctly loquacious person. One can imagine, then, the laughter of these lean, brown men when Dr. Cooper, the serious, the unbending, announced that he had discovered a new species of the old brachiopod genus, Lingula; and that in honor of his friend William More Gabb he bad bestowed upon it the name of Lingula gabii.” (Brewster: Life and Letters of Josiah Dwight Whitney, 1909, p. 239.)

The Whitney Survey party, led by Professor Brewer, crossed the Sierra from Owens Valley by Mono Pass and descended Mono Creek to the San Joaquin. Camps 188 and 189 were on Mono Creek. The identity of the peak originally named Mount Gabb is obscure. On J. N. Le Conte’s map of 1907 the name was given to the peak most nearly corresponding in position to that on the Whitney Survey map, but this peak has no slate on it.

First ascent by A. L. Jordan and H. H. Bliss, June, 1917. (S.C.B., 1918, X:3, p. 292.)

GABBRO PEAK (11,022)

[Bridgeport]

“Gabbro is a granitoid variety of diabase, in which the augite takes the form of diallage.” (Le Conte: Elements of Geology, 5th edition, 1907, p. 212.)

GALE PEAK (10,690)

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure for Captain George Henry Goodwin Gale, 4th Cavalry, U. S. Army, acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park in 1894. (N. F. McClure.) Born in Maine, 1858; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1879; first lieutenant, 1884; captain, 1892; major, 1901; lieutenant-colonel, 1907; colonel, 1912; retired, 1914; died 1920.

GARDINER, MOUNT (12,903)

[Mount Whitney]

“Two peaks lying just in front of it [the crest] are especially fine; they are between five and six miles east of Camp 180; both are probably over 14,000 feet high, the northern being a little the highest. This we named Mount King, and the southern one Mount Gardner.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 392.)

The name is spelled GARDNER on Hoffmann’s map of 1873, in the official Publications of the Whitney Survey, and in the early editions of King’s Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada. Nevertheless, in the official catalogue of Yale University, in the obituary notice in American Journal of Sciences (1912), and in Who’s Who in America (1910-1911), and in other reliable Publications, it is spelled Gardiner.

James Terry Gardiner, born in Troy, N. Y., 1842; attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; honorary Ph.B., Sheffield Scientific School, Yale, in 1905, as of 1868; inspector, U. S. Ordnance Corps, 1861-1862; accompanied Clarence King to California, 1863; after a year in construction work on San Francisco Harbor, joined California State Geological Survey (Whitney Survey), 1864, and served until 1867; member of Brewer party in Kings and San Joaquin regions, 1864; with King, made map of Yosemite Valley, 1866-1867; accompanied King on first ascent of Mount Clark, 1866; member Geological Survey of the 40th Parallel (King Survey), 1867-1872; member U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories (Hayden Survey), 1872-1875; director State Survey of New York, 1876-1886; practiced as civil engineer, New York; died at Northeast Harbor, Maine, 1912. (American Journal of Science, 4th series, Vol. 34, October, 1912, p. 404; Who’s Who in America, 1910-1911; Brewster: Life and Letters of Josiah Dwight Whitney, 1909, pp. 236, 237, 306; Appalachia, 1878, I:4, pp. 233-234; Biographical Notice of Clarence King, in Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, vol. 33, 1903.)

First ascent by Joseph N. Le Conte and Bolton Coit Brown, 1896. (S.C.B., 1898, II:3, p. 81.)

GARFIELD GROVE

[Kaweah]

Named by R. B. Marsball, U.S.G.S., for James Abram Garfield (1831-1881), twentieth president of the United States. (R. B. Marshall.)

GAYLOR LAKES

[Mount Lyell]

Jack Gaylor, for many years a ranger in Yosemite National Park; died in service, April, 1921.

GEM LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Originally named “Gem-o’-the-Mountains” by Theodore C. Agnew, miner, and so shown on McClure’s map of 1896. (N. F. McClure.)

GENERAL GRANT NATIONAL PARK

[Tehipite]

Established by act of Congress, October 1, 1890, under a clause added to the bill for establishing Yosemite National Park; comprises four square miles. Named by Secretary of the Interior, John W. Noble, for the General Grant tree, the largest sequoia in the park.

“The name ‘General Grant National Park’ was adopted for the park by the Secretary, because this name had become, by common consent, that of the largest tree there, and which it is understood is among the greatest if not itself the very greatest of the ‘sequoia gigantea.’ The propriety of adopting the name needs no explanation or defense. The people have already baptized the tree with the name of our great and noble general, and the park could not consistently be called aught else, unless it were ‘The Union’.” (Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, for 1890, p. 125.)

The tree was named in August, 1867, by Mrs. Lucretia P. Baker, of Visalia, for Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822-1885), commander-in-chief of the United States Army, 1864-1869; eighteenth president of the United States. The compliment was acknowledged by General Grant in a letter to Mrs. Baker. (Walter Fry.)

GENERAL SHERMAN TREE

[Tehipite]

Named in 1879 by James Wolverton for General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891), commander-in-chief of the United States Army, 1869-1883 (Walter Fry.)

GENEVRA, MOUNT (13,037)

[Mount Whitney]

Mrs. Genevra Magee (Mrs. W. E. Magee). Named in 1899 by Miss Helen M. Gompertz, J. N. Le Conte, and others, who with Mrs. Magee were on the Summit of Mount Brewer. (Mrs. J. N. Le Conte.)

Climbed by Norman Clyde, July 15, 1925; probably first ascent. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 307.)

GEORGES CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

“The chief Indian headquarters of the mid-southern part of the valley was at Chief George’s rancheria on the creek which still bears his name.” (Chalfant: The Story of Inyo, 1922, p. 143.) Chief George was a leader of the Piute Indians in the Owens Valley fighting in 1863.

GIANT FOREST

[Tehipite]

“After a general exploration of the Kaweah basin, this part of the Sequoia belt seemed to me the finest, and I then [1875] named it ‘the Giant Forest.’ (Muir: Our National Parks, 1901, p. 300.)

Hale D. Tharp was the first white man to visit Giant Forest, 1858. (Walter Fry.)

Lands in Giant Forest and vicinity, patented prior to act of 1890 creating Sequoia National Park, were purchased in 1916 and reconveyed to the United States for $70,000, of which $50,000 was appropriated by act of Congress, July 1, 1916, and $20,000 was contributed from the funds of the National Geographic Society. Subsequent purchases of patented lands were made by the National Geographic Society from funds donated by individuals, and reconveyed to the United States, 1920-1921. (National Geographic Magazine, January, 1917, pp. 1-11; July, 1921, pp. 85-86— Progress in the Development of the National Parks, by Stephen T. Mather, Department of the Interior, 1916, p. 7—Report of the Director of the National Park Service, for 1920, pp. 50, 115; same, for 1921, p. 15.)

GIBBS MOUNTAIN (12,700)

[Mount Lyell]

Wolcott Gibbs (1822-1908), professor of science at Harvard, a lifelong friend of Professor Whitney. (Brewster: Life and Letters of Josiah Dwight Whitney, 1909, p. 80.)

The name was given by the Whitney Survey, and, although not mentioned in the Geology volume of 1865, appears on the Hoffmann-Gardiner map, 1867.

GILBERT, MOUNT (13,232)

[Mount Goddard]

Grove Karl Gilbert (1843-1918), geologist; author of famous monographs on the Henry Mountains (Powell Survey, 1877) and Lake Bonneville (U.S.G.S., 1890). (S.C.B., 1919, X:4, pp. 391-399, 430; 1920, XI:1, pp. 60-68.) (R. B. Marshall.)

GILLETT MOUNTAIN (8300)

[Dardanelles]

Named in 1909 by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for James Norris Gillett; member of Congress, 1903-1907; governor of California, 1907-1911. (R. B. Marshall.)

GILMAN LAKE

[Bridgeport]

Robert Gilman Brown, born in New Hampshire, 1864; A.B., Dartmouth, 1886; studied at Columbia School of Mines; vice-president and general manager, Standard Consolidated Mining Co., Bodie, California, 1905, when lake was named for him by engineer of that company who was mapping Green Creek basin for power development; consulting engineer and director of various English mining companies; living in London, 1926.

GIRAUD PEAK (12,539)

[Mount Goddard]

The peak was probably named for Pierre Giraud, sheepman of Inyo County, widely known as Little Pete. (See Little Pete Meadow.) Pierre and his younger brother, Alfred, grazed sheep for many years at the bead of the South and Middle forks of Kings River. The spelling “Giroud” on the maps is erroneous. (W. A. Chalfant.)

Climbed by Norman Clyde, September 1, 1925; no evidence of prior ascent. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 307.)

GLACIER POINT

[Yosemite]

“There is one point overhanging the valley, about half a mile northeast of the Sentinel Dome, and directly in a line with the edge of the Half Dome. This is called Glacier Point. . . . This combines perhaps more elements of beauty and grandeur than any other single view about the valley.” (Whitney Survey: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 96.)

The precise origin of the name is not given. It does not appear in Hutchings’ earlier publications, nor in the Whitney Survey report of 1865.

GLEN AULIN

[Mount Lyell]

“It was probably in the winter of 1913-1914 that he (R. B. Marshall, U.S. G.S.) came to me in the office of the U. S. Geological Survey here in Washington, with a Mount Lyell sheet in his hand and pointing out this little valley on the map, told me what a beautiful spot it is and asked me to suggest a name. I at once suggested Glen Aulin, ‘beautiful valley or glen,’ and wrote it for him in this way, that it might be correctly pronounced—the ‘au’ as in author. The correct Gaelic (Irish) orthography is Gleann Alainn. (Letter from James McCormick, now Secretary, United States Geographic Board, February 11, 1926.)

GLEN PASS

[Mount Whitney]

Glen H. Crow, assistant in U.S.G.S., ranger in U. S. Forest Service, brother of Mrs. R. B. Marshall. The name should be spelled with one n. (Mrs. R. E. Marshall.)

GOAT MOUNTAIN, CREST (12,203)

[Tehipite]

Said to have been named on account of mountain sheep, erroneously called goats, once seen there. (J. N. Le Conte.)

First recorded ascent by J. N. Le Conte and party in 1896. (S.C.B., 1897, II:2, p. 79.)

GODDARD, MOUNT (13,555)

[Mount Goddard]

“Thirty-two miles north-northwest is a very high mountain, called Mount Goddard, in honor of a Civil Engineer who has done much to advance our knowledge of the geography of California, and who is the author of “Britton & Rey’s Map.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 382.) George Henry Goddard was engaged for several years (1853-1855) in surveying for a practical wagon route across the Sierra Nevada. In 1855 he ascertained that the boundary angle between California and the then territory of Utah was situated in Lake Tahoe and not, as supposed, in Carson Valley. He prepared a map of California, published by Britton & Rey in 1857. Born in England about 1817; naturalized American citizen, 1861; lived in San Francisco for many years. (U.S.C. & G. Survey: Report for 1900, appendix 3, p. 264. Report of Surveyor-General of California, 1856, p. 101.)

Brewer’s party of the Whitney Survey in 1864 made two unsuccessful attempts to reach the summit. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 392, 394, 398,399.)

“We found the Sierra Club register in the monument on the summit and inscribed our names with those of fifteen others who have made the ascent since September 23, 1879, when, as a small yellow document proclaims, the mountain was first climbed by Lil A. Winchell and Louis W. Davis.” (S.C.B., 190l, III:3, p. 255, notes of a climb of Mount Goddard in 1900 by Harley P. Chandler. See, also, S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 251.)

GOLDEN TROUT CREEK

[Olancha]

In 1903 President Roosevelt sent Dr. Barton Warren Evermann to the Kern region for the express purpose of reporting on the remarkable golden trout, several specimens of which had been scientifically described. Dr. Evermann found in this creek a variety different from any theretofore described. He named it Salmo roosevelti.

“This is the most beautiful of all the trouts: the brilliancy and richness of its coloration is not equaled in any other known species; the delicate golden olive of the head, back, and upper part of the side, the clear golden yellow along and below the lateral line, and the marvelously rich cadmium of the under parts fully entitle this species to be known above all others as the golden trout.” (Evermann: The Golden Trout of the Southern High Sierras. Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries, 1905, Vol. 25, p. 28.—See, also, S.C.B., 1912, VIII:3, pp. 193-199.)

This creek was once known as Whitney Creek, because its source is near the peak ascended by Clarence King in 1871, which he supposed to be Mount Whitney. Long after the error was discovered in 1873, the name remained attached to the creek. Later it was called Volcano Creek, on account of the cinder-cones in the vicinity. (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, no. 1, p. 2; 1903, no. 2, pp. 41-43.) The U.S.G.S. fixed the name Golden Trout Creek, retaining the name Volcano for the falls only. (R. B. Marshall.)

GOODALE MOUNTAIN, CREEK

[Mount Goddard]

Thornas J. Goodale, a pioneer of Owens Valley, who had a location on the creek. In 1871 be was editor of the Inyo Lancet. (W. A. Chalfant.)

GOODALE PASS

[Mount Goddard]

Probably for Gus G. Goodale, son of Thomas J. Goodale, at one time a ranger, U. S. Forest Service. (W. A. Chalfant.)

This pass is on the main route between North Fork of Mono Creek and head of Fish Creek.

GOODE, MOUNT (13,068)

[Mount Goddard]

By authority of the U. S. Geographic Board (1026), this name has been transposed from the peak properly called Black Giant to a hitherto unnamed, peak on the main crest.

Richard Urquhart Goode, U.S.G.S.; topographer from 1879; later geographer in charge of surveys in western United States; born in Virginia, 1858, died 1903; graduate of University of Virginia. (U.S.G.S.: Twenty-fourth Annual Report, 1903, pp. 287-290.)

GORGE OF DESPAIR

[Tehipite]

Named in 1879 by L. A. Winchell. (L. A. Winchell.)

GOULD, MOUNT (12,858)

[Mount Whitney]

Wilson S. Gould, of Oakland, was a member of the Le Conte party in the Kings River region in 1896. On July 13, 1896, he and Joseph N. Le Conte climbed the peak north of Kearsarge Pass, which Le Conte named Mount Gould. (S.C.B., 1897, II:2, p. 85.)

The first known ascent was made by J. N. Le Conte, Hubert Dyer, Fred Pheby, C. B. Lakeman, 1890. “The main crest, 12,000 feet in elevation, was reached on July 20; and later in the day a lofty peak just to the north of pass was ascended. Inasmuch as we were the first persons ever to touch its summit, we named it University Peak.” (Hubert Dyer: Camping in the Highest Sierras, in Appalachia, 1892, VI:4, p. 295.) The name University Peak was subsequently transferred to a higher peak south of Kearsarge Pass. (J. N. Le Conte.)

GRACE MEADOW

[Dardanelles]

Grace Sovulewski, now Mrs. Frank Ewing, of Yosemite, daughter of Gabriel Sovulewski, long in the government service in Yosemite National Park.

GRANITE BASIN, CREEK, PASS

[Tehipite]

The field party of the Whitney Survey under Brewer visited Granite Basin in 1864, as shown by the Hoffmann map of 1873, on which the basin is unmistakably delineated. “The region around the crest of the ridge between the forks of the Kings consists of granite masses, with spurs projecting out from them, and embracing basins of bare rock, each having a small lake at the bottom.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 392-393.)

GRANT LAKE

Shown on map as early as 1871. (Whitney: Yosemite, Guide Book, pocket edition, 1871.)

GRAVEYARD MEADOWS

[Mount Goddard]

Named by sheepmen because of the graves of two of their number who were murdered and lie buried there. (J. N. Le Conte.)

GRAY PEAK (11,581)

[Mount, Lyell]

One of the Merced group. Shown on McClure maps of 1895 and 1896 as Gray Peak or Mount Hayes; on Le Conte map of 1893 as Gray Peak.

GREAT WESTERN DIVIDE

[Olancha, Mount Whitney, Kaweah, Tehipite]

Called by the Whitney Survey (Geology, 1865, p. 382) the western ridge. Shown on Le Conte map of 1893 as Great Western Ridge. On W. R. Dudley’s sketch map accompanying his account of a visit to the Kaweah Peaks in 1896 (S.C.B., 1898, II:3, opp. p. 185) it is called Western Divide. First shown as Great Western Divide on Le Conte map of 1896 in S.C.B., 1897, II:2.

GRIZZLY POINT OR PEAK

[Yosemite]

Charles A. Bailey made the first ascent about 1885, according to Hutchings, who quotes a letter from Bailey describing the ascent. (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, pp. 454-455.)

GROUSE MEADOWS

[Mount Goddard]

Named by L. A. Winchell in 1879. (L. A. Winchell.)

GRUNIGEN CREEK

[Kaweah]

Originally known as Lake Cañon Creek. It runs by the home of the Grunigen family, formerly spelled von Grueningen. (George W. Stewart.)

GULL LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

So called by Israel C. Russell in his Quarternary History of Mono Valley, California (in Eighth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1886-1887, p. 343) and shown on W. D. Johnson’s map accompanying it.

GUYOT, MOUNT (12,305)

[Mount Whitney]

“Immediately west of us was a bare granite cone or pyramid, with great snow masses (September 3d [1881] on its northern and eastern slopes. This the party agreed, at [Captain J. W. A.] Wright’s request, to call Mount Guyot, in honor of the distinguished Swiss geologist and geographer, whose lectures for two years at Princeton, New Jersey, are among the pleasantest recollections of is college days. The pass was also named Guyot Pass.” (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, p. 49.)

W. B. Wallace built a monument on summit, 1881. (G. W. Stewart.)

Arnold Henri Guyot (1807-1884); born in Switzerland; came to America, 1848, at instance of Louis Agassiz; professor of physical geography and geology, Princeton, 1854-1884; explored the Appalachian Mountain system; made first ascent of Mount Carrigain, White Mountains, New Hampshire, 1857. (Appalachia, July 1907, XI:3, pp. 229-239.)

H

HAECKEL, MOUNT (13,422)

[Mount Goddard]

One of the “Evolution Group,” named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1895 (Appalachia, 1896, VIII:1, p. 50) for Ernst Heinrich Haeckel (1834-1919), professor of zoology at University of Jena for more than forty years. First ascent, July 14, 1920, by Sierra Club party: Walter L. Huber, lead Nathan, A. Bowers, George D. Emerson, Francis P. Farquhar, Rodney L. Glisan, Mrs. Daisymay C. Huber, Walter B. Marble, Miss Lulie Nettleton, Robert AT. Price. Three others from the Sierra Club camp, Edward O. Allen, Francis E. Crofts, and Olcott Haskell, made the ascent at the same time and closely followed Huber and several of his party to the summit. (S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, pp. 144-146.)

HALF DOME (8852)

[Yosemite]

“The names ‘North Dome,’ ‘South Dome,’ and ‘Half Dome’ were given by us during our long stay in the valley from their localities and peculiar configuration. Some changes have been made since they were adopted. The peak called by us the ‘South Dome’ has since been given the name of ‘Sentinel Dome,’ and the ‘Half Dome,’ Tis-sa-ack, represented as meaning the ‘Cleft Rock,’ is now called by many the ‘South Dome.’” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 212.)

“The whole appearance of the mass is that of an originally dome-shaped elevation, with an exceedingly steep curve, of which the western half has been split off and has become engulfed. Hence the name, which is one that seems to suggest itself at first sight of this truly marvelous crest of rock.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 416.)

“The front of the dome, on the other hand, appears by contrast smooth and fresh. It has been formed rather recently through the rapid scaling off of successive thin plates or sheets cleft by close-set parallel partings of an accentuated fissure zone. A body of these plates still clings to the dome front at its, northeast end, and it is there that one may observe the character of the fissure zone noted. Ice that formerly lodged at the foot of the great precipice no doubt has served to accelerate its recession.” (Matthes: Sketch of Yosemite National Park, 1912, p. 47.)

“Tesaiyak. The Half Dome, generally spelt Tisayac.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 17.)

“Tissaack, South Dome in Yosemite, is . . . the name of a woman who according to tradition was transformed into the mountain.” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 62.) For versions of the Indian legend, see—Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, pp. 364, 367-368; and Bertha H. Smith: Yosemite Legends, 1904, pp. 45-54.

“Until the fall of 1875 the storm-beaten summit of this magnificent landmark was a terra incognita, as it had never been trodden by human feet. . . . This honor was reserved for a brave young Scotchman, a native of Montrose, named George G. Anderson, who by dint of pluck, skill, unswerving perseverance, and personal daring, climbed to its summit, and was the first that ever successfully scaled it. This was accomplished at 3 o’clock p.m. of October 12, 1875.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, pp. 456-457— See, also, S.C.B., 1920, X:1, pp. 101-102.)

“A year or two before Anderson gained the summit, John Conway, a resident of the valley, and his son, excellent mountaineers, attempted to reach the top from the Saddle by climbing barefooted up the grand curve with a rope which they fastened at irregular intervals by means of eye-bolts driven into joints of the rock. But, finding that the upper portion of the curve would require laborious drilling, they abandoned the attempt, glad to escape from the dangerous position they had reached, some 300 feet above the Saddle. Anderson began with Conway’s old rope, which had been left in place, and resolutely drilled his way to the top, inserting eye-bolts five to six feet apart, and making his rope fast to each in succession, resting his feet on the last bolt while he drilled a hole for the next above. Occasionally some irregularity in the curve, or slight foothold, would enable him to climb a few feet without the rope, which he would pass and begin drilling again, and thus the whole work was accomplished in less than a week.” (Muir: Picturesque California, edited by John Muir, 1888, vol. I, pp. 71-72.—See, also, Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870 p. 96.)

HALSTEAD MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Sam Halstead pastured horses here from 1872 to 1890. (Walter Fry.)

HAMILTON LAKES

[Tehipite]

James Hamilton, who at one time owned Redwood Meadow and Wet Meadow. (G. W. Stewart.)

HAPPY GAP

[Tehipite]

Pass between Kings River Cañon and Tehipite Valley on the “Jackass Route.” Those who succeed in getting a pack-train to this point at once perceive the appropriateness of the name. (J. N. Le Conte.)

The name is mentioned as known to John Fox, pioneer of Kings River, in 1896. (S.C.B., 1897, II:1, p. 45.)

HAPPY ISLES

[Yosemite]

“There are three islets just above the bridge which have never been given a place in Yosemite geography, so far as I am able to learn, and, commemorative of the emotions which I enjoyed when exploring them, I have named them the Happy Isles, for no one can visit them without for the while forgetting the grinding strife of his world and being happy.” (Letter from W. E. Dennison, Guardian of Yosemite Valley, to William B. May, secretary of the Yosemite Commissioners, October 25, 1885, in Superintendent’s files, Yosemite.)

HARRISON PASS

[Mount Whitney]

“The trip of this summer [1895] has brought out the further fact that the pass has long been known and used by sheep-herders under the name of Harrison’s Pass.” (S.C.B., 1896, I:7, p. 290.—See, also, S.C.B., 1895, I:6, p. 195.)

“Ben Harrison herded sheep in upper Kern in ’80s. Was part Cherokee Indian. He climbed up to saddle of pass from the south, but did not travel or herd over the pass. He built a monument on the pass. It was probably used by sheepmen in 1875 or 1876.” (Chester Versteeg, from Robert M. Woods.)

HASKELL MEADOW

[Kaiser]

Bill and John Haskell, sheepmen of the early days. (Chester Versteeg, from S. L. N. Ellis.)

HAZEL GREEN

[Yosemite]

“The next camp named was ‘Hazel Green,’ from the number of hazel bushes growing near a beautiful little meadow.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 316.)

HEATHER LAKE

[Tehipite]

Named in 1925 by Superintendent John R. White, of Sequoia National Park.

HELEN LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

The two large lakes on either side of Muir Pass were named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for the daughters of John Muir. The one at the source of the Middle Fork of Kings River was named for Mrs. Helen Muir Funk. (R. B. Marshall.)

HELEN LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Lake near head of Cherry Creek, named in 1909, by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Mrs. Helen Keyes, daughter of Colonel Forsyth, and wife of Lieutenant Edward A. Keyes, U.S.A. (R. B. Marshall.)

HELEN LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Lake near Parker Pass, named in 1909, by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Helen Coburn Smith, daughter of George Otis Smith, Director of the United States Geological Survey. (R. B. Marshall.)

HELL-FOR-SURE PASS

[Mount Goddard]

Named by J. N. Le Conte in 1904. The old sheep trail crossing this divide between the South Fork of San Joaquin and North Fork of Kings River was known as the Baird Trail. (J. N. Le Conte; S.C.B., 1905, V:3, p. 237.)

HELMS MEADOW

[Kaiser]

William Helm was the first settler in the open plain between the San Joaquin and Kings rivers. He settled near Dry Creek in 1865. From 1870 to 1874 he and Frank Dusy were partners in sheep-raising. This meadow was always known as Helm’s Big Meadow to distinguish it from other meadows used by him. (L. A. Winchell.)

HENRY, MOUNT (12,197)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by J. N. Le Conte for Joseph Henry (1797-1878), professor of natural history at the College of New Jersey (Princeton), 1832-1878; a physicist noted for his investigations in electromagnetism; secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1846; president of the National Academy of Sciences, 1868-1878. (J. N. Le Conte.)

HERMIT, THE (12,352)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1895.

“The traveler will be greatly attracted by a very sharp peak or butte that rises on the south wall. From its isolated position as viewed from the valley we called it the Hermit. . . . It really forms the termination of several peaks which, however, are not visible from below.” (Solomons: Manuscript prepared for the Sierra Club, 1896, p. 78.)

HETCH HETCHY

[Yosemite]

“Named from a Central Miwok word denoting a kind of grass or plant with edible seeds abounding in the valley.” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 42.)
[Editor’s note: This grass may be Dichelostemma capitatum, commonly known as “blue dicks” or “grass nuts.”—dea]

“An explanation of the meaning of the word Hetch Hetchy has been obtained through the kindness of John Muir, who says: ‘I have been informed by mountaineers who know something of the Indian language that Hetch Hetchy is the name of a species of grass that the Tuolumne Indians used for food, and which grows on the meadow at the lower end of the valley. The grain, when ripe, was gathered and beaten out and pounded into meal in mortars.’ The word was originally spelled Hatchatchie.” (Sanchez: Spanish and Indian Place Names of California, 1922, p. 332.)

“Hatchatchie Valley (erroneously spelled Hetch Hetchy).” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 357.)

“The Lower Tuolumne Yosemite, that I am about to sketch—called ‘Hetch Hetchy’ by the Indians—is said to have been discovered by one Joseph Screech, a hunter, in the year 1850, one year before Captain Boling and his party discovered Yosemite, in their pursuit of marauding Indians. . . . My first excursion to Hetch Hetchy was undertaken in the early portion of November, 1871.” (John Muir: Hetch Hetchy Valley, in Overland Monthly, July, 1873, pp. 42-43.)

“Hetch Hetchy is claimed by a sheep-owner named Smith, who drives stock into it every summer, by a trail which was built by Joseph Screech. It is often called Smith’s Valley.” (Same, pp. 49-50.)

“The valley was first visited, in 1850, by Mr. Joseph Screech, a mountaineer of this region, who found it occupied by Indians. This gentleman informed me that, up to a very recent date, this valley was disputed ground between the Pah Utah Indians from the eastern slope and the Big Creek Indians from the western slope of the Sierras; they had several fights, in which the Pah Utahs proved victorious. The latter still visit the valley every fall to gather acorns, which abound in this locality.” (Notes on Hetch Hetchy Valley by C. F. Hoffmann, read by J. D. Whitney at meeting of California Academy of Natural Sciences, October 21, 1867, in Proceedings, vol. III, part V, 1868, p. 370.)

HETCH HETCHY RESERVOIR

[Yosemite]

Reservoir constructed by City and County of San Francisco under authority of act of Congress (commonly known as the Raker Act), approved by President Wilson December 19, 1913.

Project originated in 1901, when Mayor James D. Phelan applied for reservoir sites at Lake Eleanor and Hetch Hetchy. Applications denied, 1903, and again in 1905, by E. A. Hitchcock, Secretary of the Interior. In 1908, James K. Garfield, Secretary of the Interior, granted permit allowing City to develop Lake Eleanor and Cherry Valley, and if these proved insufficient, then Hetch Hetchy. In 1910, Secretary of the Interior R. A. Ballinger required the City “to show why the Hetch Hetchy Valley and reservoir site should not be eliminated from said permit.” An Advisory Board of Army Engineers, composed of Colonel John Biddle, Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Taylor, and Colonel Spencer Cosby, was appointed to investigate and report to the Secretary of the Interior. Report rendered February 19, 1913. Secretary of the Interior Walter L. Fisher, on March 1, 1913, declared that action on this matter should not be taken by the Secretary of the Interior, but that a grant should be made only upon specific authority of Congress. A bill was introduced in the next Congress, and was passed after extensive hearings had been held.

References: Proceedings before the Secretary of the Interior in re use of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Site in the Yosemite National Park by the City of San Francisco, Washington, 1910.— Report of Advisory Board of Army Engineers to the Secretary of the Interior, Washington, 1913.— The Hetch Hetchy Water Supply for San Francisco, report by John R. Freeman, San Francisco, 1912.— Robert Underwood Johnson: Remembered Yesterdays, 1924, pp. 307-313.— Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1924, II, pp. 360-361, 384-385, 388-389, 416-423.—Muir: The Yosemite, 1912, pp. 249-262.—Muir: in S.C.B., 1908, VI:4, pp. 211-220; in Outlook, November 2, 1907; in Century, January, 1909.— See, also, S.C.B., 1908, VI:4, pp. 264-268; 1908, VI:5, pp. 321-329; 1909, VII:1, pp. 69-71, 1909, VII:2, p. 133; 1910, VII:4, pp. 260-263; 1913, IX:1, pp. 44-45; 1914, IX:2, pp. 174-176, 192-199.

Construction was begun on approach roads in 1914; clearing floor of Hetch Hetchy Valley completed, 1917; construction of dam begun, 1919; dam completed and reservoir filled, 1923. (See, also, Lake Eleanor.) Hydro-electric power available at main power-house, Moccasin Creek, 1925; aqueduct for city water-supply not yet completed (1926).

HILGARD, MOUNT (13,350)

[Mount Goddard]

“Above the valley [of Bear Creek], a bare slope flanks the base of the ridge of peaks of which Mount Hilgard is the most northern. These are several in number. Mount Hilgard from the west is a striking mass, strongly suggesting Castle Peak in Tuolumne County. It was thus named at the suggestion of an admiring former pupil of Professor Hilgard, Mr. Ernest C. Bonner, who accompanied me on one of my outings.” (Theodore S. Solomons: Manuscript, 1896, p. 66.)

“The rocks of the First Recess, which opens southward just above the valley, have striking individuality. The granite is very pure and creamy in appearance. Mount Hilgard, named in honor of Professor Hilgard of the University of California, stands at the head of this splendid side gorge.” (Theodore S. Solomons: Unexplored Regions of the High Sierra, in Overland Monthly, January, 1897, p. 74.) From this it appears that the name was originally given to the mountain shown on the U.S.G.S. map (edition of 1912) as Recess Peak.

Eugene Woldemar Hilgard (1833-1916); native of Bavaria; professor at University of Mississippi, and at University of Michigan; professor agriculture at University of California, 1875-1903; professor emeritus, 1903-1916.

Climbed by Charles F. Urquhart, July, 1905, probably the first ascent. (Letter from George R. Davis to Walter L. Huber, September 14, 1916.)

HITCHCOCK, MOUNT (13,188)

[Mount Whitney]

On Tuesday, September 7, 1881, Rev. F. H. Wales, of Tulare, climbed Mount Young, where he built a monument and left a record of its name, “and the name of another handsome peak just south of it, which, from his suggestion, was named Mount Hitchcock.” (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, pp. 49-50.)

Charles Henry Hitchcock (1836-1919); professor of geology, Dartmouth College, 1868-1908; emeritus, 1908-1919; conducted the first high mountain observatory in United States, on Mount Washington, N. H., winter of 1870-1871.

HOCKETT MEADOWS, LAKES, TRAIL

[Kaweah]

John Benjamin Hockett (1828-1898), born at Fort Smith, Arkansas; a pioneer of Tulare County, camping at what was later Porterville as early as 1849; settled in Visalia, 1859; ran cattle in Kern Cañon as early as 1861, and was probably the first white man to visit the head of the cañon; built the trail which bears his name, 1862-1864. (Chester Versteeg, from Gus Walker of Olancha, and Mrs. J. B. Hockett.)

“Although this is one of the oldest trails into the mountains, it is the roughest. Both the Hockett and Jordan trails were ‘built’ for the purpose of diverting the travel to the mines of Inyo County from the Walker Pass. According to the ‘franchises’ that were granted for the construction and operation of these two toll-trails, they were intended to be converted into wagon-roads as soon as possible; but the collapse of the Inyo mining boom in the early ’60s defeated the enterprise, and no attempt was ever made to build any part of a road through the rough mountains.” (P. M. Norboe: Trails into the Mt. Whitney and Kern River Regions, in Mt. Whitney Club Journal, 1903, no. 2, p. 67.)

HOFFMANN, MOUNT (10,921)

[Yosemite]

Named by the Whitney Survey in 1863 for Charles F. Hoffmann, principal topographer of the survey. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 424.)

Charles Frederick Hoffmann (1838-1913); born at Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany; educated at an engineering school; topographer with Frederick W. Lander on Fort Kearney, South Pass, and Honey Lake wagon-road survey, 1857; came to California, 1858; member of California State Geological Survey, under Josiah Dwight Whitney, throughout its existence, 1860-1874; professor of topographical engineering, Harvard, 1871-1872; married Lucy Mayotta Browne, daughter of J. Ross Browne, 1870; associated with brothers-in-law, Ross E. Browne and Alfred Craven, in mining engineering at Virginia City, Nevada, 1874-1876; managed mines in Mexico, and at Forest Hill Divide, California, 1878-1886; investigated mines in Siberia and in Argentina; associated with Ross E. Browne in practice of mining engineering, with offices in San Francisco, 1888-1906. (Ross E. Browne.) Portrait in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, plate cxi, and S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, plate XLIV.

Whitney says in a letter to his brother, May 3, 1862: “Hoffmann does as well in his place as anyone could possibly do. He is a German, twenty-four years old, formerly topographer to Lander’s wagon-road expedition, with a capital eye for hills and orography in general, and no vices.” (Brewster: Life and Letters of Josiah Dwight Whitney, 1909, p. 214.)

Whitney, Brewer, and Hoffmann were in the vicinity of Mount Hoffmann in 1863, and one or all may have climbed it. The summit and the view are described in the report. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 424.) Clarence King climbed it in October, 1864. (King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, pp. 144-145.) In 1867 a photograph was taken of the summit by W. Harris, showing Hoffmann himself with his transit. This photograph is among the plates accompanying The Yosemite Book, issued by the Whitney Survey in 1868. (See, also, S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, plate CXIII.)

John Muir climbed Mount Hoffmann, July 26, 1869. “Ramble to the summit of Mount Hoffmann, eleven thousand feet high, the highest point in life’s journey my feet have yet touched.” (Muir: My First Summer in the Sierra, 1911, p. 199.)

HOMERS NOSE (9005)

[Kaweah]

Named in 1872. John Homer, a veteran of the Mexican War, serving under Kearny; came to Visalia in 1853; a pioneer of the Kaweah region. (Chester Versteeg, from Homer family.)

The Indians say that the first Wutchumna Indians were “created” here by Tsohit, the Eagle God, and the Wolf God. (George W. Stewart.)

HOOPER, MOUNT (12,322)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Major William Burchell Hooper (1836-1903); native of Virginia; long identified with California life; in later years proprietor of the Occidental Hotel, San Francisco. (R. B. Marshall, Mrs. Mary Hooper Perry.)

HOOVER LAKE

[Bridgeport]

Theodore Jesse Hoover, born in Iowa, 1871; A.B., Stanford, 1901; manager, Standard Consolidated Mining Co., Bodie, California, 1904-1905; manager and consulting engineer of mines, 1906-1919; professor of mining and metallurgy, Stanford University, since 1919; brother of Herbert Clark Hoover; living in Santa Cruz County, California, 1926.

Lake named in 1905 by engineer of Standard Consolidated Mining Co., when making map of Green Creek basin for power development. (T. J. Hoover, E. H. Nutter.)

HOPKINS, MOUNT (12,300)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by.R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Mark Hopkins (1813-1878), one of the organizers of the Central Pacific Railroad. (R. B. Marshall.)

HORSE CORRAL MEADOW

[Tehipite]

J. H. Harrell, a cattleman of Tulare County, drove his horses into the mountains in the summer of 1877, after an exceptionally dry winter, to save them from starvation. He built a corral for them at this meadow and gave the name at that time. The meadow was later patented and became the property of D. K. Zumwalt and Jesse B. Agnew. (J. B. Agnew.)

HORTON LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

William Horton, a pioneer settler in Round Valley, Inyo County. (Chalfant: The Story of Inyo, 1922, p. 166.)

HOSPITAL ROCK

[Tehipite]

A huge boulder, sixty feet long and twenty feet thick, overhanging in such a way as to form a spacious room; used by the Potwisha Indians for gatherings, ceremonials, and for shelter for the sick and for new-born babies.

In 1860, Hale D. Tharp and John Swanson stayed here for three days while the Indians healed Swanson’s injured leg. In 1873 Alfred Everton was accidentally shot in a bear-trap that he had himself set. George Cahoon carried Everton to the rock, where he left him while he went for assistance. From this incident Hale Tharp gave it the name Hospital Rock. In 1893 James Wolverton lay here during his last illness. (Walter Fry, in Sequoia National Park Nature Guide Bulletin, No. 5, February 17, 1925.)

HUMPHREYS, MOUNT (13,972)

[Mount Goddard]

Andrew Atkinson Humphreys (1810-1883); born in Pennsylvania; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, artillery, 1831; first lieutenant, 1836; topographical engineers, 1838; captain, 1848; major, 1861; lieutenant-colonel, 1863; brigadier-general and chief of engineers, 1866; retired, 1879; Major-general of volunteers, 1863-1866; joint author, with Lieutenant Henry Larcom Abbot, of Report on the Physics and Hydraulics of the Mississippi River, 1861; as chief of engineers, was in general charge of Clarence King’s Survey of the Forthieth Parallel, 1867-1872.

Named by Whitney Survey; not mentioned in reports, but appears on Hoffmann’s map of 1873. The identity of the peak now known as Mount Humphreys with that on Hoffmann’s map and in Wheeler Survey reports is discussed by J. N. Le Conte in S.C.B., 1022, XI:3, pp. 249-250.

John Muir speaks of climbing Mount Humphreys in Century Magazine, November, 1891, p. 86, and also describes the view from the summit in Overland Monthly, January, 1875. (S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, p. 182.) But he was undoubtedly mistaken in the identity of the mountain. (S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, pp. 250-251; Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923, I, p. 388.)

An illustration by William Keith in Picturesque California, edited by John Muir, 1888, vol. I, opp. p. 12, confirms the opinion that the peak climbed by Muir was one of the “Evolution Group.”

First ascent, July 18, 1904, by James S. Hutchinson and Edward C. Hutchinson. (S.C.B., 1905, V:3, pp. 153-173.) For other ascents, see S.C.B., 1920, XI:1, pp. 56-59; S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, pp. 203-204; S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 313.

HUNTINGTON LAKE

[Kaiser]

Named in 1912 for Henry Edwards Huntington, at that time president of Pacific Light & Power Corporation; born at Oneonta, New York, 1850; railway and corporation officer; collector of books and works of art; now (1926) living at San Marino, California.

Huntington Lake reservoir formed in Big Creek basin by three dams constructed for Pacific Light & Power Corporation by Stone & Webster, 1912-1913; fourth dam constructed and level of reservoir surface raised thirty-five feet, 1916-1917. Pacific Light & Power Corporation consolidated with Southern California Edison Company, 1917. (Hydroelectric Power Systems of California, U. S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 493, by Frederick Hall Fowler, 1923, pp. 640-642.)

HUNTINGTON, MOUNT (12,393)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Collis Potter Huntington (1821-1900), one of the organizers of the Central Pacific Railroad. (R. B. Marshall.)

HURD PEAK (12,224)

[Mount Goddard]

“Its name is derived from the late Mr. H. C. Hurd, an engineer who, while making certain explorations of this region, climbed it in 1906. So far as known, this was the first ascent. It was again ascended in 1909 by Clarence H. Rhudy and James Kevil.” (Walter L. Huber, in S.C.B., 1919, X:4, p. 440.)

HUTCHINGS, MOUNT (10,787)

[Tehipite]

James Mason Hutchings (1818-1902), pioneer of the Yosemite; author and publisher of Hutchings’ California Magazine; Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, 1860; In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886. Hutchings climbed Mount Whitney in 1875, and name may have been given during that trip. It dates back at least to 1891, as it appears on map illustrating article by John Muir in Century Magazine, November, 1891. On Muir’s map it appears farther west than on the U.S.G.S. map of 1905, but the latter is in accord with the Le Conte map of 1896, and the Davis map of 1896.

HUTCHINSON MEADOW

[Mount Goddard]

James Sather Hutchinson, born in San Francisco, 1867; A.B., Harvard, 1897; LL.B., Hastings College of Law (University of California), 1899; attorney-at-law in San Francisco since 1899; editor of Sierra Club Bulletin, 1903-1904, 1925; explorer and climber in the Sierra for many years; first ascents of Mount Humphreys, North Palisade, Mount Sill, Black Kaweah, Mount Abbot, Red-and-White Peak. (S.C.B., 1903, IV:3, pp. 193-206; 1904, V:1, pp. 1-19; 1905, V:3, pp. 153-175; 1909, VII:1, pp. 1-22; 1914, IX:3, pp. 126-135; 1921, XI:2, pp. 118-135; 1923, XI:4, pp. 357-367; 1924, XII:1, pp. 7-20.)

Edward Church Hutchinson, president and managing director of Kennedy Mining and Milling Company, Amador County, who accompanied his brother on first ascent of Mount Humphreys.

HUXLEY, MOUNT (13,124)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1895 for the English biologist, Thomas Henry Huxley 1825-1895), as one of the Evolution Group of peaks. T. S. Solomons.)

HYATT LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Edward Hyatt, Jr., assistant with U.S.G.S. party in 1909; A.B., Stanford, 1912; civil engineer; chief of Division of Water Rights, California State Department of Public Works, 1925. (R. B. Marshall.)

I

ILLILOUETTE CREEK, FALL

[Yosemite]

“Tuluowehäck. The cañon of the South Fork of the Merced, called the Illilouette in the California Geological Report, that being the spelling given by Messrs. King and Gardner,—a good illustration of how difficult it is to catch the exact pronounciation of these names. Mr. Hutchings spells it Tooluluwack.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 17.)

“This cañon is called by Professor J. D. Whitney the ‘Illilouette,’ a supposed Indian name; but I have never questioned a single Indian that knew anything whatever of such a word; while every one, without an exception, knows this cañon either by Too-lool-a-we-ack or Too-lool-we-ack; the meaning of which, as nearly as their ideas can be comprehended and interpreted, is the place beyond which was the great rendezvous of the Yo Semite Indians for hunting deer.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 440.)

“Tu-tu'lu-wi-sak, Tu-tul'wi-ak, the southern wall of South Cañon.” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 364.)

“The strictly literal translation of this name [Too-lool-lo-we-ack] would be inadmissible. . . . The name ‘Illeuette’ [or ‘Illiluette’] is not Indian, and is, therefore, meaningless and absurd.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, pp. 202-203.)

[Editor’s note: Bunnell, in true discreet Victorian form, translated the meaning of Too-lool-lo-we-ack to Greek, which translated to English means “urinating.”—dea. ]

INDIAN CAÑON

[Yosemite]

“This ravine became known to us as ‘Indian Cañon,’ though called by the Indians ‘Le-Hamite,’ ‘the arrow-wood.’ It was also known to them by the name of ‘Scho-tal-lo-wi,’ meaning the way to ‘Fall Creek.’” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 169.)

“The shafts of their arrows are made of reeds, and from different species of wood, but the choicest are made of what is called Indian arrow-wood (Le-Hamite). This wood is found only in dark ravines and deep rocky cañons in the mountains, as it seems to require dampness and shade. Its scarcity makes the Young shoots of a proper growth a very valuable article of barter between the mountain tribes and those of the valleys and plains. A locality in the Yosemite Valley once famous for its supply of this arrow-wood, was the ravine called by the Yosemites ‘Le-Hamite’ (as we might say ‘the oaks,’ or ‘the Pines’), but which is now designated as ‘Indian Cañon.’” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 131.)

INFANT BUTTES

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons. (T. S. Solomons.)

INYO COUNTY

“Chief George (who became a leader in the Indian war) told them that the name of the mountain range to the eastward was ‘Inyo,’ meaning, as near as could be ascertained, ‘the dwelling place of a great spirit.’ This is the origin of the county’s name, and the occasion [1860] was the first time it had come to the whites’ attention.” (Chalfant: The Story of Inyo, 1922, p. 83.)

Inyo County, created March 22, 1866; increased by including part of Mono County, 1870; increased to the southeast, 1872. (Coy: California County Boundaries, 1923, pp. 114-115.)

INYO NATIONAL FOREST

Established by proclamation of President Roosevelt, May 25, 1907, under authority of act of Congress of March 3, 1891; reorganized July 2, 1908, by executive order, adding a part of Sierra National Forest and transferring part of Inyo National Forest to Mono National Forest; modified February 23, 1911, by executive order of President Taft, corrected March 1, 1913, by proclamation of President Taft. (Official proclamations.)

IRELAND LAKE, CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant Benson for Merritte Weber Ireland, Medical Corps, U. S. Army, who was on duty in Yosemite National Park in 1897. (H. C. Benson.)

Born in Indiana, 1867; M.D., Detroit College of Medicine, 1890; assistant surgeon, U. S. Army, 1891; major, Medical Corps, 1903; lieutenant-colonel, 1911; colonel, 1917; major-general (surgeon-general, A.E.F.), August, 1918 surgeon-general, U. S. Army, since October, 1918.

IRVINE, MOUNT (13,790)

[Mount Whitney]

Name proposed by Norman Clyde, who made first ascent, June, 1925; in memory of Andrew Irvine, of the British Alpine Club, who was lost on Mount Everest, June, 1924, with George H. Leigh Mallory. (See Mount Mallory.)

ISBERG PASS, PEAK

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant McClure for a soldier of Norwegian birth who was with him in 1895 while exploring for a route from the Merced to the Minaret region. Isberg, prospecting for sheep-herders’ trails, discovered the pass. The peak was subsequently named from the pass. (N. F. McClure.)

ITALY, LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by U.S.G.S. about 1907, because of its shape, which was first apparent when drawn on the map. (R. B. Marshall.)

IZAAK WALTON, MOUNT (11,900)

[Mount Goddard]

Izaak Walton (1593-1683), to whom all fishermen and lovers of good literature are indebted for The Compleat Angler, first published in 1653.

Name proposed in 1919 by Francis P. Farquhar for the peak that stands at the head of Fish Creek Cañon. (S.C.B., 1920, XI:1, p. 46; see illustration in Appalachia, November, 1920, XV:1, plate XIV.)

J

JACK MAIN CAÑON

[Dardanelles]

“Some years ago I was discussing a trip I had made through Jack Main Cañon with Mr. C. H. Burt. Mr. Burt was then an old gentleman engaged in mining in Mariposa County. He told me that as a boy he had often herded sheep through Jack Main Cañon and volunteered the information that the cañon was named after an old sheep-herder who ranged sheep in that region whose name was Jack Means. Mr. Burt said that the name of the cañon as it appeared on the maps was incorrect; that all the early sheep and cattle men in that region called the cañon ‘Jack Means Cañon,’ and that the present name of the cañon was a corruption of that name.” (W. H. Spaulding, in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, p. 126.)

“This was named after John Main, who ran sheep in this cañon for many years, starting in the early ’70s. He lived near what is now known as Warnerville on the old Warner grant.” (J. U. Wulf, Forest Supervisor, Stanislaus National Forest, in letter to District Forester, May 4, 1923.)

JENNIE LAKE

[Tehipite]

Named for Mrs. Jennie Ellis by her husband, S. L. N. Ellis, 1897. (Chester Versteeg, from S. L. N. Ellis.)

JOHN MUIR TRAIL

In 1915 the California State Legislature, in response to a proposal originating with the Sierra Club, appropriated $10,000 to be expended on construction of a trail from Yosemite to Mount Whitney, to be known as the John Muir Trail, in memory of one of California’s most famous citizens. In 1917 a second appropriation of $10,000 was made for continuing the work.

Selection of following route was made by State Engineer Wilbur F. McClure, after consulting with members of Sierra Club and U. S. Forest Service: Yosemite, Tenaya Lake, Tuolumne Meadows, Donohue Pass, Thousand Island Lake, Devils Postpile, Fish Creek, North Fork of Mono Creek, Bear Creek, Selden Pass, Blaney Meadows, Evolution Creek, Muir Pass, Grouse Meadow, Palisade Creek, Upper Basin of South Fork of Kings River, Pinchot Pass, Woods Creek, Rae Lake, Glen Pass, Bubbs Creek, Center Basin, Junction Pass, Tyndall Creek, Sandy Plateau, Crabtree Meadow, Mount Whitney.

Owing to difficulties on Palisade Creek, a temporary route was adopted from Grouse Meadow to Simpson Meadow; thence, via Granite Basin, to Kings River Cañon and Bubbs Creek.

Work was begun, August, 1915, under supervision of U. S. Forest Service field organization. Specifications: 30-inch minimum width, and 15 per cent maximum grade. Portions of trail already existed in passable condition, although rarely up to these specifications.

Construction done, 1915-1918: Blaney Meadows to Muir Pass, including suspension bridges across Piute Creek and South Fork of San Joaquin near Evolution Creek; Muir Pass to Grouse Meadow, including blasting of Barrier Rock; Grouse Meadow to Simpson Meadow, utilizing trail from Cartridge Creek to Simpson Meadow begun in 1914 with funds contributed by Sierra Club, Fresno County, and U. S. Forest Service; Bubbs Creek to Tyndall Creek, including junction and Shepherd passes, (supplemented by other funds). Some work was also done at Selden Pass, and on west side of Middle Fork of San Joaquin River near Mount Ritter.

The State Legislature made additional appropriations in 1919 and in 1921, but on both occasions the bills were vetoed by Governor Stephens. Again, in 1925, the Legislature appropriated $10,000, and this time the bill was signed by Governor Richardson with the following remarks: “While most of the population is interested in the roads for automobiles, it is good to know that we have a few citizens who are interested in the mountain trails and in visiting the wonderful and inaccessible places. I believe this appropriation will be of great worth.”

Meanwhile work has been done in improving and maintaining certain sections, partly by the U. S. Forest Service, and partly by donated funds.

S.C.B., 1915, IX:4, pp. 306-308; 1916 X:1, pp. 86-92; 1917, X:2, pp. 213-214, 221-225; 1918, X:3, pp. 330, 343-347. Farquhar: Northward Over the John Muir Trail, in S.C.B., 1920, XI:1, pp. 34-38.—Hutchinson: A New Link in the John Muir Trail, in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, pp. 357-367.—Gleason, in Appalachia, November, 1920, XV:1, p. 36, and plates XII-XV.

The idea of a high mountain trail along the Sierra Nevada, close to the main crest, originated with Theodore S. Solomons. (A Search for a High Mountain Route from the Yosemite to the Kings River Cañon, in S.C.B., 1895, I:6, pp. 221-237.—See, also, S.C.B., 1896, I:7, pp. 287-288.) The search for the best route was later taken up by Joseph N. Le Conte, who established a route practically along the line of the John Muir Trail. (The High Mountain Route Between Yosemite and the Kings River Cañon, in S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, pp. 1-22.)

JOHNSON, MOUNT (12,850)

[Mount Goddard]

In 1917, R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., named a peak northeast of Parker Pass (Mount Lyell Quadrangle), in memory of Willard D. Johnson. In this it was overlooked that there was already a Johnson Peak in the vicinity, named for another person several years before. It is therefore proposed, with Colonel Marshall’s assent, to transfer the name to a peak on the main crest near the mountains named for other distinguished members of the U. S. Geological Survey, Gilbert, Powell, Thompson, and Goode.

Willard D. Johnson (1861-1917), born at Brooklyn, New York; appointed assistant topographer U. S. Geological Survey, 1882; worked with Israel C. Russell in mapping Mono Lake region and adjacent Sierra Nevada, 1882-1883 (see Russell, in Fifth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1883-1884, and Eighth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1886-1887 climbed Mount Lyell and Mount Ritter and made first ascent of Banner Peak, 1883; in Colorado, 1888-1891; topographic work in gold belt, California, 1891-1894; appointed hydrographer, U.S.G.S., 1896; studied glacial features of eastern slope of Sierra Nevada, 1905-1907; visited Evolution Group with G. K. Gilbert, U.S.G.S., and E. C. Andrews, of New South Wales, and climbed Mount Darwin, 1903 (S.C.B., 1924, XII:1, pp. 88-90); studied earthquake faults near Lone Pine, 1909; transferred to U. S. Forest Service, 1913, but returned to U. S. Geological Survey. Owing to failing health, left very little published work. Published The Profile of Maturity in Alpine Glacial Erosion, in Journal of Geology, October-November, 1904, XII:7, pp. 569-578, under title of The Grade Profile in Alpine Glacial Erosion, reprinted, with changes, in S.C.B., 1905, V:4, pp. 271-278.

JOHNSON PEAK (11,000)

[Mount Lyell]

Peak between Rafferty Creek and Unicorn Creek, named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for a teamster with the survey party in the ’90s, who had been with Professor Davidson’s party at Mount Conness in 1890 and hence was particularly useful as a guide. (R. B. Marshall.)

J. O. PASS

[Tehipite]

“About August, 1889, 1 crossed the pass with pack stock. Sheepmen and saddle stock had crossed before. Probably first used by sheepmen in 1875. 1 gave the name to the pass from initials cut on tree some years before by John Wesley Warren. He started to cut his name, ‘John,’ but cut only the first two letters. . . . These letters were never a record for any other sheepmen or herders to follow.” (S. L. N. Ellis, to Chester Versteeg.) Dave Carter told Versteeg that he was with Warren at the time, 1885.

There is also a story, which, in the light of this testimony, appears fictitious, that a Portuguese sheep-herder carved the initials as a sign by which his brother could follow him.

JORDAN, MOUNT (13,316)

[Mount Whitney]

Peak on Kings-Kern Divide, south of Lake Reflection, named by Sierra Club, 1925, and ratified by U. S. Geographic Board, 1926.

David Starr Jordan, educator, foremost authority on fishes, advocate of international peace; born at Gainesville, N. Y., 1851; M.S., Cornell, 1872; M.D., Indiana Medical College, 1875; Ph.D., Butler, 1878; LL.D., Cornell, 1886, Johns Hopkins, 1902, University of California, 1913, and others; president, Indiana University, 1885-1891; president, Stanford University, 1891-1913; chancellor, 1913-1916; emeritus since 1916; author of many books and other publications.

In August, 1899, Dr. Jordan, with a party of Stanford associates, spent several weeks in the Bubbs Creek region of Kings River. On this occasion he explored and mapped Ouzel Creek, to which he gave its name, and climbed Mount Stanford. For a portion of the peak now named Mount Jordan he proposed the name Crag Reflection, but this was never adopted. (S.C.B., 1900, III:1, p. 109, and map; Kellogg: A Stanford Party in the Kings River Cañon, in Sunset, November, 1899; Jordan: The Kings River Cañon and the Alps of the Great Divide, in Sunset, April, 1900; Jordan: The Alps of the Kings-Kern Divide, in The Land of Sunshine, March, 1900, republished in book form, 1907; Jordan: The Days of a Man, 1922, Vol. I, pp. 650-655.)

“I feel much honored to be associated in any way with these great granite mountains, and also to get in line with my fellow evolutionists, Dana, Lyell, and the rest of them. I am sure that Agassiz would have been one of us if he had been born a little later or could have lived a little longer.” (Letter from David Starr Jordan, February 9, 1926.)

Probable first ascent, by Norman Clyde, July 15, 1925. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 307.)

JOSEPHINE, LAKE

[Tehipite]

Named by S. L. N. Ellis for Miss Josephine Perkins. (Jim Barton.)

JUNCTION MEADOW

Named in 1881 by W. B. Wallace. (G. W. Stewart.)

JUNCTION PEAK (13,903)

[Mount Whitney]

Named by J. N. Le Conte in 1896. It stands at the junction of the Kings-Kern Divide with the main Sierra Crest. (J. N. Le Conte.)

First ascent August 8, 1899, by Edwin Bingham Copeland and E. N. Henderson. (S.C.B., 1900, III:2, p. 172.)

JUNE LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

The name appears in Israel C. Russell’s Quarternary History of Mono Valley, and is shown on the accompanying map by Willard D. Johnson. Eighth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1886-87, p. 343.)

K

KAISER PASS, PEAK

[Kaiser]

“Kaiser or Keyser: both are used locally. The name is very old, and its rightful spelling unknown. I remember hearing the old miners speak of Kaiser Gulch (a placer district) way back in 1862, the year of the big flood; but I know nothing as to the name.” (L. A. Winchell: Manuscript, 1896.)

Kaiser Gulch appears on Hoffmann’s map, 1873.

KANAWYER

[Tehipite]

Poly (Napoleon) Kanawyer maintained a camp at Copper Creek in Kings River Cañon for many years. (J. N. Le Conte.)

KAWEAH PEAKS

[Mount Whitney, Tehipite]

The Kaweah Peaks are called, from east to west: Mount Kaweah (13,816), Second Kaweah (13,728), Red Kaweah (13,754), Black Kaweah (13,752).

“Mt. Kaweah is the form which has long been used locally for the round-topped peak in the Kaweah group,—not ‘Kaweah Peak.’ As the collective name ‘The Kaweah Peaks’ is so often used, ‘.Mt. Kaweah’ is more distinctive.” (William R. Dudley, in S.C.B., 1903, IV:4, p. 306.)

The first ascent of Mount Kaweah was made in September, 1881, by J. W. A. Wright, of Hanford, F. H. Wales, of Tulare, and W. B. Wallace, of Visalia— (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, pp. 47-49, 59.) They named the peaks, from left to right: Mount Abert (for Colonel John J. Abert, one time Chief of Topographical Engineers, U. S. Army); Mount Henry (for Professor Joseph Henry, of Princeton); Mount Le Conte (for Professor Joseph Le Conte, of the University of California) and Mount Kaweah. The first three names were not given sufficient publicity and have lapsed from use.

First ascent of Red Kaweah, July, 1912, by Charles W. Michael. (S.C.B., 1913, IX:1, p. 48.)

First ascent of Black Kaweah, August 11, 1920, by Duncan McDuffie, Onis. Imus Brown, and James S. Hutchinson. (S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, pp. 131-134.—See, also, S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, pp. 311-312; S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, p. 440.)

KAWEAH RIVER

[Kaweah, Tehipite]

The Kaweah River has four principal forks: North, Middle, East, and South. The Marble Fork is a branch of the Middle Fork.

“Kaweah River is named after a Yokuts tribe called Kawia, or probably more exactly, Gā'wia. They lived on or near the river where it emerges from the foothills into the plains. The name has no known connection with the almost identically pronounced southern California town Cahuilla.” (Kroeber: California Place Names. of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 44.)

Colonel George W. Stewart, an authority on the Indians of this region, considers the translation sometimes given, “I sit here,” to be incorrect.

“The next stream we came to was the Pi-pi-yu-na, or Kah-weé-ya, and very commonly known as the Four Creeks. Immediately upon leaving the mountains, like the Kings River, it divides itself into several streams; but, unlike those of that river, they do not unite, but continue to diverge, forming a delta, whose base is over fifteen miles long.” (Williamson: Report of Explorations in California, Pacific Railroad Surveys, 1853, V:1, p. 13.)

KEARSARGE PASS, PEAK (12,650), PINNACLES, LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

The High Sierra features derived the name from the Kearsarge Mine on the eastern side of the pass. Camp constructed in 1865; destroyed by avalanche in spring of 1866.

“Shortly before [1864], sympathizers with the South in the Civil War had named the Alabama hills, near Lone Pine, in evidence of their gratification at the destructive career of the Confederate privateer ‘Alabama.’ Having the end of that career by the Kearsarge fresh in mind, [Thomas W.] Hill and his partners [G. W. Cornell, A. Kittleson, Thomas May, and C. McCormack], staunch Unionists, evened it up by calling their claim after the Union battleship.” (Chalfant: The Story of Inyo, 1922, pp. 195-197.)

A party of eleven prospectors, including John Bubbs and Thomas Keough, crossed Kearsarge Pass from Independence in July, 1864. (S.C.B., 1915, X:3, p. 340.)

The U. S. S. Kearsarge was named for the mountain in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. Early spellings were “Carasaga,” “Cusagee,” “Kyasage,” “Kyar Sarga.” The present spelling is first found in Philip Carrigain’s map of New Hampshire, 1816. (Appalachia, December, 1915, XIII:4 p. 377.)

KEELERS NEEDLE

[Mount Whitney]

James Edward Keeler (1857-1900); graduate of Johns Hopkins University, 1881; astronomer, Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton, 1838-1889, director of Allegheny Observatory, 1889-1898; Doctor of Science, University of California, 1893; director of Lick Observatory, 1898-1900; accompanied S. P. Langley on expedition to Mount Whitney, 1881. The name appears on an outline of the Mount Whitney range in Langley’s Solar Heat, 1884, p. 37.

KEITH, MOUNT (13,990)

[Mount Whitney]

William Keith (1838-1911); famous California landscape painter; native of Aberdeenshire, Scotland; visited the High Sierra several times with John Muir; a charter member of the Sierra Club. (S.C.B., 1911, VIII:2, p. 130; Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923-1924.)

Named by Miss Helen M. Gompertz (Mrs. J. N. Le Conte), July, 1896. (S.C.B., 1897, II:2, p. 84.)

First ascent, July 6, 1898, by Cornelius Beach Bradley, Joseph C. Shinn, Jennie E. Price, and Robert M. Price. (S.C.B., 1899, II:5, p. 274.)

KENDRICK PEAK (10,346)

[Dardanelles]

Named by Colonel Forsyth in 1912 for Henry Lane Kendrick (1811-1891), professor of chemistry, U. S. Military Academy, 1857-1880; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1835; first lieutenant, 1837; captain, 1846; brevet major for gallantry in Mexican War, 1847; A.M., Dartmouth, 1844; LL.D., Missouri, 1868; Rochester, 1869; retired, 1880. (H. C. Benson.)

KERN LAKE

[Olancha]

Caused by landslide in winter of 1867-1868. (W. F. Dean, in Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, I:1, p. 14.) Has been known as Fish Lake, Upper Lake, and Big Kern Lake; the lower lake as Little Lake, Lower Lake, and Little Kern Lake. (G. W. Stewart.)

KERN RIVER

[Mount Whitney, Olancha]

Named by John C. Fremont for Edward M. Kern, topographer and artist of Fremont’s third expedition. (Fremont: Memoirs, 1887, p. 455.) Kern was with the detachment under Talbot and Walker that crossed from Owens Valley by Walker Pass in December, 1845, and camped for three weeks on Kern River.

“From these circumstances the pass in which Walker and Kern were encamped was called Walker’s Pass; and, as no name was known to Colonel Fremont for the stream which flowed from it, he named it Kern River. This stream was, and is now, known to the native Californians as the Po-sun-co-la, a name doubtless derived from the Indians.” (Williamson: Report of Explorations in California, Pacific Railroad Surveys, 1853, V:1, p. 17.)

KERN-KAWEAH RIVER

[Mount Whitney]

“In the month of July, 1897, our party of four—Prof. W. R. Dudley (special botanist of the Stanford University), Messrs. Otis Wright and Harry Dudley (students at Stanford), and I [W. F. Dean]—camped at the junction of the three branches of the Kern, and here we crossed the East and Middle Forks and began our climb up the west branch of the Kern, or Kern-Kaweah, as We afterward named it.” (Mt. Whitney Club Journal, 1902, no. 1, p. 13.—See also, S.C.B., 1898, II:3, p. 188.)

This branch of the Kern was named Cone Creek in 1881 by Captain J. W. A. Wright for an officer of the U. S. Army, and so appears on Wright’s Map in Elliott’s Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883. (W. B. Wallace.)

KERRICK CAÑON

[Dardanelles, Bridgeport]

Origin not definitely ascertained; probably named for a sheepman of the ’80s.

KETTLE DOME (9452)

[Tehipite]

Turreted dome north of Tehipite. First ascent, July 20, 1921, by Hermann F. Ulrichs. (California Alpine Club Trails, 1921, pp. 17-19.)

KETTLE PEAK (10,038)

[Tehipite]

“From this camp, and the next (No. 169) two miles farther up the divide, an examination was made of an interesting and characteristic feature in the topography of this granitic region, and to which the name of ‘The Kettle’ was given. This is a rocky amphitheatre at the head of a stream which flows back directly northeast from its source towards the axis of the chain, for a distance of twelve miles, and then curves and enters King’s River [Roaring River], a peculiar and almost unique course for a stream in the Sierra Nevada. . . . The Kettle is open at the north-north-east end, and extends as a green valley some six miles, to the south fork of King’s River [Roaring River]. . . . This rim of the Kettle is a beautiful illustration of the concentric or ‘dome-structure’ of the granite of this region.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 374-375.)

KEYES PEAK (11,051)

[Dardanelles]

Named by Colonel Forsyth in 1912 for his son-in-law, Edward Appleton Keyes; commissioned second lieutenant, 1901; first lieutenant, 1910; captain, 1916; major, 1920; lieutenant-colonel, 1923. (H. C. Benson.)

KIBBIE LAKE, CREEK, RIDGE

[Dardanelles]

H. M. Kibbie owned lands in the vicinity.

KING, MOUNT (12,909)

[Mount Whitney]

Named by the Brewer party of the Whitney Survey in 1864 for Clarence King, a member of the party. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 392.) Clarence King: born at Newport, R. I., January 6, 1842; Yale (Sheffield) Scientific School, 1862; crossed the plains with James Terry Gardiner in 1863; served with Whitney and Brewer in California State Geological Survey, 1863-1866; in charge of Geological Survey of the Fortieth Parallel, 1867-1878; organized the United States Geological Survey and was its first chief, 1879-1881; subsequently mining geologist and traveler; intimate associate of John Hay and Henry Adams; died at Phoenix, Arizona, December 24, 1901. Published: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, (first appeared in part in Atlantic Monthly, 1870; The Helmet of Mambrino, in Century Magazine, May, 1886; The Age of the Earth, in American Journal of Science, January, 1893; Systematic Geology, 1878; and others. (Clarence King Memoirs—The Helmet of Mamibrino, published for the King Memorial Committee of The Century Association, New York, 1904.—S. F. Emmons: The Life and Scientific Work of Clarence King, in Engineering and Mining Journal, January 4, 1902—U.S.G.S.: Twenty-third Annual Report, for 1902, pp. 198-206.—R. W. Raymond, in Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, XXXIII, 1903, pp. 619-650.—See, also, references to King in The Education of Henry Adams.

First ascent by Bolton Coit Brown, 1896. (S.C.B., 1897, II:2, pp. 94-97.)

KINGS RIVER

“We found, after having traveled five leagues, the Rio de los Santos Reyes, which had been discovered in the previous year, 1805. (P. Muñoz: Diario de la expedición hecha por Don Gabriel Moraga á los Nuevos Descubrimientos del Tular, Sept. 21 to Nov. 2, 1806, in Bancroft Collection, Arch. Sta. Barb., Vol. IV, p. 27.)” (Richman: California Under Spain and Mexico, 1911, p. 465. —See, also, Chapman: History of California, 1921, pp. 419-420.)

Rio de los Santos Reyes signifies in Spanish “River of the Holy Kings,” and refers to the Magi, or three kings, called in the Bible the “wise men from the east,” who visited the infant Jesus (Matthew: 2:1-12). It is not unlikely that the name was given on the day of Epiphany as was the case in the naming of Point Reyes (Punta de los Reyes) on the California coast by Vizcaino in 1603.

“We crossed an open plain still in a southeasterly direction, reaching in about twenty miles the Tulare Lake River. This is the Lake Fork; one of the largest and handsomest streams in the valley, being about one hundred yards broad and having perhaps a larger body of fertile lands than any one of the others. It is called by the Mexicans the Rio de los Reyes. [December 22, 1845]” (Fremont: Memoirs, 1887, p. 448.)

There are three principal forks of Kings River: North, Middle, and South.

KINGS RIVER CAÑON

[Tehipite]

The main cañon of South Fork of Kings River, often compared to Yosemite Valley. (For analysis of comparison and general geological description, see, F. E. Matthes, in S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, pp. 224-236.)

Early history obscure. Probably seen by Captain John J. Kuykendall’s company of the Mariposa Battalion, 1881. (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, pp. 137-141.) Undoubtedly visited by early prospectors. Explored by Brewer party of Whitney Survey, 1864. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 369, 391-392.) Account of a visit in 1868, by E. C. Winchell, in San Francisco Morning Call, September 11 and 12, 1872. (Reprinted in S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, pp. 237-249.)

John Muir visited it in 1873, 1875, and 1877; again, in 1891, and later. (Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923-1924, I, p. 392; II, pp. 89, 253— Muir: A Rival of the Yosemite, in Century Magazine, November, 1891.)

Joseph Le Conte visited the cañon in 1901. (Joseph Le Conte, in Sunset, October, 1900; reprinted in S.C.B., 1902; IV:2, pp. 88-99.)

First Sierra Club Outing to Kings River Cañon, 1902. (S.C.B., 1903, 1-3, pp. 185-192.—Hugh Gibson, in Out West, November, 1902.)

KOIP PEAK (13,000), CREST

[Mount Lyell]

“Koip Peak, between Mono and Tuolumne counties, is probably, like near-by Kuna Peak, named from a Mono Indian word. Koipa is ‘mountain sheep’ in the closely related Northern Paiute dialect.” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 45.)

Named by Willard D. Johnson, U.S.G.S., about 1883. (J. N. Le Conte.)

KUNA PEAK (12,951), CREST

[Mount Lyell]

“Kuna Peak, between Tuolumne and Mono counties, is probably named from the Shoshonean word Kuna, usually meaning ‘fire,’ but appearing in the Mono dialect of the vicinity with the signification of ‘fire-wood’.” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 45.)

Named by Willard D. Johnson, U.S.G.S., about 1883. (J. N. Le Conte.)

L

LADY FRANKLIN ROCK

[Yosemite]

“This name was given in honor of the devoted wife of the great arctic voyager, Sir John Franklin, who paid Yo Semite a visit in 1863. From this rock one of the best of all views is obtained of the Vernal Fall.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 440

“Lady Franklin—bless her loyal woman‘s heart—was carried in a litter up to this point and rested on the broad flat rock which bears her name.” (H[elen] H[unt] [Jackson]: Bits of Travel at Home, 1878, p. 118.)

Lady Jane Franklin (1792-1875); second wife of Sir John Franklin, British naval officer and arctic explorer, who was lost while trying to find the Northwest Passage in 1847. Lady Franklin fitted out five search expeditions between 1850 and 1857, the last of which brought back news of the disaster. Thereafter Lady Franklin traveled extensively over most of the civilized world.

LAMBERT DOME (See Lembert Dome)

LANGILLE PEAK (11,981)

[Mount Goddard]

Harold Douglas Langille, formerly forest inspector, U. S. General Land Office, Department of the Interior; now residing in Portland, Oregon; visited Sierra Forest Reserve on inspection tour in 1904. Peak named by U.S.G.S. at suggestion of Charles H. Shinn. Pronounced “Lan'jill.”

“I think it was not more than ten days that the Inspector and the Head Ranger [Charles H. Shinn] rode the Sierra trails, but they saw every ranger, every timber-purchaser, almost every stockman, and to all three classes of men, H. D. Langille made clear what the Government was driving at, what the regulations meant, and why they should be observed. Thoroughly familiar with similar forests in Oregon, from his boyhood, and an early graduate of the Yale Forest School, he was able to act as the ideal inspector should, showing in his reports as well as in his talks with the men, exactly where the weakest places in their work were,—and also where the good work had been done; and, as we afterwards learned, showing the Washington men what unnecessary hardship some of their regulations worked on the western users of the forests.” (Letter from Julia T. [Mrs. Charles H.] Shinn, December 15, 1925.)

LANGLEY, MOUNT (14,042)

[Mount Whitney]

Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834-1906); professor of astronomy and physics, Western University of Pennslyvania and director of Allegheny Observatory, 1867-1887; secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1887-1906; conducted expedition to Mount Whitney, 1881, for researches in solar heat; experimented in problem of mechanical flight, pioneering the way for development of aviation.

This mountain is famous for being confused for several years with Mount Whitney. In 1871 Clarence King, accompanied by a Frenchman from Lone Pine, Paul Pinson, climbed from Lone Pine to the summit of what he supposed to be the peak that he and his companions in 1864 had named Mount Whitney. (King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, pp. 264-281.)

“On the 27th day of July, 1873, Mr. W. W. Belshaw, of Cerro Gordo, and myself [W. A. Goodyear, rode our mules to the highest crest of the peak southwest of Lone Pine, which for over three years now, has been known by the name of Mount Whitney, and which was ascended and measured as such by Mr. Clarence King, in the summer of 1871. . . . Certain it is, however, that the peak which for over three years has borne the name of Whitney, has done so only by mistake, and that a new name must be found for it; while the name of Whitney must now go back to the peak to which it was originally given in 1864, and which is, in reality, the highest and grandest of this culminating cluster of the Sierra Nevada.” (Goodyear: Situation and Altitude of Mount Whitney, in Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1873-74, V: pp. 139-144.)

“This peak has since been called Mount Corcoran by the artist, Mr. Albert Bierstadt.” (Wheeler Survey: Geographical Report, 1889, p. 99.)

As the name “Sheep Mountain,” by which this summit was commonly known, was not sufficiently distinctive, the name Langley was placed on it in 1905. (S.C.B., 1910, VII:3, p. 141.)

LE CONTE DIVIDE

[Mount Goddard]

LE CONTE FALLS

[Mount Lyell]

LE CONTE, MOUNT (13,960)

[Mount Whitney]

Named for Joseph Le Conte, professor of geology and natural history at the University of California, 1869-1901.

Born February 26, 1823, on the plantation “Woodmanston,” Liberty County, Georgia; University of Georgia, A.B. 1841, A.M. 1845; College of Physicians and Surgeons (N. Y.), M.D. 1845; Harvard (Lawrence Scientific School), S.B. 1851; LL.D., University of Georgia, 1879, Princeton, 1896; at Harvard studied under Agassiz; professor of natural history at University of Georgia, 1853-1856; professor of chemistry and geology, South Carolina College, 1857-1869; went to the new University of California in 1869 with his brother John; member of the American Philosophical Society, National Academy of Sciences, and fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; lectured and published extensively; a charter member of the Sierra Club.

“In the summer of the same year [1870], at the end of the first session of the University, eight of the students invited Professor Frank Soulé, Jr., and rne to join them in a camping trip to the Sierras, and we joyfully accepted. This trip was almost an era in my life. We were gone six weeks and visited the Yosemite, the high Sierra, Lake Mono and the volcanoes in the vicinity, and Lake Tahoe. . . . I never enjoyed anything else so much in my life—perfect health, the merry party of young men, the glorious scenery, and, above all, the magnificent opportunity for studying mountain origin and structure.” Autobiography of Joseph Le Conte, 1903, p. 247.)

The account of these “Ramblings Through the High Sierra” was published privately in 1875 and reprinted in Sierra Club Bulletin, 1900, III:1, pp. 1-107.

Professor Le Conte visited the Sierra many times. In 1900 he went on a six weeks’ camping trip in the Kings River region with his son (Joseph N. Le Conte), his daughter (Mrs. Emma Le Conte Furman), and Miss Helen Gompertz (later Mrs. Joseph N. Le Conte). (Sunset Magazine, October, 1900, v:6, pp. 275-286.)

In 1901 he returned to Yosemite for the eleventh time. There he died on the morning of July 6th after a few hours’ illness. (S.C.B., 1902, IV:1, pp. 1-11.)

The Sierra Club erected the Le Conte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite Valley in 1903 and dedicated it in 1904. (S.C.B., 1904, V:1, pp. 66-69; S.C.B., 1905, V:3, pp. 176-180, 254.) It was removed from the original site to its present location in 1919. (S.C.B., 1920, XI:1, pp. 91-92.)

The Le Conte Divide separates the South Fork of San Joaquin from North Fork of Kings River.

“Cross this ledge well to the right and gradually approach the river, which can be followed to the head of what is in many respects the most majestic cascade in the whole cañon, the Le Conte Cascade, so named by us in honor of our esteemed Professor, Joseph Le Conte.” (Robert M. Price: Through the Tuolumne Cañon. S.C.B., 1895, I:6, p. 204.)

“A conical mass of rock about 150 feet high and 250 feet in diameter forms the apex of Le Conte. After careful investigation we found this utterly impossible to climb. So we placed the monument on the north side of the dome where it can be easily seen by anyone approaching the summit; and in a small can we put a photograph of the Professor, with the following memorandum: ‘Today, the 14th day of August, 1895, we, undersigned, hereby name this mountain Le Conte, in honor of the eminent geologist, Professor Joseph Le Conte. . . . A. W. de la Cour Carroll, Stafford W. Austin’.” (S.C.B., 1896, I:8, pp. 325-326.)

First ascent of Mount Le Conte, by Norman Clyde, July, 1925. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, pp. 305-306.)

LE CONTE CAÑON

[Mount Goddard]

LE CONTE POINT

[Yosemite]

Named for Joseph Nisbet Le Conte, professor of engineering mechanics, University of California; son of Professor Joseph Le Conte, born 1870; B.S., University of California 1891; M.M.E., Cornell, 1892; president of the Sierra Club, 1915-1917, a charter member, and for many years a director.

Le Conte, James S. Hutchinson, and Duncan McDuffie brought pack-mules over Muir Pass and down Le Conte Cañon July 18, 1908. (S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, pp. 16-17.)

The point above Little Hetch Hetchy was named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S. (R. B. Marshall.)

LEEVINING CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

“Leroy Vining and a few chosen companions, with one of Moore’s scouts as guide, went over the Sierras to the place where the gold had been found [in 1852], and established themselves on what has since been known as Vining’s Gulch or Creek.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 278.)

LEMBERT DOME

[Mount Lyell]

Erroneously spelled LAMBERT on many maps and references.

John Baptist Lembert took up a homestead quarter-section of land in Tuolumne Meadows in 1885. The property included the soda springs and the meadow land across the river. He had previously lived in and around Yosemite. He built a log cabin on his claim and lived there, raising angora goats until the winter of 1889—go when he lost his goats in the storms. Thereafter he collected butterflies and botanical specimens, which he sold to museums. In 1895 he was issued a United States patent on his claim.

He continued to live on his soda-springs property during the summers, but spent the winters in a cabin near Cascade Creek below Yosemite Valley. Here, in the winter of 1896-97, his body was found, evidently murdered.

The Tuolumne Meadows property passed to his brother, Jacob Lembert who sold it in 1898 to the McCauley brothers. In 1912 it was purchased by members of the Sierra Club and held in trust for the club.

The Dome, being the most prominent object in the neighborhood, came to be known by the name of the hermit settler. (William E. Colby.—See, also, S.C.B., 1913, IX:1, pp. 36-39.)

LEWIS CREEK

[Tehipite]

Named for the brothers, Frank M. Lewis and Jeff Lewis, pioneer stockmen, prospectors, and hunters, of the Kings River region. Frank M. Lewis, born in what is now Madera County, 1857; has spent most every summer in the Sierra since 1870; prospected over Cartridge and Pinchot passes about 1875; probably first white man over these passes. (Frank M. Lewis.)

LIBERTY CAP

[Yosemite]

The resemblance in form of the mountain to the cap of Liberty on the half-dollar of the early nineteenth century was brought to attention of Governor Stanford in 1865 by J. Hutchings. Standing before the mountain, Stanford proposed that it be called Cap of Liberty instead of Mount Broderick or other names by which it had been known. (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 445.) In recent years the name Liberty Cap has become the usual form.

LION ROCK

[Tehipite]

Mansell Brooks, a sheepman, killed a mountain lion near there in 1883. (Chester Versteeg, from S. L. N. Ellis.)

LIPPINCOTT MOUNTAIN (12,263)

[Tehipite]

Joseph Barlow Lippincott, hydrographer for U. S. Geological Survey and U. S. Reclamation Service, 1894-1904; born in Pennsylvania, 1864; now (1926) living in Los Angeles.

LITTLE CLAIRE LAKE

[Kaweah]

“After about three miles [up Soda Creek] we turned south abruptly up a difficult hill to a little mountain lake, one of the exquisite sort so frequently met with, which rested in a hollow of the country rock just below an unnamed granite peak, which merely on account of its symmetry and position had for some time been holding our attention. Here we made a mid-day camp, naming the bit of water ‘Little Claire Lake,’ tacking the sign to a tamarack-pine tree on the northern shore.” (Willis Linn Jepson in S.C.B., 1903, IV:3, p. 214.)

This was on a trip over the Hockett trail with Ralph Hopping in August, 1900. Named for Ralph Hopping’s daughter, then about seven years old, now Mrs. Parker Talbot of Redding, California. (Guy Hopping.)

LITTLE PETE MEADOW

[Mount Goddard]

Pierre (Pete) Giraud, the “Little Pete” of Mary Austin’s The Flock (1906, pp. 52, 160), a well-known sheepman of Inyo County. (W. A. Chalfant.)

LOG MEADOW

[Tehipite]

First visited by Hale D. Tharp, 1858, when he carved his name and the date on a huge fallen sequoia at the edge of the meadow. Later, Tharp occupied this hollow sequoia log as a summer cabin, fitting it with a door and window. “This fallen tree is 24 feet in diameter at the butt and is estimated as having been 311 feet in height when it fell. . . . The hollowed out portion of the log in which Mr. Tharp lived consists of a room 56 1/2 feet in length and 8 feet high in front, tapering to 4 feet in height and width at the rear.” (Walter Fry, in Sequoia National Park Nature Guide Service, Bulletin No. 1, Nov. 22, 1924.)

“By the middle of the afternoon [I] discovered his noble den in a fallen Sequoia hollowed by fire—a spacious loghouse of one log, carbon-lined, centuries old, yet sweet and fresh, weather proof, earthquake proof, likely to out-last the most durable stone castle, and commanding views of garden and grove grander far than the richest king ever enjoyed.” (Muir: Our National Parks, 1901, p. 305; also, in Atlantic Monthly, September, 1901, p. 313.)

LONE INDIAN, LAKE OF THE

[Mount Goddard]

“The name was suggested to us by the very distinct profile of an Indian’s face and feathery head-gear in the mountain south of the lake. If you will look in Volume IV, no. 3, of the Sierra Club Bulletin, 1903, plate LXXI, opposite Page 197, you will find a photo of the lake, showing the mountain in the background, and by looking at the photo sidewise you will see the face distinctly. I believe that the mountain which suggested the name is the one marked 11,469 feet in height, just south of the lake. I notice in the article that my brother speaks of the mountain as being west of the lake, but in this I think he is mistaken. In those days our maps were very crude.” (Letter from J. S. Hutchinson, 1924.)

LONGLEY PASS

[Mount Whitney]

“Upon reaching its farther end, we had conquered the first divide, and were overlooking Bubbs Creek and the Kings River country. We blazed the trail from the point where we left Roaring River until we got above timber-line. This pass was 13,075 feet in elevation, by the barometer. As the writer had been the first to reach its summit, the party concluded to call it Longley’s Pass, as a means of identification in the future.” (Howard Longley: From Fresno to Mt. Whitney by Way of Roaring (or Cloudy) River, in S.C.B., 1895, I:6, p. 90.)

The pass is just south of Mount Brewer and leads to Lake Reflection.

LOST ARROW

[Yosemite]

“Ummo. Rocks between the Yosemite Falls and Indian Cañon; means ‘lost arrow’.” (Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 17.)

“The rocks near which we were encamped, between ‘Indian Cañon’ and ‘The Falls,’ were now called by the Po-ho-no-chee scouts who were with us, ‘Hammo,’ or ‘Ummo,’ ‘The Lost Arrow,’ in commemoration of the event.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 169.—For the “event,” see Bunnell, p. 162.) For another version, see Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, pp. 363-364.

For the imaginary legend, see Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, pp. 370-374; and Bertha H. Smith: Yosemite Legends, 1904, pp. 19-30. See, also, Galen Clark: Indians of the Yosemite, 1904, pp. 76-78, 96-100.

LOYD MEADOWS

[Olancha]

John W. Loyd ran sheep there in the ’70s. Name spelled “Lloyd” on maps but family use spelling “Loyd.” (Chester Versteeg, from E. W. Loyd, of Porterville, son of John W. Loyd.)

LUKENS LAKE

[Yosemite]

Named in 1894 by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Theodore Parker Lukens (1848-1918); mayor of Pasadena, 1890-1895; interested in reforestation; made several trips in the High Sierra. (R. B. Marshall.)

LUNDY

[Bridgeport]

The May Lundy mine was discovered in 1879, and operated during the early ’80s; named for a young girl whose family lived at the head of Lundy Lake. (Grant H. Smith—Eighth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, 1888, pp. 367-371.)

LYELL, MOUNT (13,090)

[Mount Lyell]

“Mount Lyell, from Sir Charles Lyell [1797-1875], whose admirable geological works have been well known to students of this branch of science, in this country, for the past thirty years.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 100.)

“The culminating point of the Mount Lyell group was ascended [1863], by Messrs. Brewer and Hoffmann; but they were unable to reach the very summit, which was found to be a sharp pinnacle of granite rising up above the snow.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 431.)

“Members of the State Geological Survey Corps having considered it impossible to reach the summit of this lofty peak, the writer was astonished to learn from Mr. A. T. Tileston, of Boston, after his return to the Valley from a jaunt of health and pleasure in the High Sierra, that he had personally proven it to be possible by making the ascent. Incredible as it seemed at the time, three of us found Mr. Tileston’s card upon it some ten days afterwards.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 488.)

First ascent by John Boies Tileston (1834-1898), of Boston, Massachusetts, August 29, 1871. (Letters of John Boies Tileston, Boston, 1922, pp. 89-90— S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, pp. 304-305.) This is undoubtedly the ascent referred to by Hutchings, who merely made a mistake in the initials. That John Muir did not climb the mountain until late in the fall of 1871 is indicated by his notes and writings.

“In 1889 the only records on the summit were: Edward A. Parker, —— McLean, July 2, 1875; 1. C. Russell, G. K. Gilbert, Aug. 12, 1883; W. D. Johnson, John Miller, Aug. 23-24, 1883; Gustave Starke, Sept. 12, 1885; H. P. Dyer, A. C. Dixon, J. A. Marsh, V. K. Chestnut, July 23, 1889.” (J. N. Le Conte, in S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 247.) Parker and McLean were students of Professor Joseph Le Conte. (J. N. Le Conte.)

M

MACLURE, MOUNT (13,000 approx.)

[Mount Lyell]

“To the pioneer of American geology, William Maclure, one of the dominating peaks of the Sierra Nevada is very properly dedicated.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 101.)

William Maclure, born in Scotland, 1763; visited United States in 1779 and again in 1796; planned a geological survey of the U. S.; crossed and recrossed the Alleghany Mountains fifty times; in Indiana in 1825; in 1827 moved to Mexico, where he died in 1840.

The spelling of the name on maps and in texts early became corrupted to “McClure.”

MACOMB RIDGE (9,950)

[Dardanelles]

Lieutenant Montgomery Meigs Macomb, Fourth Artillery, U. S. Army, in charge of a party of the Wheeler Survey in California 1878-1879. Climbed Dunderberg, Conness, Lyell, Cathedral, Hoffmann, Clark, and Merced peaks in 1878. (Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, War Department, for 1879, Appendix F of Appendix OO.) Born in Michigan, 1852; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1874; first lieutenant, 1879; captain, 1898; major, 1901; lieutenant-colonel, 1906; colonel, 1907; brigadier-general, 1910; retired, 1916; died, 1924. (Portrait in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, plate XLVI.)

MADERA COUNTY

Madera is Spanish for wood, timber. County created March 11, 1893, from that part of Fresno County lying north and west of the San Joaquin River. (Coy: California County Boundaries, 1923, p. 157.)

MAGGIE, MOUNT (10,000)

[Kaweah]

Named by Frank Knowles (the resident of Tulare County who accompanied Clarence King to Mount Whitney, 1873), for Maggie Kincaid (Mrs. Olevia, or Olivier), a well-known school-teacher of Tulare County. (Mrs. Minnie Elster, of Springville, in Porterville Messenger, November 29, 1924.—G. W. Stewart.)

MALLORY, MOUNT (13,870)

[Mount Whitney]

Name proposed by Norman Clyde, who made first ascent, July, 1925; in memory of George H. Leigh Mallory, of the British Alpine Club, who was lost on Mount Everest, June, 1924, with Andrew C. Irvine, after attaining the highest altitude ever reached by a mountain climber (observed at over 28,000 feet), and may have reached the summit. Mallory was also a member of the 1921 and 1922 Mount Everest expeditions. (Mount Everest: The Reconnaissance, 1921, by C. K. Howard-Bury and others, 1922—The Assault on Mount Everest, 1922, by C. G. Bruce and others, 1923—The Fight for Everest: 1924, by E. F. Norton and others, 1925.—S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, pp. 430, 453-455; 1925, XII:2, pp. 182-183; 1926, XII:3, pp. 329-330.)

MARIE LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Mary Hooper (Mrs. Frederick L. Perry), eldest daughter of Major William Burchell Hooper, and sister of Selden S. Hooper, U.S.G.S. (R. B. Marshall, Mrs. Mary Hooper Perry.)

MARION LAKE

[Tehipite]

“Directly at its foot was a beautiful lake, fringed with tiny meadows on one side, and guarded on the other by fine cliffs of white granite, which could be traced far down beneath the clear waters till lost in their blue depths.” (S.C.B., 1903, IV:4, p. 259.)

Named in 1902 by J. N. Le Conte for his wife, Helen Marion Gompertz Le Conte (1865-1924), who was with him on a pioneering trip up Cartridge Creek. (J. N. Le Conte.)

Mrs. Le Conte made many trips to the High Sierra; climbed many peaks, including first ascent of Split Mountain (South Palisade); a charter member of the Sierra Club. (Memoir by J. S. Hutchinson in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, pp. 148-155, portrait.—Memorial on shore of Marion Lake, shown in S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, plate XCIV.)

MARIPOSA COUNTY

Contrary to prevalent opinion, the name was not given on account of the mariposa lily, but on account of the great number of butterflies (Mariposas), found by Moraga’s expedition of 1806. (Sanchez: Spanish and Indian Place Names of California, 1922, pp. 322-323; and Chapman: History of California, 1921, pp. 421-422.)

The county was established in 1850, originally one of the largest in the state; reduced by creation of Tulare County, 1852, Merced County, 1855, and Fresno County, 1856. (Coy: California County Boundaries, 1923, pp. 161-165.)

MARIPOSA GROVE

[Yosemite]

Discovered May, 1857, by Galen Clark and Milton Mann. “As they were in Mariposa County, I named them the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees.” (Clark, in Yosemite Souvenir and Guide, published by D. G. Foley, Yosemite, first edition 1901, p. 97.)

Bunnell places the discovery by Clark and Mann in 1856. These, or other big trees in the vicinity, were known as early as 1855. (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 335.) The Calaveras Grove was discovered in 1852.

The Mariposa Big Tree Grove was included in the grant to the State of California by act of Congress, June 30, 1864, and was administered as part of the Yosemite park under state management until 1906, when, by act of the State Legislature of March 3, 1905, and joint resolution of Congress, June 11, 1906, it became part of Yosemite National Park.

MARJORIE LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Marjorie Mott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest J. Mott, of San Francisco. (E. J. Mott.)

MARKWOOD MEADOW

[Kaiser]

William Markwood, a sheepman of the ’70s. (Chester Versteeg, from D. C. Sample.)

MARTHA LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., in 1907, for his mother. (G. R. Davis.)

MARVIN PASS

[Tehipite]

Named by S. L. N. Ellis for his son. (J. B. Agnew.)

MATHER PASS

[Bishop]

Stephen Tyng Mather, director of the National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, since the establishment of the office in 1917; Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, in charge of national parks, 1915-1917; born in San Francisco, 1867; B.Litt., University of California, 1887; LL.D., George Washington University, 1922, University of California, 1924.

Named by Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey J. Hamlin, of Buffalo, N. Y., and party, August 25, 1921; probably the first party to use this pass with pack-train; used by Escallier, sheepman, with burro in 1897. (S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 270; S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, p. 423.—See, also, S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, p. 19; 1923, XI:4, pp. 356-367.)

MAY LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Charles F. Hoffmann, of the Whitney Survey, for Lucy Mayotta Browne, who became Mrs. Hoffmann in 1870; daughter of J. Ross Browne, California pioneer, mining engineer, and writer. Mrs. Hoffmann is now (1926) living in Oakland. (Ross E. Browne.)

McCABE LAKES

[Mount Lyell]

Edward Raynsford Warner McCabe, born in Virginia, 1876; commissioned second lieutenant, U.S.A., 1900; first lieutenant, 1911; captain, 1916; major, 1920; lieutenant-colonel, 1920; colonel (temporary), 1918.

McCLURE LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Nathaniel Fish McClure, Lieutenant 5th Cavalry, U. S. Army, stationed in Yosemite National Park in 1894 and 1895. (N. F. McClure.)

“Lieutenant McClure, who was on duty in the park last year, prepared an excellent map of it, which has been of great service to detachments on duty in the park.” (Captain Alexander Rodgers, Acting Superintendent of Yosemite National Park, in Report for 1895, p. 5.)

Born in Kentucky, 1865; commissioned second lieutenant on graduation from West Point, 1887; colonel in 1916; brigadier-general, National Army, 1917-1918.

(See S.C.B., 1895, I:5, pp. 168-186; S.C.B., 1896, I:8, pp. 330-335; S.C.B 1921, XI:2, pp. 175-180.)

McCLURE MEADOW

[Mount Goddard]

The largest of the meadows on Evolution Creek. Named for Wilbur F. McClure, California State Engineer, in recognition of his assistance in building the John Muir Trail. (S.C.B., 1916, X:1, p. 86.)

McGILL MEADOW, CREEK

[Yosemite]

(See Miguel Meadow, Creek)

McINTYRE CREEK

[Kaweah]

Thomas McIntyre, a pioneer of Tulare County, who ran sheep there, beginning 1880. (Chester Versteeg.)

McKINLEY GROVE

[Kaiser]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for William McKinley, twenty-fifth President of the United States. (R. B. Marshall.)

MERCED RIVER, GROVE, LAKE, PEAK (11,722), PASS

[Yosemite, Mount Lyell]

“The river was named by the Spaniards, in honor of the Virgin, El Rio de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (the river of our Lady of Mercy). This name was given to the stream by an exploring party under Sergeant Gabriel Moraga in 1806, as an expression of their joy and gratitude at the sight of its sparkling waters, after an exhausting journey of forty miles through a waterless country.” (Sanchez: Spanish and Indian Place Names of California, 1922, pp. 282-283.) Fremont called this river the Aux-um-ne'. (Fremont: Geographical Memoir upon Upper California, 1848, p. 17.—Fremont: Memoirs, 1887, p. 444.)

Merced Grove of big trees was discovered by surveyors for the Coulterville Road in 1871 or 1872 and named by the president of the Turnpike Company, John T. McLean. (Letter from J. T. McLean, 1899.) “In the last two days travelling we have found some trees of the Red-wood species, incredibly large —some of which would measure from 16 to 18 fathom round the trunk at the height of a man’s head from the ground.” (Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard, Written by Himself, Clearfield, Pa., 1839, reprinted and edited by W. F. Wagner, Cleveland, 1904, p. 180.) Leonard was with Joseph R. Walker’s party crossing the Sierra in 1833. His mention of the big trees is the earliest known and probably applies either to the Merced Grove or to the Tuolumne Grove. (Farquhar: Exploration of the Sierra Nevada, in California Historical Society Quarterly, March, 1925, IV:1, p. 7.)

Merced Lake was called by John Muir “Shadow Lake.” (Scribner’s Monthly, January 1879, p. 416.) “1 first discovered this charming lake in the autumn of 1872, while on my way to the glaciers at the head of the river.” (Muir: The Mountains of California,; 1894, p. 115.)

Merced Peak is also called “Black Mountain” in Whitney’s Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 109. “The last name had, however, been previously given to the highest point of the mass of ridges and peaks at the southern extremity of the range, south of the divide between the San Joaquin and the Merced. All these points, except Gray Peak, have been climbed by the Geological Survey.”

“The range to which it [Mount Clark] belongs is sometimes called the Obelisk Group; but, oftener, the Merced Group, because the branches of that river head around it.” (Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 97.)

“Merced Peak (culminating point of Merced Group).” (Wheeler Survey: Geographical Report, 1889, p. 134.)

Merced Pass was found by Corporal Ottoway while scouting for Lieutenant Denson in 1895 and named by Benson. (H. C. Benson.)

MERCUR PEAK (8072)

[Dardanelles]

Named by Colonel Forsyth in 1912 for James Mercur, professor of engineering, U. S. Military Academy; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1866; first lieutenant, 1867; captain, 1875; professor, 1884; died, 1896. (H. C. Benson.)

MICHIE PEAK (10,339)

[Dardanelles]

Named by Colonel Forsyth in 1912 for Peter Smith Michie (1839-1900, professor of engineering, U. S. Military Academy; born in Scotland; graduated U. S. Military Academy, first lieutenant, 1863; captain, 1865; brevet for gallantry in Civil War; brigadier-general of volunteers, 1865; professor, 1871; Ph.D., Princeton, 1871; M.A., Dartmouth, 1873. (W. W. Forsyth.)

MIDDLE PALISADE (See Palisades)

MIGUEL MEADOW, CREEK

[Yosemite]

“The ranch belongs to Mr. Miguel D. Errera, but his American friends have corrupted Miguel into McGill.” (N. F. McClure, in S.C.B., 1895, I:5, p. 185.)

MILESTONE MOUNTAIN (13,643), BOWL

[Mount Whitney]

The name is shown on Hoffmann’s map of 1873.

“Mount Langley . . . is known by a minaret, or obelisk, that seems to stand on the north edge of its summit. It is known among mountain prospectors as Milestone Mountain.” (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, p. 50 The name Langley, given in 1881, was never in general use for this mountain, but was subsequently placed on another point.

First ascent, July 14, 1912, by William E. Colby, Robert M. Price, and Francis P. Farquhar. (S.C.B., 1913, IX:1, pp. 1-6.—See, also, S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 313; and S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, p. 440.)

Milestone Bowl appears erroneously on U.S.G.S. maps as “Milestone Bow.”

“We were soon upon a plateau, and passed from this to a bowl-shaped mountain. And since this plateau and bowl have once been parts of Milestone, Prof. Dudley named them Milestone Plateau and Milestone Bowl.” (W. F. Dean, in Mt. Whitney Club Journal, 1902, No. 1, p. 16.)

MILLER LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant N. F. McClure in 1894 for a soldier in his detachment. (S.C.B., 1895, I:5, p. 174.)

MILLS, MOUNT (13,352)

[Mount Goddard]

Darius Ogden Mills (1825-1910), California banker; founder of Millbrae, California; a charter member of the Sierra Club.

MINERAL KING

[Kaweah]

“The first mine located in the Mineral King region was discovered in 1872. By 1879 it was a large mining settlement, but the mines never proved productive. It was at first called Beulah, but when a mining district was organized there it was pronounced to be the king of mineral districts and given the name of Mineral King.” (G. W. Stewart.)

MINARETS

[Mount Lyell]

“To the south of this [Mount Ritter] are some grand pinnacles of granite, very lofty and apparently inaccessible, to which we gave the name of ‘the Minarets’.” (Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 98.)

First ascent by Charles W. Michael, September 6, 1923. (S.C.B., 1924 XII:1, pp. 28-33.)

MIRROR LAKE

[Yosemite]

“Wai-ack was the name for ‘Mirror Lake,’ as well as for the mountain it so perfectly reflected. The lake itself was not particularly attractive or remarkable, but in the early morning, before the breeze swept up the cañon, the reflections were so perfect, especially of what is now known as Mt. Watkins, that even our scouts called our attention to it by pointing and exclaiming: ‘Look at Wai-ack,’ interpreted to mean the ‘Water Rock.’ This circumstance suggested the name of ‘Mirror Lake.’ The name was opposed by some, upon the ground that all still water was a mirror. My reply established the name. It was that other conditions, such as light and shade, were required, as when looking into a well, the wall of the Half Dome perfecting the conditions, and that when shown another pool that was more deserving, we would transfer the name. Captain Boling approved the name, and it was so called by the battalion.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1890, p. 204.)

“This lake was so named by Mr. C. H. Spencer, of Utica, New York (one of my comrades); and, shaded as it is by the Half Dome on the southeast and by Clouds Rest on the east, there may be seen reflected from its still water the most remarkable scenery and double sunrise in the world.” (Bunnell, in Biennial Report of the Commissioners to Manage Yosemite Valley, 1889-90, p. 11.)

Hutchings says the Indian name was Ah-wi-yah. (Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, 1860, p. 102.) Whitney calls it Waiya. (Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 17.) Powers says A-wai'a. ( Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 365.)

MITCHELL PEAK (10,375)

[Tehipite]

Susman Mitchell, of Visalia. (G. W. Stewart.)

MITCHELL MEADOW

[Kaweah]

Hyman Mitchell, of White River, father of Susman Mitchell. (J. B. Agnew.)

MONARCH LAKES

[Kaweah]

“These two beautiful lakes lie at the foot of Miner’s Peak (Sawtooth).” (Elliott: History of Fresno County, 1882, p. 235.)

MONO CREEK, PASS

[Mount Goddard]

MONO LAKE, COUNTY, PASS

[Mount Lyell]

“Mono County and Lake are named after a wide-spread division of Shoshonean Indians on both slopes of the Southern Sierra Nevada. In speech and presumably in origin they are closely allied to the Northern Paiute of Nevada and Oregon and the Bannock of Idaho. By their Yokuts neighbors they are called Monachi. The ending -chi occurs otherwise in Yokuts and Miwok as a suffix on names of tribes or divisions. . . . The stem therefore appears to be Mona. To the Spaniards, who knew the Miwok and Yokuts earlier than they knew the Monachi, this stem might easily suggest mono, ‘monkey.’ . . . It appears that Monachi, like most of the names of the Yokuts for their own or other tribes, no longer possesses a determinable meaning.” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 49.)

Mono County, established 1861, originally extended considerably to the southeast of its present boundary; adjusted on north, 1864, 1866, by creation of Alpine County; curtailed on south, 1866, 1870, by creation of Inyo County. (Coy: California County Boundaries, 1923, pp. 182-183.)

MONO NATIONAL FOREST

Established July 2, 1908, by proclamation of President Roosevelt; from parts of Stanislaus, Sierra, Tahoe, and Inyo national forests. Additions made by proclamation, March 2, 1909; adjustment of boundaries by proclamation, June 30, 1911. (Official Proclamations.)

MOOREHOUSE CREEK

[Kaweah]

Gus Moorehouse, a miner and prospector of the early days. (Chester Versteeg.)

MORAINE LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

“Moraine Lake has no visible outlet that I could discover. It was formed in the bowl of a great gravelly, porous moraine, hence the name we gave it seemed particularly appropriate.” (William R. Dudley, in S.C.B., 1903, IV:4, p. 306.)

MORO ROCK (6,719)

[Tehipite]

“Many have thought that the monolith’s name was given by early Spanish explorers. The resemblance to Morro Castle (Havana) and Morro Rock on the California coast lends color to this supposition; but the name apparently comes but indirectly from Castilian days. Mr. Swanson of Three Rivers in the sixties of the last century had a blue roan mustang—the color that the Mexicans call moro. This name was probably given because the Spaniards got these colored horses one time from the Moors or Moros. This moro pony of Swanson’s often ranged up under the rock and they called it ‘Moro’s Rock.’ The Spaniards called the Mohammedan Malays of the Philippines Moros. The word is probably a derivative of moreno, meaning brown, and was applied to the Moors and Malays because of their darkly pigmented skins.” (Letter from Colonel John R. White, Superintendent of Sequoia National Park, 1923.)

MORRISON, MOUNT (12,245)

[Mount Morrison]

Robert Morrison, a merchant of Benton, Mono County, while a member of a posse pursuing escaped convicts, was killed by one of them, September 23, 1871, near Convict Lake. “A mighty peak that towers over the lake bears the name of Mount Morrison.” (Chalfant: The Story of Inyo, 1922, pp. 215-26.)

MOSES, MOUNT (9305)

[Kaweah]

Named during a fishing trip many years ago, when an elderly member of the party was nicknamed “Moses.” This peak and Mount Maggie were named on the same occasion. (Chester Versteeg.)

MUIR, MOUNT (14,025), LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

MUIR GORGE

[Yosemite]

MUIR GROVE

[Kaweah]

MUIR PASS

[Mount Goddard]

“John Muir: born in Scotland, reared in the University of Wisconsin, by final choice a Californian, widely traveled observer of the world we dwell in, man of science and of letters, friend and protector of Nature, uniquely gifted to interpret unto other men her mind and ways.” (Benjamin Ide Wheeler, President of the University of California, in conferring the degree of Doctor of Laws on John Muir, Berkeley, California, May 14, 1913.)

Born April 21, 1838, at Dunbar, Scotland; son of Daniel and Anne Gilrye Muir; family came to America, 1849; settled in Wisconsin; attended University of Wisconsin, 1860-1863; walked to Florida, 1867; came to California from New York, via Panama, 1868; visited Yosemite, spring of 1868; “First Summer in the Sierra,” 1869; many years in Yosemite and the High Sierra; visited Alaska, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1890, 1897, 1899; around the world, 1903-1904; South America and Africa, 1911-1912, and many other travels; A.M. (hon.), Harvard, 1896, LL.D., University of Wisconsin, 1897; Litt.D., Yale, 1911; LL.D., University of California, 1913; author of many books and articles in periodicals (bibliography in S.C.B., 1916, X:1, pp. 41-59); president of the Sierra Club from its organization, 1892, until his death, 1914. (William Frederic Badè: The Life and Letters of John Muir, 2 Vols., 1923-1924.—S.C.B., 1916, X:1.)

Mount Muir was named by Professor Alexander G. McAdie. (J. N. Le Conte.) Climbed by Norman Clyde, June, 1925, who found a monument on the summit, but no written record. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 306.)

Lake at head of Lone Pine Creek, east of Mount Muir. Here, in September, 1925, Dr. Robert A. Millikan, of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, conducted experiments for the study of cosmic rays. (Millikan: High Frequency Rays of Cosmic Origin, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January, 1926, XII:1, pp. 48-55.) Two other expeditions directed by Dr. Millikan have conducted experiments in physics in this vicinity: one in September, 1922, near Whitney Pass; another at Cottonwood Lakes in September, 1924.

“We named this gorge Muir Gorge, after Mr. John Muir, the first man to go through the [Tuolumne] cañon.” (R. M. Price in S.C.B., 1895, I:6, 206.) Muir Grove was named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., in 1909. (R. B. Marshall.)

Muir Pass was named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S. It is the only pass across the Goddard Divide and is traversed by the John Muir Trail. First crossed with pack-train by U.S.G.S. party under George R. Davis in 1907, although sheep were taken over it years before. (J. N. Le Conte; S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, p. 4.) (See John Muir Trail.)

MULKEY MEADOWS

[Olancha]

Cyrus Mulkey, sheriff of Inyo County 1871-1874. (Chalfant: The Story of Inyo, 1922, pp, 213, 334.—S.C.B., 1893, I:1, p. 4.)

MURDOCK LAKE

[Dardanelles]]

Named by N. F. McClure in 1895 for William C. Murdock, of the Board of Fish Commissioners, State of California. Small lake in line between Rodgers and Benson Lakes; shown on McClure’s map of March, 1896, and Benson’s map of 1897; omitted from early U.S.G.S. maps. (N. F. McClure.)

MURPHY CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

John L. Murphy took up a claim on the shore of Tenaya Lake and built a cabin there. (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 481.—See, also, H. H. [Helen Hunt Jackson]: Bits of Travel at Home, 1878, pp. 109-171.)

MUSICK PEAK (6820)

[Kaiser]

Named for either Henry or Charles Musick, both of whom were connected with the mill company at Shaver. Erroneously spelled “Music” on maps. (L. A. Winchell.)

N

NANCE PEAK (8,436)

[Dardanelles]

John Torrence Nance, born in Illinois, 1864; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1886; first lieutenant, 1892; captain, 1901; major, 1911; retired 1911; colonel, retired, 1918; professor of military science, University of California, for a number of years.

NEALL LAKE

[Yosemite]

John Mitchell Neall, graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1883; first lieutenant, 1890; captain, 1899; stationed in Yosemite with 4th Cavalry, 1892-1897. (H. C. Benson.)

NEEDHAM MOUNTAIN (12,470)

[Kaweah]

Named by W. F. Dean, of Three Rivers, for James Carson Needham, of Modesto, member of Congress from 6th district of California, 1899-1913. (G. W. Stewart.) Accompanied inspection party on trip to Mount Whitney, 1899. (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1903, I:2, pp. 75-78.)

NELSON

[Kaweah]

John H. Nelson, a pioneer of the Tule River region. (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1903, I:2, pp. 63-64.)

NEVADA FALL

[Yosemite]

Discovered by a small squad from Major Savage’s party in Yosemite in 1851. The Indian name was Yo-wy-we, signifying the twist or squirm of the falling water. Bunnell suggested the name Nevada. “The Nevada Fall was so called because it was the nearest to the Sierra Nevada, and because the name was sufficiently indicative of a wintry companion for our spring [Vernal].” “The white, foaming water, as it dashed down Yo-wy-we from the snowy mountains, represented to my mind a vast avalanche of snow.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 205.)
“‘Nevada’ and ‘Vernal,’ emblems eternal
Of winter and loveliest spring.”
(Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 11.)

“Yo-wai'yi, Nevada Fall. In this word also we detect the root of awaia [a lake, or body of water].” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 364.)

NORTH DOME (7,530)

[Yosemite]

Named by Major Savage’s party in 1851. “The name for the ‘North Dome’ is To-ko-ya, its literal signification ‘The Basket’.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 212.)

NORTH GUARD (13,304)

[Mount Whitney]

The names North Guard and South Guard appear on either side of Mount Brewer on Lieutenant Milton F. Davis’ map of 1896, but not on other maps of that date. Dr. David Starr Jordan says they were not named or climbed by him, although such has been stated. Norman Clyde climbed North Guard, July 12, 1925, but was in doubt as to whether the point he attained was the higher of two nearly the same altitude.

NORTH PALISADE (See Palisades)

NUTTER LAKE

[Bridgeport]

Edward Hoit Nutter, born at Healdsburg, California, 1876; A.B., Stanford, 1902; assistant superintendent, Standard Consolidated Mining Co., Bodie, California, 1904; superintendent, 1906; superintendent and engineer of mines, 1906-1911; chief engineer, Minerals Separation, North American Corporation, since 1911; living in Berkeley, California, 1926.

Lake named in 1905 by engineer of Standard Consolidated Mining Co., when making map of Green Creek basin for power development. (E. H. Nutter.)

O

OBSERVATION PEAK (12,300)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by J. N. Le Conte, 1902, and used by him as a triangulation base in mapping basin of Middle Fork of Kings River. First ascent, 1902, by J. N. Le Conte and Curtis M. Lindley. (J. N. Le Conte.)

OCKENDEN

[Kaiser]

Tom Ockenden had a trading store here. (T. S. Solomons.)

OLANCHA PEAK (12,135), CREEK

[Olancha]

Indian name of uncertain origin, doubtless first given to place in Owens Valley, thence applied to the creek and the mountain peak.

OTTOWAY PEAK (11,500)

[Mount Lyell]

Named in 1895 by Lieutenant McClure for a corporal in his detachment. (N. F. McClure.)

OUZEL CREEK, BASIN

[Mount Whitney]

Named in 1899 by David Starr Jordan, president of Stanford University. (S.C.B., 1900, III:1, pp. 109-110.)

“Here John Muir studied the water-ouzel in its home, and wrote of it the best biography yet given of any bird.” (Jordan: The Alps of the Kings-Kern Divide, 1907, pp. 18-19.)

The Water-Ouzel, or American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus unicolor), is common along streams throughout the Sierra. (For description, see Grinnell and Storer: Animal Life in the Yosemite, 1924, pp. 543-546.—See, also, Badè, in S.C.B., 1904, V:2, pp. 102-107.)

“He is a singularly joyous and lovable little fellow, about the size of a robin, clad in a plain waterproof suit of bluish gray, with a tinge of chocolate on the head and shoulders. In form he is about as smoothly plump and compact as a pebble that has been whirled in a pot-hole, the flowing contour of his body being interrupted only by his strong feet and bill, the crisp wing-tips, and the up-slanted wren-like tail. . . .

“Such, then, is our little cinclus, beloved of everyone who is so fortunate as to know him. Tracing on strong wing every curve of the most precipitous torrents from one extremity of the Sierra to the other; not fearing to follow them through their darkest gorges and coldest snow-tunnels; acquainted with every waterfall, echoing their divine music; and throughout the whole of their beautiful lives interpreting all that we in our unbelief call terrible in the utterances of torrents and storms, as only varied expressions of God’s eternal love.” (Muir: The Mountains of California, 1894, pp. 276-299; first published, in substantially the same form, in Scribner’s Monthly, February, 1878.)

OWENS LAKE, RIVER, VALLEY

Richard Owens joined Fremont’s third expedition in August, 1845, With Kit Carson. “That Owens was a good man it is enough to say that he and Carson were friends. Cool, brave, and of good judgment; a good hunter and good shot; experienced in mountain life; he was an acquisition, and proved valuable throughout the campaign.” (Fremont: Memoirs, 1887, p. 427.)

“To one of the lakes along their [Talbot, Walker, and Kern party] route on the east side of the range, I gave Owens’ name.” (Fremont: Memoirs, 1887, p. 455.) Owens himself, however, did not go near the lake on this trip.

P

PALISADES

[Mount Goddard, Bishop]

North Palisade (14,254); Middle Palisade (14,049); South Palisade (14,051). South Palisade was named Split Mountain by Bolton Coit Brown in 1895, and is generally so called. (S.C.B., 1896, I:8, p. 309.) This group also includes Agassiz Needle, Mount Winchell, and Mount Sill.

“At the head of the north [middle] fork, along the main crest of the Sierra, is a range of peaks . . . which we called ‘the Palisades’.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 393-394.)

The Wheeler Survey used the names N. W. Palisade and S. E. Palisade for the North and South Palisades, respectively, in 1878. (Wheeler Survey: Tables of Geographic Positions, 1883, p. 19.—S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 251.)

Lil A. Winchell, in 1879, named the highest peak for Frank Dusy; and in 1895 Bolton Coit Brown named it for David Starr Jordan; but the name North Palisade, based on the Whitney and Wheeler surveys, has been retained. (S.C.B., 1904, V:1, p. 3; 1896, I:8, p. 296.) First ascent of North Palisade, July 25, 1903, by Joseph N. Le Conte, James K. Moffitt, James S. Hutchinson. (S.C.B., 1904, V:1, pp. 1-19.—See, also, S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, pp. 204-205, and 1922, XI:3, p. 313.)

First ascent of Middle Palisade, August 26, 1921, by Francis Peloubet Farquhar and Ansel Franklin Hall. (S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, pp. 264-270.—See, also, S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 307.)

First ascent of South Palisade. (See Split Mountain .)

There are large glaciers on the eastern side of the Palisades. (S.C.B., 1915, IX:4, pp. 261-263; S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, plate LXXIX.)

PALMER MOUNTAIN (11,264)

[Tehipite]

Joe Palmer, a pioneer miner and mountaineer of the Kaweah and Kings River region. The name was originally applied to the mountain directly above Moraine Meadow. Through an error, the names of Palmer Mountain and Avalanche Peak became transposed on U.S.G.S. maps. (J. N. Le Conte, J. B. Agnew.)

PANTHER CREEK, GAP, PEAK (9044)

[Tehipite]

The creek was named because of a panther (mountain lion) killed there by Hale Tharp in early days. (G. W. Stewart.)

Northwestern Mountain Lion (Felis oregonensis), also known as cougar, panther, puma. (Grinnell and Storer: Animal Life in the Yosemite, 1924, pp. 95-98.)

PARKER CREEK, PASS, PEAK (12,850)

[Mount Lyell]

The creek was named for an early settler of Mono County; the pass and peak derived their names from the creek. (W. L. Huber.)

PARSONS PEAK (12,120)

[Mount Lyell]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Edward Taylor Parsons, for many years a director of the Sierra Club and a member of its outing committee; born, 1861, near Rochester, N. Y.; died May 22, 1914. (S.C.B., 1915, IX:4, pp. 219-224.)

In the summer of 1915 the Sierra Club erected the Parsons Memorial Lodge at Tuolumne Soda Springs. (S.C.B., 1916, X:1, pp. 84-85.)

PATE VALLEY

[Yosemite]

An old name, origin not definitely ascertained. T. S. Solomons says the name should be spelled “Pait.”

PAVILION DOME (11,355)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by L. A. Winchell in 1879. (L. A. Winchell.)

PECKS CAÑON

[Kaweah]

Peck ran sheep here about 1870. (Chester Versteeg, from S. L. N. Ellis and Harry Quinn.)

PEELER LAKE

[Bridgeport]

Named for Barney Peeler, of Bridgeport. (W. H. Spaulding, in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, p. 126.)

PERKINS, MOUNT (12,557)

[Mount Whitney]

Named by Robert D. Pike in 1906. (J. N. Le Conte.)

George Clement Perkins (1839-1923); native of Maine; governor of California, 1880-1883; U. S. Senator from California, 1893-1915; a charter member of the Sierra Club.

PETER, LAKE

[Tehipite]

“The judge [W. B. Wallace of Visalia] stated that he was in the upper part of the basin of the Kaweah with Joe Palmer in 1877, a year of extreme drouth. They were camped at Wet Meadow, between the Giant Forest and Mineral King. On one occasion when following a dim trail up the canyon above Wet Meadow it gave out, and Palmer named a little body of water they discovered, Lake Peter, because the trail petered out at that point.” (George W. Stewart.)

PETTIT PEAK (10,775)

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Colonel Forsyth for James Sumner Pettit; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1878; first lieutenant, 1882; captain, 1891; major, 1900. (W. W. Forsyth.)

PICKET GUARD PEAK (12,311)

[Mount Whitney]

“There is a fine pyramidal peak at the eastern end of the third range, which was always in the background of the view as we entered and ascended the narrow cleft of the Kern-Kaweah. This was named the Picket Guard.” (William R. Dudley, in S.C.B., 1898, II:3, p. 189.)

PINCHOT, MOUNT (13,470, PASS

[Mount Whitney]

Occupied as triangulation station in 1905 by members of the U.S.G.S. This was the first ascent. (J. N. Le Conte.—Gannett: Results of Primary Triangulation and Primary Traverse, Fiscal Year 1905-6, U.S.G.S. Bulletin no. 310, 1907, p. 162.)

“Only five miles south [from summit of Split Mountain] there stood a great rounded mass of red slate on the Main Crest, and I allowed myself to change the name Red Mountain given it by Professor Brown [S.C.B., 1896, I:8, p. 309], and already applied to scores of the slate peaks of the Sierra, to Mount Pinchot.” (J. N. Le Conte, in S.C.B., 1903, IV: p. 362.)

Gifford Pinchot; chief of Division of Forestry, U. S. Department of Agriculture (afterwards called Bureau of Forestry, and, later, U. S. Forest Service), 1898-1910; born in Connecticut, 1865; A.B., Yale, 1889; LL.D., McGill, 1909; professor of forestry, Yale; governor of Pennsylvania since 1923.

PIONEER BASIN

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., at time of naming peaks for Stanford, Huntington, Hopkins, and Crocker, pioneer railroad builders of California. (R. B. Marshall.)

PITMAN CREEK

[Kaiser]

Elias Pitman, who had a hunting cabin on its banks in the early days; lived on a ranch six miles below Toll House; moved to Arizona in the late ’70s. (L. A. Winchell.)

PIUTE CREEK, PASS

[Mount Goddard]

PIUTE MOUNTAIN (10,489)

[Dardanelles]

“A well-known, or rather two well-known Shoshonean divisions, too wide-spread and too loosely organized to be truly designable as tribes, but each possessing a considerable uniformity of speech and customs. The Southern Paiute, who appear to have been first called by this name, lived in southwestern Utah, northern-most Arizona, southern Nevada, and southeastern California, and may be said to include the Chemehuevi and Kawaiisu. Their language is similar to Ute. The Northern Paiute, who disdain this name, although it is universally applied to them by Americans in their habitat, and who have also been called Paviotso in literature, speak a dialect virtually identical with Bannock. They live in eastern Oregon, northwestern Nevada, an eastern fringe of northern and central California, and apparently shade into the Mono. Thus the Indians of Owens River Valley, who appear to be substantially Monos, are commonly called Paiutes. The usual American pronunciation of Paiute is Paiyut, but the meaning of the word, which has been interpreted both as ‘water Ute’ and ‘true Ute,’ cannot be considered as positively determined. Most of the places in California called Piute or Pahute are in or near the range of the Southern Paiute or their close kindred; but a Piute mountain and creek in Tuolumne County are apparently named after the Mono-speaking Indians of Mono County, who affiliate with the ‘false’ or Northern Paiute.” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 55.)

The pass was named by L. A. Winchell because it was used by Owens Valley Indians. The cañon of the creek was known from early days among the French sheepmen as French Cañon. (L. A. Winchell.)

J. N. Le Conte applied the name of the pass to the creek in 1904, to avoid the name of North Branch of the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. (S.C.B., 1905, v:3, p. 255.)

POHONO TRAIL

[Yosemite]

“The whole basin drained, as well as the meadows adjacent, was known to us of the battalion, as the Pohono branch and meadows.

“The band who inhabited this region as a summer resort, called themselves Po-ho-no-chee, or Po-ho-na-chee, meaning the dwellers in Po-ho-no. . . . I found it impossible to obtain the literal signification of the word, but learned beyond a doubt that Po-bo-no-chee was in some way connected with the stream. I have recently learned that Po-ho-no means a daily puffing wind, and when applied to fall, stream, or meadow, means simply the fall, stream, or meadow of the puffing wind, and when applied to the tribe of Po-ho-no-chees, who occupied the meadows in summer, indicated that they dwelled on the meadows of that stream.

“Mr. Cunningham says: ‘Po-ho-no,’ in the Indian language, means a belt or current of wind coming in puffs and moving in one direction.’. . .

Mr. Hutchings’ interpretation is entirely fanciful, as are most of his Indian translations.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1911, pp. 212-213.—See, also, Hutchings: Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, 1860, p. 109.)

(See Bridalveil Fall.)

POLLY DOME (9786)

[Mount Lyell]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Mrs. Polly McCabe, daughter of Colonel Forsyth, and wife of Lieutenant Edward Raynsford Warner McCabe, U.S.A. (W. W. Forsyth.)

POST PEAK (10,996)

[Mount Lyell]

Named for William S. Post, of the U.S.G.S. (R. B. Marshall.)

POTTER POINT

[Mount Lyell]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., in 1909, for Dr. Charles Potter, of Boston. (R. B. Marshall.)

POTWISHA

[Tehipite]

Name proposed by Colonel George W. Stewart for old Indian campground at junction of Marble Fork and Middle Fork of Kaweah River. The name of a branch of the Yokut Indians.

“The Potwisha Indians lived along the river above the Wiktsumnes. They were the highest people on the river, and in the summer-time went high into the mountains. They are all dead now. . . . The name of the tribe, or sub-tribe, in question has been called Padwisha, Padwoosha, Badosha, Palwiska, Patwisha, and Potwisha. . . . I believe the correct pronunciation of this tribal name to be Potwisha, or Patwisha, with the sound of the first a as in park or palm. . . . The headquarters of this tribe were near Three Rivers in the winter months. In the summer the headquarters were at Hospital Rock, above the junction of the streams mentioned, where there was also a rancheria.” (Letter from G. W. Stewart, March 29, 1926.)

POWELL, MOUNT (13,361)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for John Wesley Powell (1834-1902); explorer of the Colorado River, first to navigate through the Grand Cañon (1869); geologist in charge of the U. S. Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, 1876-1879; succeeded Clarence King as second director of the U. S. Geological Survey, 1881-1894; first director of the Bureau of Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution. (For biography, see, Frederick S. Dellenbaugh: The Romance of the Colorado River, 1902.)

First ascent by Walter L. Huber and James Rennie, August 1, 1925. (S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, pp. 250-251.)

PRICE PEAK (10,603)

[Dardanelles]

George Ehler Price, born in Kentucky, 1875; private, 7th Cavalry, U.S.A., 1896; second lieutenant, 10th Cavalry, 1901; first lieutenant, 14th Cavalry, 1909; retired, 1912. (R. B. Marshall.)

Q

QUINN HORSE CAMP

[Kaweah]

Harry Quinn, for many years a sheep-owner in Tulare County; born in Ireland, 1843; emigrated to Australia; came to California, 1868; father of John R. Quinn, national commander of American Legion, 1923-1924.

R

RAE LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., in 1906 for Mrs. William E. (Rachel Vrooman) Colby. (R. B. Marshall.)

RAFFERTY CREEK, PEAK (11,178)

[Mount Lyell]

Captain Ogden Rafferty (1860-1922), Medical Corps, U. S. Army; A. B., Princeton, 1882; M. D., Columbia University, 1885; army surgeon, 1888; captain, 1893; major, 1901; lieutenant-colonel (retired), 1910.

Name given by Lieutenant McClure in 1895, when he was accompanied by Captain Rafferty on a patrol of Yosemite National Park. (N. F. McClure.)

RAMBAUD PEAK (11,023)

[Mount Goddard]

Pete Rambaud, Basque sheepman, who brought the first sheep into Middle Fork of Kings River from Inyo side, via Bishop Pass, in 1877. (L. A. Winchell.)

RAMSHAW MEADOWS

[Olancha]

Peter Ramshaw, a stockman of this region from 1861 to 1880. (Chester Versteeg.)

RAYMOND, MOUNT (8546)

[Yosemite]

Israel Ward Raymond (1811-1887); influential in securing grant of Yosemite Valley to State of California, 1864; one of the first commissioners appointed by the governor to manage the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove, 1864, serving until 1886. Name given by Whitney Survey. (Biennial Reports of the Commissioners.—Mrs. George F. Ashton.)

RECESS PEAK (12,841)

[Mount Goddard]

Named because of proximity to the First Recess of Mono Creek. Theodore S. Solomons discovered and named the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Recesses in 1894. (T. S. Solomons.)

RED-AND-WHITE MOUNTAIN (12,840)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1894. (T. S. Solomons; see illustration in S.C.B., 1899, II:5, plate XXIX, opp. p. 252.)

First ascent by Lincoln Hutchinson, James S. Hutchinson, Charles A. Noble, July 18, 1902. “The name has gained a place in the maps, and it is peculiarly descriptive of the great peak of red slate fantastically streaked with seams of white granite.” (S.C.B., 1903, IV:3, pp. 199-202.)

“Mr. Gardner visited the crimson-colored group noticed above, and which was about five miles north of the camp. The rocks were found to be of metamorphic slate, which continues about eight miles to the north, and is there lost under the granite. Enclosed in the slate, and having the same dip and strike, is a vein of white quartz rock sixty to seventy feet wide.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 134.) This description appears to refer to Red-and-White Mountain specifically, although Red Slate Mountain was evidently included in the group named by the Whitney Survey “Red Slate Peaks.” There is no assertion and no evidence that Gardiner climbed to the summit of any of the peaks.

RED SLATE MOUNTAIN (13,152)

[Mount Morrison]

Name appears on Hoffmann map of 1873 (Whitney Survey), but not clear whether applicable to this peak or to Red-and-White Mountain. (See Red-and-White Mountain.) Unlikely that Gardiner reached the summit of this peak, as it was too far from Whitney Survey camp on Mono Creek.

First ascent by Joseph N. Le Conte and Clarence L. Cory, June 22, 1898. (S.C.B., 1899, II:5, pp. 251-253.)

REDS MEADOW

[Mount Lyell]

“Red” Satcher, a stockman, so called from his red beard.

REDWOOD MEADOW

Named in 1877 by W. B. Wallace, T. J. Witt, and N. B. Witt. (G. W. Stewart.) Bordered by good stand of Sequoia gigantea, with a large number of young trees. Patented land purchased from heirs of James H. Hamilton by Stephen T. Mather in 1921 and placed in trust to become public property when included in national park.

REFLECTION LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Named by Howard Longley and party, August, 1894. (S.C.B., 1895, 1:6, p. 192.)

REGULATION PEAK (10,500)

[Mount Lyell]

Lieutenant Benson and a trumpeter named McBride were placing copies of the park regulations on trees throughout Yosemite National Park in 1895. Climbing to reconnoiter from a peak between Smedberg Lake and Rodgers Lake, McBride tacked a copy of the regulations on a tree and suggested the name Regulation Peak, and it so appears on Benson’s map of 1897. On McClure’s map of March, 1896, the name is placed in an ambiguous position, and later in entering the name on the U.S.G.S. quadrangle it became affixed to the wrong peak. To the true Regulation Peak, thus left vacant, the name of Volunteer Peak was assigned. (H. C. Benson.)

REINSTEIN, MOUNT (12,595)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Jacob Bert Reinstein, a regent of the University of California from 1897 to 1912. (R. B. Marshall.) A.B., University of California, 1873; a charter member of the Sierra Club; died, 1911.

RETURN CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

Shown on Wheeler Survey map, 1878-1879.

REVERSED CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

“One unfamiliar with the geology of the basin will be surprised to find that June Lake . . . instead of discharging its drainage northward into Mono Valley, as would seem most natural, drains southward into the hills and is tributary to Rush Creek. The ancient drainage has been reversed by the deposition of morainal debris; we have therefore called the stream draining June and Gull lakes, Reversed Creek. The drainage before the site of June Lake was occupied by a glacier must have been northward.” (Israel C. Russell: Quarternary History of Mono Valley, in Eighth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1886-87, p. 343.)

RIBBON FALLS

[Yosemite]

“The Indians call this Lung-oo-too-koo-yah, or the graceful and slender one; while a lady, whose name shall be nameless, once christened it ‘Virgin’s Tears’.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 398.) “Lungyotuckoya. The Virgin’s Tears Creek, meaning Pigeon Creek.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 16.)

“Mr. Hutchings, who, were it not for his exuberant imagination, might have learned better, gives the signification of ‘Lung-oo-to-koo-ya’ as ‘Long and Slender,’ and applies it to what he calls the Ribbon Fall. His name is better than his interpretation.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 215.)

The total drop of the falls when full is 1612 feet, probably the longest in the world. (Figures from U.S.G.S. Map of Yosemite Valley, 1907, 1922, 1:24,000.)

RICHARDSON PEAK (9845)

[Dardanelles]

Shown on Wheeler Survey map, 1878-1879. “I was accompanied [June, 1879] by Mr. Thomas Richardson, who has a sheep range in Cherry Valley and vicinity, and who is perfectly familiar with the rugged country south of the Relief trail.” (Wheeler Survey: Report of Lieutenant M. M. Macomb, in Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, for 1879, Appendix F of Appendix OO, p. 257.)

RICHTER CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

This name is undoubtedly incorrect, as the stream waters lands once owned by I. P. Rittger, an early settler near Lone Pine. (W. A. Chalfant.)

RITTER, MOUNT (13,156)

[Mount Lyell]

“Ritter is the name of the great German geographer [Karl Ritter, 1779-1859], the founder of the science of modern comparative geography.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 101.)

Clarence King, approaching from the southwest, attempted to climb the mountain (probably in 1866), but did not quite reach the summit. (Whitney Survey: Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 98.)

First ascent by John Muir, October, 1872. (Muir: The Mountains of California,; 1894, pp. 52-73; first published in Scribner’s Monthly, July, 1880.) For subsequent notable ascents see: Russell: Existing Glaciers of the Sierra Nevada, in Fifth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1883-1884, p. 315; and S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 248; S.C.B., 1893, I:1, p. 10; S.C.B., 1905, V:3, pp. 186-193; Appalachia, February, 1893, VII:1, pp. 1-8.

RIVER VALLEY

[Tehipite]

Name now in general use for cañon of upper Middle Fork of Kaweah River.

RIXFORD, MOUNT (12,856)

[Mount Whitney]

“ From several points on top of the Gardner Divide compass readings of the salient points in the basin were made and sketch maps were drawn. One of these points, the highest between the Main Crest and Mt. Gardner, was climbed by President [David Starr] Jordan, Professor and Mrs. Cubberley and the writer (and later by other members of the same party), and was found to be a peak worthy of christening. Records in a cairn on top showed that it had been climbed previously by Dr. Emmet Rixford of San Francisco, with two companions, and by Professor [Bolton Coit] Brown. We gave the name Mt. Rixford to this point.” (Vernon L. Kellogg: A Stanford Party in the Kings River Canyon, in Sunset Magazine, November, 1899, p. 18.—See, also, S.C.B., 1900, III:2, pp. 149, 169.)

Emmet Rixford; M. D., Cooper Medical College, San Francisco, 1891; B. S., University of California, 1887; Professor of Surgery, Stanford University, since 1909.

ROARING RIVER

[Tehipite]

Named by Frank M. Lewis in the’70s. (Frank M. Lewis.)

ROCK ISLAND LAKE

[Bridgeport]

“I named the stream Rock Creek, and the lake Rock Island Lake, from a large granite island that was visible near the northern end.” (N. F. McClure, in S.C.B., 1895, I:5, p. 178.)

RODGERS PEAK (13,036), LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Captain Alexander Rodgers, 4th Cavalry, U. S. Army, acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, 1895 and 1897; born in New Jersey, 1852; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1875; first lieutenant, 1879; captain, 1887; major, 1899; lieutenant-colonel, 1903; colonel, 1906, retired 1911; lieutenant-colonel and colonel, Connecticut Infantry, 1898-1899.

The peak was named by Lieutenant McClure in 1895 and appears on his map of March, 1896. In the same year Lieutenant Benson named Rodgers Lake and gave the same name to the peak south of it. Owing to duplication of name, the U.S.G.S. dropped it from peak near Rodgers Lake, substituting name Regulation Peak, which was transferred from original location. (N. F. McClure, H. C. Benson.)

On Le Conte’s map of 1896 the peak is called Mount Kellogg, a name probably given by John Muir for Albert Kellogg, botanist.

ROSE LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Rosa Hooper, daughter of Major William Burchell Hooper, of San Francisco, and sister of Selden S. Hooper, an assistant of the U.S.G.S. Miss Hooper is now a miniature painter in New York. (R. B. Marshall, Mrs. Mary Hooper Perry.)

ROWELL MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Dr. Chester Rowell, of Fresno. Chester H. Rowell says his uncles Chester and George used to run sheep there years ago and had a sort of “shotgun” title to the meadow.

ROYAL ARCHES

[Yosemite]

“The name given to the rocks now known as ‘The Royal Arches’ is Scho-ko-ya when alluding to the fall, and means ‘Basket Fall,’ as coming from To-ko-ya, and when referring to the rock itself it was called Scho-ko-ni, meaning the movable shade to a cradle, which, when in position, formed an arched shade over the infant’s head. The name of ‘The Royal Arch’ was given to it by a comrade who was a member of the Masonic Fraternity, and it has since been called ‘The Royal Arches’.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 212.)

“Cho-ko-nip'o-deh (baby basket), Royal Arches. This curved and overhanging canopy-rock bears no little resemblance to an Indian baby-basket. Another form is cho-ko'ni; and either one means literally ‘dog-place’ or ‘dog-house.’” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 364.)

RUSH CREEK

[Mount Lyell]

An old name; shown on Hoffmann-Gardiner map of 1863-1867, in Whitney’s Yosemite Book, 1868.

RUSKIN, MOUNT (13,000)

[Mount Whitney]

Named by Professor Bolton Coit Brown in 1895 for John Ruskin (1819-1900), English writer and critic. (J. N. Le Conte.)

RUSSELL, MOUNT (14,190)

[Mount Whitney]

Israel Cook Russell (1852-1906); M.S., C.E., LL.D. (New York University); assistant geologist, Wheeler Survey, 1878; geologist, U.S.G.S.; professor of geology, University of Michigan, 1892-1906; geological researches in Mono Lake and Mount Lyell regions, 1881-1883. Published: Existing Glaciers of the United States, in Fifth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1883-1884, and Quarternary History of Mono Valley, California, in Eighth Annual Report of the U.S.G.S., for 1886-1887. (R. B. Marshall.)

RUTHERFORD LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Lieutenant Samuel McPherson Rutherford, 4th Cavalry, U. S. Army, on duty in Yosemite National Park, 1896; born in Pennsylvania, 1869; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1892; first lieutenant, 1899; captain, 1901; major, 1916; lieutenant-colonel, 1917; colonel, 1920; colonel, National Army, 1917-1919.

S

SABRINA, LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named for Mrs. Sabrina Hobbs, whose husband, C. M. Hobbs, was the first general manager of the Nevada California Power Company, which constructed a reservoir at this lake in 1907-1908. The name is erroneously spelled Sebrina on some maps. (W. L. Huber.)

SADLER PEAK (10,562), LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant McClure in 1895 for a corporal in his detachment. Erroneously spelled Sadlier on McClure’s map of 1896 and in S.C.B., 1896, I:8, p. 334. (N. F. McClure.)

SAN JOAQUIN RIVER

Probably named by Gabriel Moraga’s expedition of 1805. (Chapman: History of California, 1921, p. 420; Sanchez: Spanish and Indian Place Names of California, 1922, p. 280.)

SARDINE LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

“It bears the inscrutable designation of Sardine Lake. I hailed Bodie with an inquiry as to the reason for the name, and received his illuminating reply in one word, ‘Canned.’ I learned later that years ago an ill-fated mule bearing a cargo of the delicacy consigned to a merchant in some mining-camp of the Walker River region had fallen off the trail, and after a series of spectacular revolutions had vanished in the icy waters.” (Chase: Yosemite Trails, 1911, p. 299.)

SATCHER LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

“Red” Satcher, a stockman. W. A. Chalfant says this is the correct spelling.

SAURIAN CREST (11,065)

[Dardanelles]

Named by William E. Colby in 1911, on account of resemblance to an ancient monster. (W. E. Colby.—S.C.B., 1912, VIII:3, plate LVI.)

SAWMILL CREEK, PASS

[Mount Whitney]

James W. Smith had a sawmill on this creek in the ’70s. The pass was crossed in 1878 by Frank M. Lewis, who had examined it from the west in 1875. (Chester Versteeg.)

SAWTOOTH PEAK (12,340)

[Kaweah]

Climbed by Joseph Walter Lovelace, 1871, while deer-hunting; probably the first ascent. Climbed by Mr. and Mrs. Harry Trauger, 1873. Known in early days as Miners Peak. (Chester Versteeg.)

SCAFFOLD MEADOW

[Tehipite]

A scaffold was built here by sheepmen on which to place supplies to keep them safe from bears and other animals.

SCHOFIELD PEAK (9913)

[Dardanelles]

Named by Major William W. Forsyth, acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, 1909-1912, for Lieutenant-General John McAllister Schofield; Secretary of War, 1868-1869; Commander-in-chief of the U. S. Army, 1888-1895. (H. C. Benson.)

SCENIC MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Name used by local cattlemen for meadow (altitude about 10,000 feet) on plateau west of Deadman Cañon. (Jim Barton.)

SCYLLA

[Mount Goddard]

“. . . This gorge lay directly south of us, and in an hour we had descended to its head, which we found was guarded by a nearby frozen lake, whose sheer ice-smoothed walls arose on either side, up and up, seemingly into the very sky, their crowns two sharp black peaks of most majestic form. A Scylla and a Charybdis they seemed to us, as we stood at the margin of the lake and wondered how we might pass the dangerous portal.” (Solomons: Mount Goddard and Its Vicinity, in Appalachia, 1896, p. 55.)

“‘On the other part are two rocks, whereof the one reaches with sharp peak to the wide heaven, and a dark cloud encompasses it; this never streams away, and there is no clear air about the peak neither in summer nor in harvest-tide. No mortal man may scale it or set foot thereon, not though he had twenty hands and feet. For the rock is smooth, and sheer, as it were polished. . . . And therein dwelleth Scylla, yelping terribly.’” (The Odyssey of Homer, Done into English Prose, by S. H. Butcher and A. Lang, 1883, book XII, p. 194.)

Dextrurn Scylla latus, laevurn implacata Charybdis
obsidet, atque imo barathri ter gurgite vastos
sorbet in abrupturn fluctus, rursusque sub auras
erigit alternos et sidera verberat unda.
At Scyllam caecis cohibet spelunca latebris,
ora exsertantem et naves in saxa trahentem.
(P. Vergili Maronis Aeneis, III:420-425.)

SEAVEY PASS

[Dardanelles]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Clyde L. Seavey; member of the State Board of Control, 1911-1915, 1917-1921; State Civil Service Commission, 1921-1923; State Railroad Commission (President), since 1923. (R. B. Marshall.)

SELDEN PASS

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Selden Stuart Hooper, of San Francisco, who was with the U.S.G.S. from 1891 to 1898. Erroneously spelled Seldon on maps. (R. B. Marshall.)

SENGER, MOUNT (12,253)

[Mount Goddard]

Named in 1894 by T. S. Solomons for Joachim Henry Senger, professor of German, University of California, one of the founders of the Sierra Club. (T. S. Solomons; see S.C.B., 1917, X:2, pp. 136-139.) Born in Germany, 1848; A.B., University of California, 1882, Ph.D., 1888; died, April, 1926.

SENTINEL DOME, ROCK

[Yosemite]

“From its fancied likeness to a gigantic watch-tower, is called ‘Sentinel Rock’.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 412.) “The present ‘Sentinel’ they [the mission Indian guides] called ‘Loya,’ a corruption of Olla (Oya), Spanish for an earthen water-pot. The mountain tribes use, instead, a long-pointed basket, shaped somewhat like that rock, which the basket is supposed to resemble.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 212. See, also, p. 66.) “The peak called by us the ‘South Dome’ has since been given the name of ‘Sentinel Dome’.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 212.)

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST

Park established by act of Congress, September 25, 1890, and enlarged by act of October 1, 1890. Named by Secretary of the Interior John W. Noble upon suggestion of George W. Stewart. The primary purpose of the park was to preserve the Giant Forest and other groves of big trees, Sequoia gigantea. (Bakersfield Morning Echo, June 18, 1902.)

“The park was not given a name by the act, and the Secretary finding it necessary in establishing the required rules and regulations for its government to give a name to the reservation, called it the Sequoia National Park. The reason for this naming the park is more weighty than that it is the name of the trees, for the trees themselves were called Sequoia by Endlicher in honor of a most distinguished Indian of the half breed, the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet.

“Sequoyah, meaning ‘he guessed it,’ was the English method of spelling the Indian’s name, and in transferring it to the tree the eminent botanist gave it a Latin terminal with substantially the same pronunciation as in English. By designating the park according to the tree the delicate and appropriate honor conferred by the scientist in naming the greatest of America’s trees after the most intellectual of the aborigines who dwelt amid our forests, receives a national sanction, and as the towering shaft reared by nature remains a living monument to the fame of the ‘Cadmus of America,’ it is maintained and protected by our nation’s respect and liberality.” (Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, for 1890, pp. 123-124.)

Forest established by executive order of President Roosevelt, July 2, 1908, from territory formerly part of the Sierra National Forest. By proclamation of President Taft, July 1, 1910, Kern National Forest was established from the southern portion of Sequoia National Forest, and a portion of Sierra National Forest was transferred to Sequoia National Forest. (Official proclamations.)

Name sequoia given to coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) by Stephen Endlicher in 1847, presumably as Latin form of Sequoya, or Sikwayi, the native name of George Gist (Guest, or Guess), a Cherokee half-breed, although Endlicher did not state the source of the name. Sequoya invented an alphabet and writing for Cherokee language; born in Tennessee about 1760, died in Tamaulipas, Mexico, 1843. Name sequoia first applied to big tree by J. Decaisne in 1854. (Jepson: Silva of California, 1910, pp. 127-128, 139; Hodge: Handbook of American Indians, 1912, part 2, pp. 510-511; Ellsworth: The Giant Sequoia, 1924, pp. 127-156.)

SEVEN GABLES (13,066)

[Mount Goddard]

“The south wall of the gap we found to be the side of a peak, the eccentric shape of which is suggested in the name Seven Gables, which we hastened to fasten upon it. . . . We [Theodore S. Solomons and Leigh Bierce] climbed the Seven Gables on the afternoon of our arrival at the head of the valley— September 20th [1894].” (S.C.B., 1895, I:6, p. 230. See, also, S.C.B., 1921, XI:2, pp. 205-206.)

SHARKTOOTH PEAK (11,630)

[Kaiser]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1892. (T. S. Solomons.)

SHAVER LAKE, POSTOFFICE

[Kaiser]

C. B. Shaver, Michigan lumberman, of the Fresno Flume and Irrigation Company, which built a sawmill and reservoir in the early ’90s in what was originally known as Stevenson Basin and Meadows. The property is now owned by the Southern California Edison Company, which will use the enlarged reservoir for its water-power system. (L. A. Winchell.)

SHEPHERD CREEK, PASS

[Mount Whitney]

The Shepherd family were pioneer residents on the land watered by the creek. James Shepherd and John Shepherd are mentioned in Chalfant’s Story of Inyo, 1922, p. 301. The pass was named from the creek. (W. A. Chalfant.)

SHINN, MOUNT

[Mount Goddard]

Name proposed, 1925, by members of U. S. Forest Service in memory of Charles Howard Shinn (1852-1924); native of Texas, moved to California, 1858; attended University of California and Johns Hopkins; school-teacher, newspaper and magazine writer, expert in forestry; head forest ranger, Department of the Interior, in Sierra National Forest, 1902; forest supervisor, 1904; district forest examiner, 1911-1923; a charter member of the Sierra Club. (S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, pp. 163-164, portrait.)

SHUTEYE PEAK (8358), PASS

[Kaiser]

Old Shuteye, who was blind in one eye, had a rancheria at the western foot of the high ridge, across which lay one of the principal trails to the eastern side of the Sierra. (L. A. Winchell.)

SIBERIAN OUTPOST, PASS

[Olancha]

Name Siberian Outpost given in 1895 by Harvey Corbett, suggested by its bleak appearance. The pass was named later. (J. N. Le Conte.) The pass was called Rampart Pass by Wallace, Wales, and Wright, 1881. (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, I:1, p. 2.)

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST

Established by proclamation of President Harrison, February 14, 1893, as Sierra Forest Reserve, under authority of act of Congress of March 3, 1891. (S.C.B., 1896, I:7, pp. 257-259.—See, also, Robert Underwood Johnson: Remembered Yesterdays, 1923, pp. 293-296; Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, II, 1924, pp. 257-258, 395-396; Muir: The American Forests, in Atlantic Monthly, August, 1897, reprinted in Our National Parks, 1901, pp. 331-365.)

Under subsequent acts (June 4, 1897, and February 7, 1905) the boundaries were enlarged by proclamation of President Roosevelt, July 25, 1905. Further additions made under name of Sierra National Forest by proclamation of President Roosevelt, April 20, 1909. Division by proclamation of President Roosevelt, July 2, 1908, by which the Sequoia, Inyo, Mono, and Stanislaus national forests were established, each receiving parts of Sierra National Forest, remaining portion continuing as Sierra National Forest. Proclamation of President Taft, July 1, 1910, transferred additional lands in watershed of South Fork of Kings River to Sequoia National Forest. (Official proclamations.)

SIERRA NEVADA

1776 Pedro Font map was the first map that showed “Sierra Nevada.”
(John Carter Brown Library; map not in Farquhar book)

Spanish for “snowy range of mountains,” literally “snowy saw-teeth”; used by Spanish explorers as freely as the corresponding “White Mountains” by English. In 1542 Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo applied the name to mountains south of San Francisco (Santa Cruz Mountains); on map by Ortelius, 1564, name appears near Cape Mendocino; later maps show it farther inland. (Henry R. Wagner.)

In April and May, 1776, Francisco Garcés visited Tulare Valley and used name Sierra San Marcos for southern portion of the present Sierra Nevada, and on Pedro Font’s map of 1777 the whole range is for the first time clearly shown under designation of Sierra Nevada. (Elliott Coues: On the Trail of a Spanish Pioneer, 1900, I, pp. 265-305, especially, note 31 on pp. 291-292.)

“Looking eastward [from a hill near the junction of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, April, 1776], we saw on the other side of the plain and about thirty leagues distant a great snow-covered range [una gran sierra nevada], white from crest to foot. It lies about southeast and northwest, and from the direction I made out for it, I judged that it possibly might have some connection to the southward with the Sierra Nevada, which branches off from the Sierra Madre de California above the Puerto de San Carlos and runs northwestward as far as the mission of San Gabriel and beyond. However, we could not discern either end of the range.” (The Anza Expedition of 1775-1776: Diary of Pedro Font, edited by Frederick J. Teggart, in Publications of the Academy of Pacific Coast History, III:1, 1913, pp. 88-91.)

Earliest known crossing by white men was in May, 1827, when Jedediah Strong Smith and two companions crossed from west to east on their way from the valley of California to Great Salt Lake. (H. C. Dale: The Ashley-Smith Explorations, 1918, pp. 191-194.—C. Hart Merriam: First Crossing of the Sierra Nevada, in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, pp. 375-379.— C. Hart Merriam, in California Historical Society Quarterly, October, 1923, II:3, pp. 233-236, and April, 1924, III:1, pp. 25-29.— F. N. Fletcher: Eastbound Route of Jedediah S. Smith, 1827, in California Historical Society Quarterly, January, 1924, II:4, pp. 344-349.— F. P. Farquhar: Exploration of the Sierra Nevada, in California Historical Society Quarterly, March, 1925, IV:1 p. 5.)

“Then it seemed to me the Sierra should be called not the Nevada, or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light. And after ten years spent in the heart of it, rejoicing and wondering, bathing in its glorious floods of, light, seeing the sunbursts of morning among the icy peaks, the noonday radiance on the trees and rocks and snow, the flush of the alpenglow, and a thousand dashing waterfalls with their marvelous abundance of irised spray, it still seems to me above all others the Range of Light, the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain-chains I have ever seen.” (Muir: The Mountains of California,; 1894, p. 3.)

SIERRA POINT

[Yosemite]

“On that lowly crag one may stand without change of position and behold those five wondrous waterfalls [Upper and Lower Yosemite, Vernal, Nevada, Illilouette]. . . . That this point might no longer remain incognito, but be known to all lovers of Yosemite, on June 14, 1897, accompanied by Walter E. Magee and Warren Cheney, of Berkeley, by right of discovery shared by W. E. Dennison [guardian of Yosemite Valley], I deposited thereon Register Box of the Sierra Club, No. 15, and took the liberty of naming it Sierra Point, in honor of the Sierra Club, and raised a flag bearing the name.” (Charles A. Bailey, in S.C.B., 1898, II:4, p. 217.—See, also, The Vantage Point of Yosemite, by Charles A. Bailey, in Sunset, April, 1899.)

SILL, MOUNT (14,100, approximately)

[Mount Goddard]

Edward Rowland Sill (1841-1887), poet, and professor of literature at University of California from 1874 to 1882. Named by Joseph N. Le Conte in 1896. (S.C.B., 1904, V:1, p. 3.)

First ascent by Joseph N. Le Conte, James K. Moffitt, James S. Hutchinson, Robert D. Pike, July 24, 1903. (S.C.B., 1904, V:1, pp. 13-14.)

SILLIMAN, MOUNT (11,188)

[Tehipite]

Named by Brewer’s party of the Whitney Survey, June, 1864, for Benjamin Silliman (1779-1864); B.A., M.A., Yale, 1796; M.D., Bowdoin, 1818; LL.D., Middlebury, 1826; professor of chemistry at Yale, 1802-1853; emeritus, 1853-1864; or for his son, Benjamin Silliman, Jr., (1816-1885); B.A., Yale, 1837; M.D., South Carolina Medical College, 1849; LL.D., Jefferson Medical College, Pa., 1884; professor of chemistry at Yale, 1846-1885; one of the founders of the Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University.

First ascent undoubtedly by members of the Survey, among whom were William H. Brewer, Clarence King, James T. Gardiner, and Charles F. Hoffmann. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 376-377.) Climbed by S. L. N. Ellis in 1876. (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, no. 1, pp. 31-35.)

SILVER PASS, CREEK

[Mount Goddard]

SILVER PEAK (11,883)

[Kaiser]

Theodore S. Solomons named Silver Creek in 1802 on account of its silvery appearance. He named the peak from the stream; the pass was named subsequently. (T. S. Solomons.)

SILVER SPRAY FALLS

[Tehipite]

“The falls descend in three sections. The water of the [last] is separated into misty spray before reaching the bottom, and adds much to its beauty; hence its name, ‘silver Spray’.” (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, p. 15.)

SIMMONS PEAK (12,504)

[Mount Lyell]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., in 1909 for Dr. Samuel E. Simmons of Sacramento. (R. B. Marshall.)

SIMPSON MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Members of the Simpson family ran sheep here in the ’80s. Prior to that time it was called Dougherty Meadow, for Bill and Bob Dougherty, who pastured horses there. (Chester Versteeg.)

Application for patent to 120 acres in this vicinity was made by S. M. Simpson, 1898, and patent issued to him April 24, 1900, by State Land Office, under act of State Legislature of March 24, 1893, contingent, however, upon proof of condition of land under “Swamp and Overflow” Act of Congress of September 28, 1850. (Letter from Commissioner of the U. S. General land Office, April 23, 1921.)

SING PEAK (10,544)

[Mount Lyell]

Tie Sing, Chinese cook for the United States Geological Survey from 1888 to 1918; born in Virginia City, Nevada, but unable to prove birthplace on account of destruction of records by fire, and thus denied the rights of citizenship; he was nevertheless regarded by those who knew him as a fine American; killed by an accident while in the field with the Survey in 1918. The peak was named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., in 1899. (R. B. Marshall.)

SMEDBERG LAKE

[Bridgeport]

Named by Lieutenant Benson in 1895 for Williatn Renwick Smedberg, Jr., second lieutenant, 4th Cavalry, U.S.A., then on duty in Yosemite National Park. (H. C. Benson.)

Born in California, 1871; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1893; first lieutenant, 1899; captain, 1901; major, 1916; lieutenant-colonel, 194; colonel, 1920; brigadier general (temporary), 1918.

SMITH PEAK (7835), MEADOW

[Yosemite]

“Hetch-Hetchy is claimed by a sheep-owner, named Smith, who drives stock into it every summer, by a trail which was built by Joseph Screech. It is often called Smith’s Valley.” (Muir: Hetch Hetchy Valley, in Overland Monthly, July, 1873, pp. 49-50.)

SOTCHER LAKE (See Satcher Lake)

[Mount Lyell]

SOUTH AMERICA, LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Named in 1896 by Bolton Coit Brown on account of the resemblance in outline to the map of the continent. (See map in S.C.B., 1897, II:1, opposite p. 22.)

SOUTH GUARD (approximately 13,000)

[Mount Whitney]

It is not clear from the Davis map of 1896 (see North Guard), or from subsequent maps, just what point was intended to be called South Guard. Viewed from the west, the peak designated 13,232 feet on the U.S.G.S. map appears to balance North Guard; from the northeast, the point on the spur designated 12,964 feet appears to balance it; it has also been considered to be a point on the Great Western Divide just above the 13,000-foot contour line. Walter L. Huber, James Rennie, Florence C. Burrell, and Inezetta Holt made first ascent of peak 12,964, July 26, 1916, (S.C.B., 1917, X:2, p. 230); Norman Clyde climbed peak 13,232, July 17, 1925, and on the same day climbed the third peak mentioned above.

SOUTH PALISADE (See Split Mountain)

SPENCER, MOUNT (12,428)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1895 as one of the Evolution Group. (T. S. Solomons.)

Herbert Spencer, author of Principles of Philosophy, 1860-1896; born in Derby, England, 1820; died in 1903.

SPILLER, CREEK, LAKE

[Bridgeport]

J. Calvert Spiller, topographical assistant with Lieutenant M. M. Macomb on the Wheeler Survey expeditions in Yosemite region, 1878-1879. (S.C.B., 1918, X:3, plate opposite p. 369; Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, War Department, for 1879, Appendix OO, pp. 2110-2144, 2233-2238.)

SPLIT MOUNTAIN (14,051)

[Bishop]

“To the north of this gap the crest rises into a huge mountain with a double summit . . . which I called Split Mountain.” (Bolton Coit Brown, in S.C.B., 1896, I:8, p. 309.) Called Southeast Palisade by Wheeler Survey, also known as South Palisade, but not properly part of the Palisade range. (J. N. Le Conte.)

First ascent by Mrs. Helen M. Le Conte, Joseph N. Le Conte, Curtis M. Lindley, July 23, 1902. (S.C.B., 1903, IV:4, p. 262.—See, also, S.C.B., 1922, X:3, p. 314.)

STANFORD, MOUNT (13,983)

[Mount Whitney]

“Professor Bolton Coit Brown first climbed this fine peak [August, 1896], giving it the name of Mount Stanford. As the latter name has been applied to a peak near the Placer County summit, it may be held to be ineligible in this case. In such event, Professor Brown suggests the substitution of the name ‘Stanford University Peak,’ the similar peak to the northeast in the main Divide being the ‘University of California Peak.’ The Stanford Peak has two crests. The northernmost, a little the higher and accessible with great difficulty, is the one to which the name Stanford was especially applied by Professor Brown. The other was named by him ‘Gregory’s Monument,’ from Mr. Warren Gregory, who first climbed it. This magnificent viewpoint is easily reached from Harrison’s Pass.” (David Starr Jordan, in S.C.B., 1900, III:1, p. 109.—See, also: S.C.B., 1897, II:2, pp. 92-94; S.C.B., 1899, II:5, p. 275; Vernon L. Kellogg, in Sunset Magazine, November, 1899, p. 17.)

STANFORD, MOUNT (12,826)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Leland Stanford (1824-1893), one of the organizers of the Central Pacific Railroad. (R. B. Marshall.) Not to be confused with the peak on the Kings-Kern divide previously named for Stanford University.

STARR KING, MOUNT (9179)

[Yosemite]

Thomas Starr King; born in New York City, 1824; pastor of Hollis Street Unitarian Church, Boston, 1848, at age of 24; became famous preacher and lecturer; wrote The White Hills, classic description of White Mountains of New Hampshire, 1859; came to San Francisco Unitarian Church, 1860; visited Yosemite, big trees, and Lake Tahoe in 1860; orator for the Union cause in California, 1861-1864; died in San Francisco, 1864. (Charles W. Wendte: Thomas Starr King: Patriot and Preacher, 1921.)

“In the angle formed by the Merced and the South Fork Cañon, and about two miles south-southeast of Mount Broderick [Liberty Cap], is the high point, called the ‘South Dome,’ and also, of later years, ‘Mount Starr King.’ This is the most symmetrical and beautiful of all the dome-shaped masses around the Yosemite; but it is not visible from the valley itself. It exhibits the concentric structure of the granite on a grand scale; although its surface is generally smooth and unbroken. Its summit is absolutely inaccessible.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 419-420.—See, also, Grace Greenwood— New Life in New Lands, 1873, pp. 340-341.)

“Did time and opportunity permit, we might climb to its shoulder, and thence obtain that magnificent view; but could not go beyond this without jeopardizing life and limb. Less than a dozen persons have been able to ascend it. The first to do so was Mr. George B. Bayley and Mr. E. S. Schuyler; followed by George Anderson and the writer [J. M. Hutchings], a few days afterwards, who having attached ropes over difficult places, enabled Mrs. A. L. Hutchings and our daughter Florence to ascend it, who were the first and only ladies, at this writing, that have accomplished the difficult task.” (J. M. Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 473.)

STATE PEAK (12,609)

[Tehipite]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S. (R. B. Marshall.)

STRIPED MOUNTAIN (13,160)

[Mount Whitney]

“That nearest the pass is strikingly barred across its steep craggy summit with light streaks. As this is an unusually marked case of this peculiarity and as it seems well occasionally to have a mountain whose name bears some relation to its visible character, I called it Striped Mountain.” (Bolton Coit Brown, in S.C.B., 1896, I:8, p. 309.)

Climbed by George R. Davis, July, 1905; perhaps the first ascent, although it is easily reached from Taboose Pass. (Letter from Davis to W. L. Huber, September 24, 1916.)

STUBBLEFIELD CAÑON

[Dardanelles]

Origin not definitely ascertained; probably named for a sheepman of the ’80s.

SUGARLOAF (7997), CREEK, MEADOWS

[Tehipite]

Named by Brewer party of the Whitney Survey, June, 1864. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 377.)

SYMMES CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

Probably for J. W. Syrnmes, a pioneer settler near Independence; superintendent of schools, Inyo County, 1870-1873, 1876-1882. (W. A. Chalfant.)

T

TABLE MOUNTAIN (13,646)

[Mount Whitney]

Clarence King in his notes on the ascent of Mount Tyndall, quoted in Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 386, says, “At one place the ridge [between Mount Brewer and Kaweah Peak] forms a level table.” The name “Table” appears on Hoffmann’s map of 1873.

“The best instance of the Summit Upland on the west side of the basin is that afforded by Table Mountain. This is clearly the remnant of a plateau which has been, and is being, reduced in area by the encroachment upon it of the steep cliffs which encircle the mountain.” (Lawson: The Geomorphogeny of the Upper Kern Basin, 1904, p. 309.)

First ascent by Paul Shoup, Fred Shoup, Gilbert Hassell, August 25, 1908— (S.C.B., 1909, VII:1, p. 72; and Paul Shoup.)

“Here we found a summit different from any high mountain any of us had ever known in that it was comparatively flat, sloping, as I remember, gently to the south, with a very considerable body of snow and ice a little north of the center. Roughly we estimated the area as from seventy to eighty acres in extent. Such loose rock as there was on top was in thin slab-like form, due, of course, to the erosion of wind and water. We found no evidence of anyone else having visited the mountain.” (Letter from Paul Shoup, vice-president, Southern Pacific Company, March 29, 1925.)

TABOOSE PASS

[Mount Whitney]

Piute name of a small edible ground-nut found in Owens Valley. The pass was probably named from a pioneer stage station located where the highway crosses what is now called Division Creek. (W. A. Chalfant.)

TAFT POINT

[Yosemite]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for William Howard Taft, twenty-seventh president of the United States. (R. B. Marshall.)

TAMARACK FLAT

[Yosemite]

Named for the prevalent tree of the upper timber belt of the Sierra, Tamarack Pine, Pinus murrayana; called by Jepson, Tamrac Pine.

Collected by John Jeffrey, of the Oregon Botanical Association, of Edinburgh, in the Siskiyou mountains in 1852 and again near Walker’s Pass in the Sierra Nevada in 1853; named for Andrew Murray, of Edinburgh. Also called Murray Pine, Pitch Pine, Red Pine. “In the Rocky Mountains it is universally known as Lodgepole Pine, a name far preferable to the unfortunate folk-name, ‘Tamrac,’ accepted in California, since the latter suffers confusion with the true Tamarack or eastern Larch.” (Jepson: Silva of California, 1910, pp. 81-82.)

“We came to what I finally called ‘Tamarack Flat,’ although the appealing looks of the grizzlies we met on their way through this pass to the Tuolumne caused me to hesitate before deciding upon the final baptism; the grizzlies did not stay to urge any claim, and being affectionately drawn to the trees, we named the camp ‘Tamarack Flat’.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 316.)

TEHIPITE DOME, VALLEY

[Tehipite]

“Tehipite is an Indian word, and by these people was applied to the massive granite tower. Its interpretation is ‘high rock.’ The accent is on the antepenultimate. The Te is sounded short and blended with hip, which is a combination of short i and short e; the third syllable, i, is short and guttural, and the last, e, is spoken very rapidly and abruptly and pronounced ‘teh’.” (L. A. Winchell: Manuscript, 1896.)

The valley was discovered by Frank Dusy in 1869. After several visits in the next few years, he succeeded, 1879, in breaking a trail and getting animals down. On this occasion he took the first photograph ever made of the dome. (L. A. Winchell.) Other accounts say that Dusy found evidence of former visitors. (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, pp. 15-16.)

For early visits and descriptions, see: John Muir, in Century, November, 1891, pp. 95-97; T. S. Solomons, in Overland, August, 1897, pp. 130-141; J. M. Stillman, in S.C.B., 1897, II:1, pp. 44-49; notes in S.C.B., 1897, II:2, pp. 106-110; Elesa M. Gremke, in Sunset, March, 1901, pp. 135-141; Ernestine Winchell, in Out West, April, 1911, pp. 297-304.

TEMPLETON MEADOWS, MOUNTAIN (9948)

[Olancha]

Benjamin Stuart Templeton, a sheepman. (G. W. Stewart.)

TENAYA CREEK, LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

“Looking back to the lovely little lake, where we had been encamped during the night [about June 5, 1851], and watching Ten-ei-ya as he ascended to our group, I suggested to the Captain [Bowling] that we name the lake after the old chief, and call it ‘Lake Ten-ei-ya’. . . . Gentlemen, [he said,] I think the name an appropriate one, and shall use it in my report of the expedition. Beside this, it is rendering a kind of justice to perpetuate the name of the old chief.’ . . . The Indian name for this lake, branch and cañon, ‘Py-we-ack,’ is, although a most appropriate one, now displaced by that of the old chief Ten-ei-ya. Of the signification of the name Ten-ei-ya, I am uncertain; but as pronounced by himself, I have no doubt of its being pure Indian.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, pp. 236-238. See, also, pp. 203-204.)

TEN LAKES

[Yosemite]

“A glacier basin with ten glassy lakes set all near together like eggs in a nest.” (Muir, letter of October 8, 1872, in Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, 1923, I, p. 344.)

“In Lake Hollow, on the north side of the Hoffmann spur, immediately above the great Tuolumne cañon, there are ten lovely lakelets lying near together in one general hollow like eggs in a nest.” (Muir: The Mountain Lakes of California, in Scribners Monthly, January, 1879, p. 412; also, Muir: The Mountains of California,; 1894, p. 100.)

TENT MEADOW

[Tehipite]

A large block of granite, seen from a distance, resembles a white tent.

THARPS ROCK (10,654)

[Tehipite]

Hale D. Tharp, a native of Michigan, settled in Three Rivers region in 1856; visited Giant Forest, 1858; used Giant Forest region as cattle range from 1861 to 1890; the first white man to explore this region; used a hollow sequoia log as a summer camp (hence Log Meadow), and entertained John Muir there in 1875; born 1828, died 1912. (Walter Fry, in Sequoia National Park History Bulletin no. 1, November 22, 1924; Muir: Our National Parks, 1904, pp. 304-305.) (See Alta Peak.)

THOMPSON, MOUNT (13,494)

[Mount Goddard]

Professor Almon Harris Thompson (1839-1906); associated with J. W. Powell in exploration of Colorado River, 1870-1878, and member of expedition through Grand Cañon in 1872; geographer, U.S.G.S., 1882-1906. Mountain named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S. (R. B. Marshall.)

First ascent, 1909, by Clarence H. Rhudy and H. F. Katzenbach. (S.C.B., 1919, X:4, p. 440.)

THREE BROTHERS

[Yosemite]

“The Indian name for the three rocky peaks near which this capture was made was not then known to any of our battalion, but from the strange coincidence of three brothers being made prisoners so near them, we designated the peaks as the ‘Three Brothers.’ I soon learned that they were called by the Indians ‘Kom-po-pai-zes,’ from a fancied resemblance of the peaks to the heads of frogs when sitting up ready to leap. A fanciful interpretation has been given the Indian name as meaning ‘mountains playing leap-frog,’ but a literal translation is not desirable.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1911, p. 152.)

“Three points which the Indians know as ‘Eleacha,’ named after a plant much used for food, but which some lackadaisical person has given the commonplace name of ‘The Three Brothers’!” (Hutchings: Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, 1860, p. 94. See, also, Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, pp. 67, 395.)

“Wawhawke. The Three Brothers; said to mean ‘falling rocks.’ The usual name given as that of the Three Brothers is ‘Pompomposus,’ equivalent to ‘Kompopaise’ given by our interpreter as the name of the small rock a little to the west of the Three Brothers. It was said to mean ‘Leaping Frog Rock.’ . . . The common idea is that the Indians imagined the mountains to be playing ‘Leap Frog.’ It would remain, in that case, to show that the Indians practice that, to us, familiar game; we have never caught them at it.” (Whitney Survey: The Yosemite Book, 1868, pp. 16-17.)

“Kom-pom-pe'sa, a low rock next west of Three Brothers. This is erroneously spelled ‘Pompompasus,’ applied to Three Brothers, and interpreted ‘Mountains playing leap-frog.’ The Indians know neither the word nor the game.” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 363.)

THUMB, THE (13,885)

[Bishop]

Named by Windsor B. Putnam, who made first ascent, December 12, 1921. (S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, pp. 270-274.)

THUNDER MOUNTAIN (13,578)

[Mount Whitney]

Named and climbed by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., August, 1905, when he established U.S.G.S. bench-mark on the summit. (Letter from Davis to W. L Huber, September 14, 1916.)

TILDEN LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Origin of name not ascertained; it appears on McClure map, 1895. Shown on Hoffmann map, 1873, as Lake Nina, a name probably given by Charles F. Hoffmann and Alfred Craven at time of their ascent of Tower Peak, 1870, for Nina Florence Browne, sister-in-law of Hoffmann, who married Craven in 1871.

TIOGA PASS, ROAD, LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

The name Tioga is undoubtedly derived from Tioga County, New York. It is an Iroquois Indian name, meaning “where it forks,” applied to a former village on the Susquehanna near its junction with the Chemung, in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. (Hodge: Handbook of American Indians, part 2, p. 755.)

The mines of the Tioga District were discovered about 1878, although some claims existed earlier. In 1881 the Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Mining Company was incorporated by eastern capitalists. A post-office and town, called Bennettville for the president of the company, were established. Supplies were hauled from Lundy. Operations were suspended in July, 1884, because of financial failure. (Eighth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, 1888, pp. 371-373.)

The road was built by the Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Mining Company in 1882 and 1883 at a cost of about $61,000; properly called “The Great Sierra Wagon Road”; abandoned soon after completion on account of closing down of mines. (Report of the Commission on Roads in Yosemite National Park, California, dated December 4, 1899, Senate Document 155, 56th Congress, 1st Session, 1900.) The road was purchased from successors of mining company by private subscription in 1915 and donated to Federal Government.

“There is also another gap on the north side of Mount Dana, which is called MacLane’s Pass; it is about 600 feet lower than the Mono Pass, and has been examined, in behalf of the county, by a committee appointed to search out a better route than the present one across the mountains, in this vicinity; what conclusion was arrived at we have not ascertained.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 434.)

Tioga Lake was formerly known as Lake Jessie Montrose. (Lieutenant H. C. Benson’s map, 1896.)

TOKOPAH VALLEY

[Tehipite]

Upper valley of the Marble Fork of Kaweah River, named by Superintendent John R. White and Colonel George W. Stewart. To-ko'pah is a Wuksachi Indian word meaning “high.” (G. W. Stewart.)

TOM, MOUNT (13,649)

[Mount Goddard]

Said to have been named for Thomas Clark, a resident of the pioneer town of Owensville, credited with having made the first ascent in the ’60s. (W. A. Chalfant.

TOWER PEAK (11,704)

[Dardanelles]

“The grand mass of Tower Peak is a prominent and most remarkably picturesque object. This is one of the three points in the Sierra to which the name of ‘Castle Peak’ has been given, and is the first and original one of that name, having been called so by Mr. G. H. Goddard fifteen years ago, at which time he ascended nearly to its summit. By some unaccountable mistake the name was transferred to a rounded, and not at all castellated, mass about eighteen miles a little south of east from the original ‘Castle Peak,’ where it has become firmly fixed. Hence we have been obliged to give a new name to Mr. Goddard’s peak, which we now call ‘Tower Peak.’ This grand summit is 11,800 feet high, and it can be ascended without difficulty from the Sonora road across the Sierra, although it appears perfectly inaccessible from the south.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, new edition, 1874, 131-132.—See, also, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, meeting of August 15, 1870, IV:3, pp. 134-135.)

“Messrs. King and Gardner made several attempts to climb Castle Peak [Tower Peak]; but did not succeed in getting to the top, although Mr. Goddard thinks it can easily be reached from the north.” (Whitney Survey: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 85.)

“During the summer of 1870, however, this peak was reached and ascended from the north without any difficulty.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, pocket edition, 1871, p. 86—See, also, S.C.B., 1899, II:5, p. 282.)

The members of the Whitney Survey party who made the first ascent were Charles F. Hoffmann, Alfred Craven, W. A. Goodyear. (Information from Alfred Craven, Pleasantville, N. Y., February, 1926.)

TULAINYO LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Situated on the crest of the Sierra at elevation of 12,865 feet, with no apparent outlet; the county line runs through it, so it is partly in Tulare and partly in Inyo; the name, a combination of the two county names, was devised by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S. (S.C.B., 1917, X:2, p. 231; R. B. Marshall.)

TULARE COUNTY

The name Tulares appears on Pedro Font’s maps of 17,7. (See reproduction in Coues: On the Trail of a Spanish Pioneer, 1900, vol. I.). “A tular was any marshy place in which grew tule, the common bulrush of California.” (Same, p. 251.)

“It is recorded that some time during 1773 Commandante Fages, while out in search of deserters, crossed the sierra [Coast Range] eastward and saw an immense plain covered with tulares and a great lake. . . . This may be regarded as the discovery of Tulare Valley.” (Bancroft: History of California, I, 1884, p. 197.)

Francisco Garcés was the first to explore the region of the tulares, 1776. (Coues: On the Trail of a Spanish Pioneer, 1900, I, pp. 251-252, 265-312.)

County created in 1852 from southern portion of Mariposa County; reduced by formation of Fresno County, 1856; contributed territory to Inyo County, 1866, and Kern County, 1866, 1868; boundaries adjusted, 1872, 1874, 1876; western portion organized as Kings County, 1893. (Coy: California County Boundaries, 1923, pp. 282-287.)

TUNEMAH PASS, PEAK (11,873)

[Tehipite]

“This trail acquired its name of Tunemah in a peculiar manner. The sheep-herders in that part of the country employed Chinese cooks. Owing to the roughness of the path they gave vent to their disgust by numerous Chinese imprecations. Gradually the most prominent settled itself onto the trail and it became known as ‘Tunemah’.” (Elesa M. Gremke: To Tehipite Through Silver Canyon, in Sunset Magazine, March, 1901, vol. VI, no. 5, p. 139.)

The pass and peak were named from the trail.

“The name is, as the ingenuous reader is presumed not to know, a Chinese ‘cuss-word’ of very vivacious connotation.” (T. S. Solomons: Unexplored Regions of the High Sierras, in Overland, November, 1896, p. 517.)

TUNNABORA PEAK (13,593)

[Mount Whitney]

Origin of name uncertain. First ascent by George R. Davis, U.S.G.S., August, 1905. (S.C.B., 1917, X:2, p. 230

TUOLUMNE RIVER, MEADOWS, CAÑON, COUNTY

“There was a tribe called Tawalimni, Towolumne, or Tuolumne, possibly Miwok but more probably Yokuts, in the plains of the San Joaquin Valley mi the vicinity of the lower Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers up as far as about Knights Ferry. The word Tawalimni, which perhaps was really Tawalamni or Tawalumni, would easily give rise, in either English or Spanish, to Tuolumne. The signification is unknown, but its ending, -imni, -amni, or -umni, occurs in many names of Yokuts, tribes and Miwok and Maidu villages drainage. Usually in the valley portion of the San Joaquin-Sacramento the stems of such words cannot be assigned a meaning even by Indians. The interpretation ‘stone house or cave’ is very unlikely, since the California Indians never built in stone, and the term would therefore be applicable only to dwellers in caves or rock shelters, which demand a mountain habitat; whereas both the location of the Tawalimni and the distribution of nearly all Indian place names ending in -imni seem to be confined to the plains.” (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 64.)

“Below this is another grassy field, and then the river enters a cañon, which is about twenty miles long, and probably inaccessible through its entire length; at least we have never heard of its being explored, and it certainly cannot be entered from its head. Mr. King followed the cañon down as far as he could, to where the river precipitated itself down a grand fall, over a mass of rock so rounded on the edge, that it was impossible to approach near enough to look over into the chasm below, the walls on each side being too steep to be climbed. . . . Although we have not succeeded in getting into this cañon, it does not follow that it cannot be done. Adventurous climbers, desirous of signalizing themselves by new discoveries, should try to penetrate into this unknown gorge, which may perhaps admit of being entered through some of the side cañons coming in from the north, and which must exhibit stupendous scenery. (Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 89.—Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, pp. 99-100.)

“Sometime in August, in the year 1869, in following the river three or four miles below the Soda Springs, I obtained a partial view of the Great Tuolumne Cañon before I heard of its existence. The following winter I read what the State Geologist wrote concerning it. . . . Since that time I have entered the Great Cañon from the north by three different side-cañons, and have passed through it from end to end. . . . without encountering any extraordinary difficulties. . . . At the head it is easily accessible on both sides.” (Muir: The Great Tuolumne Cañon, in Overland, August, 1873, p. 140.—Reprinted in part in S.C.B., 1924, XII:1, but omitting this passage.)

The Whitney Survey explored the cañon in 1873, finding it not so inaccessible as at first supposed. “It is to be regretted that it is not possible to pass through the cañon with animals. . . . This will undoubtedly be done in time, but considerable expenditure would be required to make a passable trail.” (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1874, p. 154.)

A trail, passable for horses, has now been built from Tuolumne Meadows to Pate Valley, connecting with a trail entering the cañon from the south. For other explorations of Tuolumne Cañon, see: R. M. Price, in S.C.B., 1893, I:1, pp. 9-16; R. M. Price, in S.C.B., 1895, I:6, pp. 199-208; Jennie E. Price, in S.C.B., 1898, II:3, pp. 174-184, with a note by John Muir; S. L. Foster, in S.C.B., 1906, VI:1, pp. 56-58; John Muir, in S.C.B., 1910, VII:4, pp. 216-218; T. S. Solomons, in Appalachia, November, 1896, VIII:2, pp. 164-179. Tuolumne County, organized, 1850; valley portion organized as Stanislaus County, 1854, 1855; small portion contributed to Alpine County, 1864. (Coy: California County Boundaries, 1923, pp. 288-290.)

TUTTLE CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

Lyman Tuttle, one of the organizers of Inyo, County; county surveyor, 1866-1872. (W. A. Chalfant.)

TYNDALL, MOUNT (14,025)

[Mount Whitney]

First ascended by Clarence King and Richard Cotter, July, 1864: “We had now an easy slope to the summit, and hurried up over rocks and ice, reaching the crest at exactly twelve o’clock. I rang my hammer upon the topmost rock; we grasped hands, and I reverently named the grand peak Mount Tyndall.

“When we reached the southwest front of the mountain we found that its general form was that of an immense horseshoe, the great eastern ridge forming one side, and the spur which descended to our camp the other, we having climbed up the outer part of the toe.” (Clarence King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, pp. 75, 81.)

John Tyndall (1820-1893); professor of natural philosophy, Royal Institution, London, from 1853; author of many publications on physical science; developed theory of fracture and regelation of glaciers; explored the Alps for many years; first ascent of the Weisshorn, 1861; author of Glaciers of the Alps, 1860, Hours of Exercise in the Alps, 1871.

U

UNICORN PEAK (10,849)

[Mount Lyell]

“A very prominent peak, with a peculiar horn-shaped outline, was called ‘Unicorn Peak’.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 427.)

UNIVERSITY PEAK (13,588)

[Mount Whitney]

Named in honor of the University of California. (J. N. Le Conte.) The name was given in 1890 to the peak north of Kearsarge Pass, but was transferred in 1896 by J. N. Le Conte to the higher peak farther south, while the former peak was named Mount Gould. (See Mount Gould.)

First ascent by J. N. Le Conte, Helen M. Gompertz, Belle J. Miller, Estelle Miller, July 12, 1896. (S.C.B., 1897, II:2, pp. 83-84.)

V

VANDEVER, MOUNT (11,800)

[Kaweah]

General William Vandever (1817-1893); member of Congress from sixth district of California, 1887-1891; introduced bills establishing Yosemite, Sequoia, and General Grant national parks, enacted September 25, 1890, and October 1, 1890, (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, no. 1, p. 35); member of Congress from Iowa, 1859-1861; brigadier-general, 1862, and brevet major-general, 1865; Indian inspector, 1873-1877; settled in Ventura, California, 1884. Name proposed in Visalia Delta of September 4, 1890.

VERMILION VALLEY

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons and Leigh Bierce, September, 1894. (S.C.B., 1895, II:6, p. 227.)

VERNAL FALL

[Yosemite]

“The middle or main branch [of the Merced] was designated by the Yosemites —from the fork of the Glacial branch [Illilouette Creek] up to the Vernal Fall —as Yan-o-pah, because they were compelled to pass through the spray of the Vernal, to them a ‘little cloud,’ while passing up this cañon. . . . I suggested Vernal, as an English name for Yan-o-pah. [May, 1851] . . . The cool, moist air, and newly-springing Kentucky blue-grass at the Vernal, with the sun shining through the spray as in an April shower, suggested the sensation of spring before the name of Vernal occurred to me.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, pp. 204-205.)

“While gazing at its beauties, let us, now and forever, earnestly protest against the perpetuation of any other nomenclature to this wonder than ‘Pi-wy-ack,’ the name which is given to it by the Indians, which means ‘a shower of sparkling crystals,’ while ‘Vernal’ could, with much more appropriateness, be bestowed upon the name-giver, as the fall itself is one vast sheet of sparkling brightness and snowy whiteness, in which there is not the slightest approximation, even in the tint, to any thing ‘vernal’.” (Hutchings: Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, 1860, p. 113.)

“Pai-wai'ak (white water?), Vernal Fall. The common word for ‘water’ is kik'kuh, but a-wai'a means ‘a lake’ or body of water, in two languages.” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 364.)

“Mr. Hutchings, in criticising the name Vernal, has misstated the Indian name for this fall, furnished him by myself. . . . The name given by the Yosemites to the Ten-ie-ya branch of the Merced was unmistakably Py-we-ack. This name has been transferred from its original locality by some romantic preserver of Indian names. While passing over to Yan-o-pah, it was provided with an entirely new signification. It is indeed a laughable idea for me to even suppose a worm- and acorn-eating Indian would ever attempt to construct a name to mean ‘a shower of sparkling crystals’.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 207.)

VIDETTE, EAST (12,742), WEST (12,229)

[Mount Whitney]

“Two of these promontories, standing guard, as it were, the one at the entrance to the valley and the other just within it, form a striking pair, and we named them the Videttes.” (C. B. Bradley, in S.C.B., 1889, II:5, p. 272.)

VOGELSANG PEAK (11,511), LAKE, PASS

[Mount Lyell]

Named by H. C. Denson for Alexander Theodore Vogelsang, president of the California State Board of Fish and Game Commissioners, 1896-1901; First Assistant Secretary of the Interior, 1916-1921. (H. C. Benson.)

VOLCANIC KNOB (11,153)

[Mount Goddard]

Named by Theodore S. Solomons in 1894. (T. S. Solomons.)

VOLCANO CREEK, FALLS

[Olancha]

“The third day we camped on Whitney Creek, upon which we tried unsuccessfully to impress the name ‘Volcano Creek,’ as that stream does not rise in the vicinity of Mt. Whitney. We lay over a day at this point to explore the craters of two extinct volcanoes and to feast on rainbow trout.” (W. B. Wallace, in Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, no. 1, p. 2.) Lieutenant Henry B. Clark, U.S.A., also derived the name from the craters and used it on his map in 1899. (S.C.B., 1904, V:1, pp. 79-80.) On current U.S.G.S. maps the creek is called Golden Trout Creek, but the falls are indicated as Volcano Falls.

(See Golden Trout Creek.)

VOLUNTEER PEAK (10,503)

[Bridgeport]

(See Regulation Peak.)

W

WALES LAKE

[Mount Whitney]

Name proposed, 1925, by Sierra Club for lake northwest of Mount Whitney (altitude, 11,732). In 1881, Captain Michaelis of Langley’s party gave the name Mount Wales to a peak near Milestone Mountain. This name never became established, and it now seems preferable to group the names of Wallace, Wales, and Wright in a series of lakes rather than to place them upon mountain peaks.

Frederick Henry Wales (1845-1925), born in Massachusetts; corporal, Massachusetts Volunteers in Civil War; graduated from Dartmouth, 1872; Hartford Theological Seminary, 1875; came to California and resided in Tulare County for many years as minister, editor of Alliance Messenger, and farmer; accompanied W. B. Wallace and J. W. A. Wright on trip to Kern River Cañon and Mount Whitney, 1881; maintained interest in Sierra for a number of years. (Mount Whitney Club Journal, 1902, 1, pp. 1-17, 28— Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883. —Dartmouth College Catalogue.)

WALKER PASS

[Kernville]

WALKER RIVER

[Dardanelles, Bridgeport]

Joseph Reddeford Walker; born in Tennessee, December 13, 1798; emigrated to Missouri 1819; went to the Rocky Mountains, 1832; led a party of Bonneville’s expedition from Great Salt Lake to California, 1833, ascending Walker River and crossing the Sierra Nevada between the Tuolumne and Merced rivers; returned to the Rocky Mountains, 1834, crossing the Sierra at head of Kern River by Walker Pass; continued as trapper and guide in Rocky Mountains and West; in 1843 guided a division of the Chiles immigrant party across Walker Pass to California, guide of Fremont party of 1845-1846, leading a portion of the party across Walker Pass; after further extensive wanderings and explorations, settled in Contra Costa County, California, where he died October 27, 1876. (Bancroft: History of California, v, pp. 765-766.)

Walker and his party, crossing the Sierra in 1833, were undoubtedly the first white men to see Yosemite Valley and the big trees (Merced or Tuolumne Grove). (Narrative of Zenas Leonard, Clearfield, Pennsylvania, 1839; republished, Cleveland, 1904, pp. 170-181.) If Walker Lake at the foot of Bloody Cañon was named for Joseph R. Walker on the assumption that he passed that way, it is probably an error, as it seems most unlikely that he crossed by that route. (Farquhar: Exploration of the Sierra Nevada, in California Historical Society Quarterly, March, 1925, IV:1, pp. 6-8, portrait.— Portraits also in S.C.B., 1914, IX:3, plate LXXIV; S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, plate XLVII.)

[Editor’s note: today historians generally believe the Walker party looked down The Cascades, which are just west of Yosemite Valley, instead of Yosemite Valley itself.—dea]

WALLACE LAKE, CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

Name proposed, 1925, by Sierra Club for lake northwest of Mount Whitney (altitude, 11,470), and for creek leading therefrom to junction Meadow in Kern Cañon. In 1881 a peak in this vicinity was named for W. B. Wallace, but the name never became well known. The name Mount Wallace has long been established as one of the Evolution Group, and it seems undesirable to duplicate the name among the mountain peaks.

William B. Wallace, born in Missouri, 1849; family came to California same year; settled in Placerville; attended school in Sacramento County; graduated State Normal School; taught school in Sacramento, El Dorado, and Amador counties; came to Tulare County, 1876, and settled in Visalia, 1891; admitted to bar, 1882; district attorney, Tulare County, 1884-1886; judge of the Superior Court, Tulare County, since 1899; for many years visited the Kings, Kern, and Kaweah regions of the High Sierra annually. (See, W. B. Wallace: A Night on Mount Whitney, in Mount Whitney Club Journal, May, 1902, pp. 1-12.)

WALLACE, MOUNT (13,328)

[Mount Goddard]

“At a distance of two miles it [the wall of Mount Darwin] rises perpendicularly five or six hundred feet, forming Mt. Haeckel, and a mile beyond again rises several hundred feet higher, though not quite so sharply, forming the peak called Mt. Wallace. . . . Next morning [July 16, 18951 we climbed Mt. Wallace.” (Solomons: Mount Goddard and Its Vicinity, in Appalachia, 1896, pp. 48-49.) The name was subsequently transposed on the U.S.G.S. map to the westerly ridge of Mount Darwin, but has since been restored to original location.

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), English scientist, who developed theory of evolution contemporaneously with Darwin.

WAMELO ROCK (7535)

[Mariposa]

“A few days ago while camped in the fir woods on the head of one of the southernmost tributaries of the Merced, I caught sight of a lofty granite dome, called Wa-mello by the Indians, looming into the free sky far above the forest, and though now studying trees, I soon found myself upon its commanding summit.” (John Muir, writing from Fresno Grove of Big Trees, September, 1875, in San Francisco Evening Bulletin, September 21, 1875.—See, also, Muir: Our National Parks, 1901, p. 286.)

Shown on Hoffmann map, 1873, Wheeler Survey map, 1879, and Sierra Club maps (Le Conte), 1893, 1896, 1904. On U.S.G.S. map, Mariposa quadrangle, edition of 1912, shown as Fresno Dome.

WANDA LAKE

[Mount Goddard]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for one of the daughters of John Muir, Mrs. Wanda Muir Hanna. (R. B. Marshall.) Described as one of the Crystal Lakes by J. N. Le Conte in 1904. (S.C.B., 1905, V:3, pp. 236-237.)

WARREN, MOUNT (12,387)

[Mount Lyell]

“By some unaccountable mistake, the name of Castle Peak was afterwards [after G. H. Goddard had given the name “about ten years ago"] transferred to a rounded and not at all castellated mass about seven miles north of Mount Dana; but we have returned the name to the peak where it belongs, and given that of General Warren, the well-known topographer and engineer, to the one on which the entirely unsuitable name of Castle Peak had become fixed.” (Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 85.)

In Whitney’s Yosemite Guide Book, pocket edition, 1871, p. 82, the latter part of this passage was changed to read: “And it has become so firmly established here, that it is now impossible to transfer it back to its rightful ownership.” This refers to the present Dunderberg Peak. (See Dunderberg and Tower Peak.) Meanwhile the name of Warren was placed on another peak nearer Mount Dana, where it now rests. The map by Hoffmann and Gardiner, 1863-1867, issued with Whitney’s Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, shows the name on its present location. From Whitney’s description it appears that in 1867 he supposed the local name Castle Peak to be applicable to the present Mount Warren, but in 1870 discovered that it applied to the present Dunderberg. This left his name Mount Warren undisturbed where he had originally placed it.

“Of the high peaks adjacent to Mount Dana, Mount Warren was ascended by Mr. Wackenreuder.” (Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 92; Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 103; Yosemite Guide Book, pocket edition, 1871, p. 89.)

Gouverneur Kemble Warren; graduate of West Point, 1850; commissioned in Engineer corps; distinguished in battle of Gettysburg; brevet major-general in Civil War; lieutenant-colonel in regular establishment, 1879; died 1882. Wrote notable memoir of early western explorations, published in Pacific Railroad Survey Reports, vol. XI, 1859.

WASHBURN LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

Named by Lieutenant McClure in 1895 for Albert Henry Washburn, of Wawona. (N. F. McClure.)

WATKINS, MOUNT (9100)

[Yosemite]

Carleton E. Watkins, one of the earliest photographers of Yosemite, whose views were widely celebrated in the sixties. A view of Mirror Lake with Mount Watkins reflected was especially popular, and doubtless led to his name being affixed to the mountain. (See: Charles B. Turrill, in News Notes of California Libraries, January, 1918, pp. 29-37.)

Watkins furnished illustrations for the Whitney Survey publications. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 408; Whitney: The Yosemite Book, 1868, p. 12.)

Indian name Waijau, meaning Pine Mountain. (Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, p. 17.)

WAWONA

[Yosemite]

Origin of name not ascertained. Galen Clark gives the meaning “Big Tree.” (Clark: Indians of the Yosemite Valley and Vicinity, 1904, p. 109.) Professor Kroeber says the Indian origin is doubtful. (Kroeber: California Place Names of Indian Origin, 1916, p. 66.)

Galen Clark built a cabin at this site on South Fork of Merced River, 1857, known as Clark’s Station; Edwin Moore acquired half interest, 1869, after which it was known as Clark and Moore’s; purchased by Washburn brothers (John S., Edward P., and Albert Henry), 1875, who erected Wawona Hotel. (Clark: Indians of the Yosemite Valley and Vicinity, 1904, p. xii.— R. S. Ellsworth.—The Giant Sequoia, 1924, pp. 40-45.)

WAWONA ROAD

Wawona Road system composed of: (a) Madera-Raymond road, from Madera-Mariposa County boundary to Wawona, date of construction not ascertained; (b) Mariposa to junction near Wawona, completed 1870; (c) Big Trees branch, built 1878; (d) Wawona to Yosemite Valley, begun 1874, completed 1875; (e) Glacier Point branch from Chinquapin, built 1874. Operated as toll-road by Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company (incorporated, 1877) until 1917. Portion from Fort Monroe (on old state-park boundary) to Yosemite village, purchased by state, 1886. (Report of the Commission on Roads in Yosemite National Park, California, dated December 4, 1899, Senate Document 155, 56th Congress, 1st Session, 1900.— Biennial Report of the Commissioners to Manage the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove, for 1874-1875.—W. B. Lewis.)

WELLS PEAK (11,071)

[Dardanelles]

Rush Spencer Wells; born in New Mexico, 1874; second lieutenant, artillery, 1898; transferred to cavalry, 1899; first lieutenant, 1901; captain, 1904; major, 1917; colonel, 1920. (R. B. Marshall.)

WESTON MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Austin Weston lived near Visalia, and in the summer took his stock to the mountains, making his headquarters at the meadow. (George W. Stewart.)

WHEELER PEAK (8977)

[Dardanelles]

Probably named for an army officer about 1910; not for George M. Wheeler of the Wheeler Survey. (R. B. Marshall.)

WHITE WOLF

[Yosemite]

Said to have been named by a sheep-herder who saw a white wolf there.

WHITNEY, MOUNT (14,500)

[Mount Whitney]

Josiah Dwight Whitney (1819-1896); born Northampton, Massachusetts; A.B., Yale, 1839; New Hampshire State Geological Survey, 1840-1841; Geological Survey of Lake Superior, 1847-1850; Geological Surveys of Iowa and Wisconsin, 1855-1857; State Geologist and chief of California State Geological Survey, 1860-1874; professor of geology, Harvard, 1865-1896; LL.D., Yale, 1870. (Brewster: Life and Letters of Josiah Dwight Whitney, 1909, portrait.—Portrait in S.C.B., 1925, XII:2, plate XLIV.)

In July, 1864, a field party of the California State Geological Survey under William H. Brewer, with Charles F. Hoffmann, James T. Gardiner, and Clarence King, saw from Mount Brewer the main crest of the Sierra a few miles away. One peak they named Mount Tyndall. “The other high point, eight miles south of Mount Tyndall, and, so far as known, the culminating peak of the Sierra, was named by the party Mount Whitney.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 382.)

“Whitney had forbidden his subordinates to name for him the mountain which is now called after the Rev. Lorentine Hamilton. This time, in their chief’s absence, they stood upon their rights of discovery, and called their great peak, Mt. Whitney.” (Brewster: Life and Letters of Josiah Dwight Whitney, 1909, p. 238.)

“For years our chief, Professor Whitney, has made brave campaigns into the unknown realm of Nature. Against low prejudice and dull indifference he has led the survey of California onward to success. There stand for him two monuments,—one a great report made by his own hand; another the loftiest peak in the Union, begun for him in the planet’s youth and sculptured of enduring granite by the slow hand of time.” (Clarence King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, pp. 280-281.)

Clarence King attempted to reach the summit of Mount Whitney in 1864, but failed by a few hundred feet. (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, pp. 388-391.) In 1871, King climbed what he supposed to be Mount Whitney and published an account of the ascent. (King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 1872, pp. 264-281.) On July 27, 1873, W. A. Goodyear and M. W. Belshaw rode mules to the summit of the supposed Mount Whitney and perceived that a peak a few miles north was higher. King, upon learning of his mistake, hastened to the Sierra and ascended the true Mount Whitney, on September 19, 1873, but not before it had several times been ascended by residents of Owens Valley. (King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, 4th edition, 1874, pp. 281-297; James D. Hague, in Overland, November, 1873.)

First ascent, August 18, 1873, by John Lucas, Charles D. Begole, A. H. Johnson, all of Inyo County. They endeavored unsuccessfully to affix the name “Fisherman’s Peak.” (Wheeler: U. S. Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, I, Geographical Report, 1889, p. 100.)

Occupied by scientific party under Samuel Pierrepont Langley, of the Allegheny Observatory, August and September, 1881, for observations on solar heat. (Langley: Researches on Solar Heat. Professional Papers of the Signal Service, no. XV, 1884.) Occupied by parties from Smithsonian Institution and Lick Observatory, 1903, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1913. (S.C.B., 1904, V:2, pp. 87-97; S.C.B., 1910, VII:3, pp. 141-148; Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution, 1910, pp. 65-66.)

For other records, accounts, and discussions of ascents, see: W. A. Goodyear, in Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1873-1874, V, pp. 139-144, 173-175.—W. A. Goodyear: letter to the editor of Inyo Independent, July 30, 1888, reprinted in Eighth Annual Report of the State Mineralogist, 1888, pp. 230-232.—Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, I, 1923, pp. 392-396.— W. C. Wyckhoff: Sunlight Mysteries, in Harper’s, June, 1883, pp. 81-94.—Frank Adams: Up Whitney by the Lone Pine Trail, in Sunset, June-July, 1906, pp. 74-80.— J. N. Le Conte: The High Sierra of California, in Alpina Americana, no. 1, American Alpine Club, 1907.—Appalachia, January, 1892, VI:4, pp. 285-288; May, 1903, X:2, pp. 135-142.— Mount Whitney Club Journal, Visalia, California, 1902, 1903, 1904, nos. 1, 2, 3.— S.C.B., 1893, I:1, pp. 1-8; 1896, I:7, pp. 290-292; 1903, IV:4, pp. 289-290; 1904, V:1, pp. 60-63 1904, V:2, pp. 87-101, 138-139; 1905, V:3, pp. 258-260; 1905, V:4, pp. 316-317 1909, VII:2, pp. 105-118; 1910, VII:3, pp. 141-148; 1910, VII:4, p. 248; 1911 VIII:2, pp. 137-138; 1922, XI:3, pp. 253-254.— Farquhar: Exploration of the Sierra Nevada, in California Historical Society Quarterly, March, 1925, IV:1, pp. 32-36, 38.

“A military reservation of a certain number of legal subdivisions surrounding this peak has been declared by authority of the President [Arthur] in General Orders no. 67, of the War Department, September 26, 1883. It is understood that this reservation is for the purpose of securing the location for a prospective Signal Service station.” (Wheeler: U. S. Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, I, Geographical Report 1889, p. 101.—Map of proposed reservation, in Langley: Researches on Solar Heat. Professional Papers of the Signal Service, no. XV, 1884.)

Altitude determined in 1905 by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., a fraction over 14,501 feet. The highest point in the United States exclusive of Alaska. (R. B. Marshall.)

WILDMAN MEADOW

[Tehipite]

“I visited the meadow [about 1875], and at that time I found carved on a tree the name W. J. Ryan, 1868, showing I was not the discoverer. I never knew anyone by that name, nor never could find anyone who did know him. About 1881 Brother Jeff and I camped there with a band of sheep. After dark we were startled by a lot of unearthly yells like someone in distress. After spending a large part of the night we were unable to locate anyone and finally concluded that it must have been a wild man, and so named the meadow. Later we found the noise was caused by a peculiar-looking owl.” (Letter from Frank Lewis, February 12, 1926.)

WILLIAMSON, MOUNT (14,384)

[Mount Whitney]

“Farther observations, by Mr. King, showed that a point about two miles northeast of Mount Tyndall was a little higher than this mountain; it was named [by Clarence King] in honor of Major R. S. Williamson, of the United States Engineers, so well known by his topographical labors on the Pacific coast, especially in connection with the United States railroad surveys.” (Whitney Survey: Geology, 1865, p. 382.)

Robert Stockton Williamson (1824-1882); graduated U. S. Military Academy, 1848, and commissioned in Topographical Engineers; first lieutenant, 1856; captain, 1861; major of Engineers, 1863; lieutenant-colonel, 1869; in charge of surveys in California for Pacific Railroad Survey, 1853, and in northern California and Oregon, 1855. (Pacific Railroad Survey Reports, XI, 1859, pp. 74-75, 77-78.)

First ascent by William L. Hunter and C. Mulholland about 1884. (S.C.B., 1894, I:3, p. 87; S.C.B., 1922, XI:3, p. 253—See, also, S.C.B., 1894, I:3, pp. 90-92; 1897, II:1, pp. 24-27; 1904, V:1, pp. 46-48; 1923, XI:4, p. 440; 1925, XII:2, pp. 192-193; 1926, XII:3, p. 307.)

WILMER LAKE

[Dardanelles]

Named by R. B. Marshall, U.S.G.S., for Wilmer Seavey, daughter of Clyde L. Seavey. (R. B. Marshall.)

WILSON CREEK

[Bridgeport]

Named by Lieutenant Benson for his friend Mountford Wilson, of San Francisco. (H. C. Benson.)

WINCHELL, MOUNT (13,749)

[Mount Goddard]

Alexander Winchell (1824-1890; professor of physics and later of geology, University of Michigan, 1853-1872; at Syracuse University, 1872-1877, as chancellor and professor of geology; returned to Michigan University, 1879; state geologist of Michigan, 1859-1862, 1869-1871.

In 1868, Elisha Cotton Winchell, of Millerton, gave the name Mount Winchell, in honor of his cousin Alexander, to the point now known as Lookout Point, overlooking Kings River Cañon. (Daily Morning Call, San Francisco, September 11, 1872.—S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, p. 245.) Unaware of prior use of the name by his father, Lilbourne Alsip Winchell gave it in 1879 to a peak south of the Palisades. (L. A. Winchell, in letter to T. S. Solomons, 1896.) The name was transposed by the U.S.G.S. to one of the peaks north of the North Palisade.

First ascent by Harvey C. Mansfield, John M. Newell, Windsor B. Putnam, June 10, 1923. (S.C.B., 1924, XII:1, pp. 90-91.)

WOLVERTON CREEK

[Tehipite]

James Wolverton, of Three Rivers, hunter and trapper, a veteran of the Union Army, who named the General Sherman tree in Giant Forest in 1879. Died in 1893. (Walter Fry.) (See Hospital Rock.)

WOOD, MOUNT (12,663)

[Mount Lyell]

Captain Abram Epperson Wood, 4th Cavalry, acting-superintendent of Yosemite National Park, seasons of 1891, 1892, 1893; sergeant of Iowa infantry in Civil War; entered U. S. Military Academy, 1868; second lieutenant, 4th Cavalry, 1872; first lieutenant, 1876; captain, 1883; breveted for gallant service against Indians in Kansas in 1878; died April, 1894. Name given by Lieutenant McClure in 1894. (N. F. McClure.)

WOODS CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

Named by J. N. Le Conte for Robert Martin Woods, a sheep-owner of the Kings River region, who spent practically every summer in the Sierra from 1871 to 1900. (J. N. Le Conte, Chester Versteeg.)

WOODWORTH, MOUNT (12,214)

[Mount Goddard]

Benjamin R. Woodworth, who lived for a time in Fresno; son of Commander Selim Woodworth, U.S.N., who came to California from Oregon in 1850. Named about 1888 when Woodworth was with a camping party in Simpson Meadow. (L. A. Winchell.)

Climbed by Bolton Coit Brown, August, 1895. (S.C.B., 1896, I:8, pp. 295-298.)

WRIGHT LAKES, CREEK

[Mount Whitney]

Name proposed by Sierra Club, 1925, for group of lakes extending from southwestern base of Mount Tyndall toward Sandy Plateau, and for creek connecting these lakes with Wallace Creek. Wright’s name was given in 1881 to a mountain on the Great Western Divide, but it never became current.

James William Albert Wright; A.B., Princeton, 1857; came to California from southern states and settled in San Joaquin Valley; accompanied W. B. Wallace and F. H. Wales to Kern River and Mount Whitney, 1881.

Y

YOSEMITE FALLS

[Yosemite]

“As the ‘High Fall,’ near which we were encamped, appeared to be the principal one of the Sierras, and was the fall par excellence, I gave that the name of ‘Yosemite Falls,’ and in so naming it I but followed out the idea of the Indians who called it ‘Choolook’ or ‘Schoolook,’ which signifies in this case ‘The Fall,’ while the creek appeared to be known to some as ‘Scho-tal-lo-wi,’ interpreted to mean ‘the creek of the fall’.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, pp. 201-202.)

C. Hart Merriam gives the Indian name as “Ah-wah'ning chu'luk-ah-hu, slurred to Cho'luk” (S.C.B., 1917, X:2, p. 205.) Stephen Powers says Cho'lok is the generic name for “fall.” ( Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, p. 363.)

“Here we began to encounter in our path, many small streams which would shoot out from under these high snow-banks, and after running a short distance in deep chasms which they have through ages cut in the rocks, precipitate themselves from one lofty precipice to another, until they are exhausted in rain below. Some of these precipices appeared to us to be more than a mile high.” (Narrative of the Adventures of Zenas Leonard, Written by Himself, Clearfield, Pa., 1839, reprinted and edited by W. F. Wagner, Cleveland, 1904, p. 174.) This description from Leonard’s journal of 1833, when he accompanied Joseph R. Walker’s party across the Sierra, appears to refer to Yosemite Falls, and if so, is the first description of any feature of Yosemite. (Farquhar: Exploration of the Sierra Nevada, in California Historical Society Quarterly, March, 1925, IV:1, p. 7.)

[Editor’s note: today historians generally believe the Walker party looked down The Cascades, which are just west of Yosemite Valley, instead of Yosemite Valley itself.—dea]

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees were granted to the State of California by act of Congress, June 30, 1864, “upon the express conditions that the premises shall be held for public use, resort, and recreation.”

By act of October 1, 1890, a large area surrounding this grant was “reserved and withdrawn from settlement” and “set apart as reserved forest lands,” with the stipulation that regulations by the Secretary of the Interior “shall provide for the preservation from injury of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said reservation, and their retention in their natural condition.” The reservation was designated by the Secretary of the Interior “Yosemite National Park.”

Changes in boundaries were made by act of February 7, 1905, adding the northern watershed of Tuolumne River, and eliminating the Mount Ritter and Minaret region, a small area above Lundy, and a considerable area on the west that was largely held in private ownership.

The Legislature of the State of California, by act of March 3, 1905, voted to recede to the United States the grant of 1864. This recession was accepted by joint resolution of Congress, June 11, 1906, and at the same time a small additional area on the South Fork of the Merced was eliminated from the park. The Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees were by this act incorporated in Yosemite National Park.

For detailed accounts, see: Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870, pp. 9-13, 20-23—Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, pp. 149-162.—Muir: Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park, in Century Magazine, September, 1990.—Editorials and letters in Century Magazine, January, 1890, September, 1890, November, 1891.—Badè: Life and Letters of John Muir, II, 1924, pp. 234-242, 255-257, 351-357, 394-395.— Robert Underwood Johnson: Remembered Yesterdays, 1923, pp. 287-292.— Report of Yosemite Park Commission, December 5, 1904, (Senate Document no. 34, 58th Congress, 3d Session.).—S.C.B., 1905, V:3, pp. 242-253, 267-269; 1906, VI:1, pp. 58-61, 69-70.

YOSEMITE VALLEY

[Yosemite]

Although Yosemite Valley was undoubtedly seen from above by Walker’s party in 1833, the first white men to enter it were the members of Major Savage’s Mariposa Battalion, March 25, 1851. In discussing what name should be given to the valley, some romantic and foreign names were offered. Dr. Lafayette H. Bunnell, one of the party, suggested “that the name of the tribe who had occupied it, would be more appropriate.”

“I then proposed ‘that we give the valley the name of Yo-sem-i-ty, as it was suggestive, euphonious, and certainly American; that by so doing, the name of the tribe of Indians which we met leaving their homes in this valley, perhaps never to return, would be perpetuated.’ Upon a viva voce vote being taken, it was almost unanimously adopted.”

“Lieutenant Moore, of the U.S.A., in his report of an expedition to the Valley in 1852, substituted e as the terminal letter, in place of y, in use by us; no doubt thinking the use of e more scholarly, or perhaps supposing Yosemite to be of Spanish derivation. This orthography has been adopted, and is in general use, but the proper pronunciation, as a consequence, is not always attainable to the general reader.” The Indians recognized the name as that of the tribe, but not of the valley, which they called Ahwahnee. (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, pp. 61-64.)

J. M. Hutchings, in 1855, in publishing a lithograph of the falls from a drawing by T. A. Ayres, used the name “Yo-Hamite”; whereupon Dr. Bunnell wrote a letter explaining the origin of the name. Hutchings published the letter and at the same time explained the derivation of his version, which he had obtained from Indians who declared the correct pronunciation to be “Yo Ham-i-te,” or “Yo-Hem-i-te.” He unwillingly acquiesced in the use of “Yo-Semite.” (Hutchings: Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity in California, 1860, pp. 75-78.) Hutchings then insisted on using the form Yo Semite, explaining that he had it on Bunnell’s own authority that this was correct, and that the form Yosemite was due to a printer’s error. Yo Semite was used in the act of Congress of 1864, granting the valley to the State of California. (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 61.) As the contentions of Hutchings subsided, the present usage became established, aided no doubt by the wide circulation of the Whitney Survey publications, which used Yosemite in all editions. (See, also, Hutchings’ California Magazine, July, 1856, I:1, pp. 2-8; May, 1859, III:11, pp. 498-505.)

“Hutchings was right, Yo-ham-i-te being the name of the band inhabiting a large and important village on the south bank of Merced River at the place now occupied by Sentinel Hotel and its cottages. These Indians hunted the grizzly bear, whose name—Oo-hoó-ma-te or O-ham'i-te—gave origin to their own. The tribe next north of the valley called the grizzly Oo-soó-ma-te, which doubtless accounts for the euphonious form given by Bunnell and now universally accepted.” (C. Hart Merriam: Indian Village and Camp Sites in Yosemite Valley, in S.C.B., 1917, X:2, p. 203.)

“The word ‘Yosemite’ is simply a very beautiful and sonorous corruption of the word for ‘grizzly bear.’ On the Stanislaus and north of it the word is u-zu'mai-ti; at Little Gap, o-so'mai-ti; in Yosemite itself, u-zu'mai-ti; on the South Fork of the Merced, uh-zu'mai-tuh.” (Powers: Tribes of California, in Contributions to North American Ethnology, III, 1877, pp. 361-362.)

[Editor’s note: For the correct origin of the word Yosemite see “Origin of the Word Yosemite.”—DEA]

YOUNG LAKE

[Mount Lyell]

General Samuel Baldwin Marks Young (1840-1924); acting superintendent of Yosemite National Park, 1896; and of Yellowstone National Park, 1907 and 1908. General Young fought throughout the Civil War and in many Indian campaigns, commanded a division in the Spanish War, and was in action in the Philippines. Enlisted as private April 25, 1861; captain, September 6, 1861; colonel, 1864; brevet brigadier-general, 1865; commissioned in regular army, 1866; major, 1883; lieutenant-colonel, 1892; colonel, 1897; major-general of volunteers, 1898; brigadier-general, U.S.A., 1900; major-general, 1901; lieutenant-general, 1903; Chief of Staff, U.S.A., 1903-1904; retired by law, 1904.

YOUNG, MOUNT

[Mount Whitney]

Rev. F. H. Wales climbed it on September 7, 1881, and named it “in honor of Professor Young, the noted astronomer, now at Princeton.” (Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883, pp. 49-50.)

Charles Augustus Young (1834-1908); graduate of Dartmouth, 1853; professor of mathematics, Western Reserve, 1857-1866; professor of natural philosophy and astronomy, Dartmouth, 1866-1877; professor of astronomy, Princeton, 1877-1908.

Z

ZUMWALT MEADOW

[Tehipite]

Meadow in Kings River Cañon, named for its former owner, Daniel Kindle Zumwalt (1845-1904); came to California, 1854; educated in Sacramento; settled in Tulare County, 1872; land agent and attorney for Southern. Pacific; organizer of water and canal companies; active in movement to preserve big trees resulting in establishment of Sequoia and General Grant national parks.

SUPPLEMENTARY BIOGRAPHIES

ADAMS, James Capen, born Medway, Massachusetts, 1807; came to California, 1849; abandoned civilization and made his home in the wilds of the Sierra Nevada, 1852-1855, with headquarters camp between Merced and Tuolumne rivers, not far from Yosemite; visited Yosemite Valley, 1854; captured wild animals, especially grizzly-bear cubs, which he reared to maturity and trained to follow him; traveled widely with his animal train; came to San Francisco and exhibited his animals (the grizzlies “Samson,” “Lady Washington,” “Ben Franklin,” with elk, mountain lions, and others), 1855-1859; sailed for New York, 1860, and contracted with P. T. Barnum, exhibiting his animals in New England during summer of 1860; died before the end of that year. (The Adventures of James Capen Adams, Mountaineer and Grizzly Bear Hunter, of California, by Theodore H. Hittell, published in Boston and San Francisco, 1860; reprinted, 1911.)

AGNEW, Jesse Barber, born Iowa, 1863; son of Abram Agnew, a typical pioneer, who crossed the plains from Ohio to California several times between 1846 and 1873, when he brought his family and settled in Santa Clara Valley; Jesse worked for D. K. Zumwalt in Tulare County, 1883-1891; engaged in seed business in San Jose and San Francisco, 1891-1920; acquired lands in Kings River Cañon, Horse Corral Meadow and vicinity, in partnership with Zumwalt; donated eighty acres in Kings River Cañon to Sierra Club, 1924. (S.C.B., 1924, XII, p. 93.)

AYRES, Thomas A., born New Jersey; came to California, 1849; a landscape painter; accompanied James M. Hutchings on the first tourist trip to Yosemite Valley, 1855. “In October, 1855, was published a lithographic view of the Yo Semite Fall (then called Yo-Ham-i-te), from the sketch taken for the writer by Mr. Thomas Ayres, in the preceding June, and which was the first pictorial representation of any scene in the great valley ever given to the public.” (Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, p. 97.) This lithograph was followed shortly afterwards by another showing the general view of the valley as sketched by Ayres, June 20, 1855 [Editor’s note: the correct date is June 27, 1855.—dea], the first drawing of Yosemite ever made. (Same, p. 88.) In 1856, Ayres made a second trip to Yosemite, this time on his own account, and made a number of drawings, which eventually found their way to England. (See photographic copies in California State Library, Sacramento.) Trip described by Ayres in Daily Alta California, August 6, 1856. These views were exhibited in New York, 1857, and Ayres was engaged by Harper & Brothers to illustrate several articles on California. (Sacramento Daily Union, June 1, 1858.) Lost at sea on the “Laura Bevan,” en route from San Pedro to San Francisco, April, 1858. (Daily Alta California, May 27, 1858.) “His ingenuity and adaptability to circumstances, with his uniform kindness and good-nature, made him the very soul of the party.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 311.)

BADÈ, William Frederic, born Minnesota, 1871; A.B., Moravian College, Pennsylvania; B.D., 1894; Ph.D., 1898; B.D., Yale, 1895; professor of languages and Old Testament literature, Moravian College, 1896-1902; professor of Old Testament literature and Semitic languages, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California, since 1902. President of Sierra Club, 1919-1922; a director since 1907; editor Sierra Club Bulletin, 1911-1922; editor Life and Letters of John Muir, 2 volumes, 1923-1924; editor of Muir’s A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf (1916), The Cruise of the Corwin (1917), Steep Trails (1918).

BOLING (or Bowling), John; captain of one of three companies of Mariposa Battalion, 1851; name spelled Boling by Bunnell, Bowling in Elliott’s History of Fresno County and by Kuykendall; on first expedition to Yosemite Valley, March, 1851; on expedition in pursuit of Indians in upper San Joaquin region; in command of second expedition to Yosemite, May, 1851, going as far as Lake Tenaya; sheriff of Mariposa. County, 1852. (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880.—R. S. Kuykendall: Early History of Yosemite Valley, in The Grizzly Bear, July, 1919, reprinted by National Park Service, Department of the Interior.—W. W. Elliott: History of Fresno County, 1882.)

CARSON, Christopher (“Kit”), born Kentucky, 1809; boyhood in Missouri; accompanied Ewing Young’s band of beaver trappers to Arizona and California, 1829-1830; hunter and trapper in Rocky Mountains, 1831-1842; accompanied Fremont on expeditions of 1842 (to Rocky Mountains), 1843-1844 (to Oregon and California), 1845-1846 (to California) ; on last of these expeditions accompanied Fremont in search of other members of party, going far up into High Sierra between north and middle forks of Kings River in midwinter, 1845-1846; joined General Kearny’s forces as guide on way from New Mexico to southern California, October, 1846; bearer of dispatches to Washington with Lieutenant Edward F. Beale, 1847; returned to California, 1853, with a band of sheep; Indian agent at Taos, New Mexico, from 1854; suppression of Indian war parties in southwest; colonel, New Mexico Infantry, 1861-1866; brevet brigadier-general of volunteers, 1865; died, 1863. (DeWitt C. Peters: The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, 1858 (new edition, 1873).—Charles Burdett: The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, 1861.—J. S. C. Abbott: Christopher Carson, Known as Kit Carson, 1901.— E. L. Sabin: Kit Carson Days, 1914.—Charles L. Camp: Kit Carson in California, in California Historical Society Quarterly, October, 1922, I:2.—See, also, references under Fremont.)

CRAVEN, Alfred, born New Jersey, 1846; graduated U. S. Naval Academy, 1867, resigned as Master, U.S.N., 1871; assistant in Geological Survey of California (Whitney Survey), 1871-1874, associated as mining engineer with brothers-in-law, Ross E. Browne and Charles F. Hoffmann, 1874-1884; engineering work in New York State since 1884; chief engineer New York subway, 1910-1916; now living at Pleasantville, New York, 1926.

DAVIDSON, George, born Nottingham, Eng., 1825; came to United States, 1832; A.B., Central High School, Philadelphia, 1845; A.M., 1850; Ph.D., Santa Clara College, 1876; Sc.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1889; LL.D., University of California, 1910; member of U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1845-1895; in coast survey work, California, Oregon, Washington, 1850-1895; a regent of University of California, 1877-1884; professor of geography, University of California, 1898-1911; president California Academy of Sciences, 1871-1887; a charter member and for many years a director of the Sierra Club; conducted important triangulation work in the Sierra, using Mount Conness as a station; died, 1911. (S.C.B., 1912, VIII:3, p. 212, portrait.— Davidson: The Occupation of Mount Conness, in Overland Monthly, February, 1892.)

EISEN, Gustavus A., born Sweden, 1847; Ph.D., University of Upsala, 1872; came to United States, 1872, and to California, 1873; visited Yosemite and Mono region, 1874, with Dr. Friedrich Ratzel, of Leipsig; manager of his brother’s vineyard, Fresno, 1874-1880 visiting High Sierra each summer, usually with Frank Dusy; became interested in preserving Big Trees, lecturing on the subject before the California Academy of Sciences; member of committee appointed by Academy to prepare map and mark boundaries of proposed national park; this work, coinciding with activities of George W. Stewart, Frank J. Walker, and others, of Visalia, led to establishment of Sequoia and General Grant national parks, 1890; engaged in wide variety of scientific and archaeological research; author of many books and papers; now (1926) living in New York City.

FREMONT, John Charles, born Savannah, Georgia, 1813; second lieutenant, Topographical Engineers, U. S. Army, 1838; brevet captain, 1844; resigned, 1848; major-general, 1861; resigned, 1864; major-general (retired), 1890; major, California Volunteers, 1846; married Jessie Benton, daughter of Senator Thomas H. Benton, of Missouri, 1841; engaged in a series of exploring expeditions, 1838-1854; U. S. Senator from California, 1850-1851; first Republican nominee for presidency, 1856, defeated by Buchanan; governor of Territory of Arizona, 1878-1881; died at New York City, 1890. On second exploring expedition under his command, 1843-1844, crossed Sierra Nevada by Carson Pass; from Sutter’s Fort (Sacramento), went south on east side of San Joaquin Valley and crossed Tehachapi. On third expedition, 1845-1846, crossed Sierra by Donner Pass, while others of his party, including Talbot, Walker, and Kern, went south by Owens Lake and crossed to Kern River via Walkers Pass; Fremont, Carson, and others, in searching for them, ascended high into the Sierra between north and middle forks of Kings River, December, 1845, and January, 1846. (Memoirs, pp. 448-453.) (Fremont: Memoirs of My Life, vol. I [no others published], 1887; Report of the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in the Year 1842, and to Oregon and Northern California in the Years 1843-’44, 1845; Geographical Memoir upon Upper California, in Illustration of His Map of Oregon and California, 1848. —Frederick S. Dellenbaugh: Fremont and ’49, 1914.)

GREELEY, William Buckhout, born Oswego, New York, 1879; B. S., University of California, 1901; M. F., Yale Forest School, 1904; member U. S. Forest Service since 1904; inspector, forest reserves of California, 1905-1906; supervisor, Sequoia National Forest, 1906-1908; chief forester since 1920; lieutenant-colonel, Engineers, and chief of forestry section, A.E.F., 1917-1919.

HUBER, Walter Leroy, born San Francisco, 1883; B.S., University of California, 1905; district engineer for California and Nevada, U. S. Forest Service, 1910-1913; consulting civil engineer, practicing in San Francisco since 1913; vice-president, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1925-1926. President of Sierra Club, 1925-1926; a director since 1915. Contributor to Sierra Club Bulletin: 1915, IX:4; 1921, XI:2; 1924, XII:1; 1926, XII:3.

LAMON, James C., born Virginia, 1817; emigrated to Illinois, 1835, and Texas, 1839; came to California, 1851, and settled in Mariposa County; visited Yosemite, 1857 and 1858; came to Yosemite early in 1859, assisted in building hotel (known for a while as the Hutchings House, later as Cedar Cottage) ; located pre-emption claim at upper end of valley, cultivated garden, planted orchard, built a cabin; began to winter in the valley, 1862; second winter, built another cabin near Royal Arches; pre-emption claims denied by courts, but he received compensation of $12,000 by act of state legislature, 1874; died in Yosemite Valley, 1875. (Muir: The Yosemite, 1912, pp. 237-239.—Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886, pp. 135-138.)

LEWIS, Washington Bartlett, born Marquette, Michigan, 1884; B.S. in civil engineering, University of Michigan, 1907; member of U. S. Geological Survey, 1907-1916; surveyed in Wyoming, 1907-1908; head topographer with first National Geographic Society expedition to Alaska, 1909, studying glaciers in Yakutat Bay region; topographic surveys in Oregon and in Salinas Valley, California, 1909-1910; second Alaska expedition, 1910, in Prince William Sound and Copper River regions; member U.S.G.S. commission to Argentine Republic, under Bailey Willis, 1911-1915; surveyed in Texas, 1915; superintendent of Yosemite National Park since March 3, 1916.

MARSHALL, Robert Bradford, born Virginia, 1867; member U. S. Geological: Survey, 1889-1919; surveying in California, 1891-1902; geographer with administrative charge of California, Oregon, and Nevada, 1905-1907; chief geographer, 1908-1919; superintendent of national parks, Department of the Interior, 1916; commissioned major, Engineer Officer Reserve Corps, 1917; lieutenant-colonel, 1918; now living at Patterson, Stanislaus County, California, 1926. Principal topographic work on following U. S. quadrangles covering High Sierra: Dardanelles, Yosemite, Mount Lyell, Kaiser, Tehipite (northern half).

MATTHES, François Emile, born Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1874; B. S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1895; member U. S. Geological Survey since 1896; topographic surveys of Grand Cañon of the Colorado, 1902-1904; topographic map of Yosemite Valley, 1905-1906; author of Sketch of Yosemite National Park (1912), Mount Rainier and Its Glaciers (1914), Contributor to Sierra Club Bulletin: 1910, VII:4; 1911, VII:1; 1911, VIII:2; 1913, IX:1; 1914, IX:3; 1920, XI:1; 1926, XI:3.

MOORE, Tredwell, born Ohio; graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, 1847; first lieutenant, 1851; captain, 1859; major, 1866; lieutenant-colonel, 1872; brevet brigadier-general, 1865; died, 1876. On duty with 2nd Infantry in Mariposa County, 1851-1852; built part of Fort Miller on San Joaquin River; led party of troops to Yosemite, capturing and executing Indians who had killed two miners near Bridalveil Falls, and pursued Chief Tenaya and other Indians across the Sierra, June and July, 1852, returning in August.

“Lieutenant Moore crossed the Sierra over the Mono trail that leads by the Soda Springs through the Mono Pass. He made some fair discoveries of gold and gold-bearing quartz, obsidian and other minerals, while exploring the region north and south of Bloody Cañon and of Mono Lake. Finding no trace whatever of the cunning chief, he returned to the Soda Springs, and from there took his homeward journey to Fort Miller by way of the old trail that passed to the south of the Yosemite.” (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880, p. 277.)

PRICE, Robert Martin, born Wisconsin, 1867; at age of ten, family moved to Nebraska; moved to Riverside, California, 1881; Ph.B., University of California, 1893; LL.B., Hastings College of Law, 1896; practiced law in San Francisco, 1896-1900, in Alaska, 1900-1903, in Reno, Nevada, since 1904. A charter member of the Sierra Club; secretary, 1896-1900; a director since 1915; president, 1924-1925. Contributor to Sierra Club Bulletin: 1893, I:1; 1895, I:6; 1912, VIII:3, 1922, XI:3.

REDINGTON, Paul Goodwin, born Chicago, Illinois, 1878; A.B., Dartmouth, 1900; Master of Forestry, Yale, 1904; appointed forest assistant, Bureau of Forestry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, July 1, 1904; (Bureau of Forestry changed to U. S. Forest Service in 1905) ; timber inspector, 1905; forest inspector, 1907; associate district forester, Rocky Mountain District, 1908; forest supervisor, Sierra National Forest, California, 1908-1916; reorganization of Sequoia National Forest, California, 1916; district forester, Southwestern District, headquarters at Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1916-1919, with brief interval as city manager of Albuquerque; district forester, California District, headquarters at San Francisco, 1919-1926; assistant forester, U. S. Forest Service, Washington, D. C., from March 1, 1926. Lecturer on forestry at Yale School of Forestry, Syracuse University, University of Michigan, Michigan Agricultural College, University of California.

SAVAGE, James D., had trading post and mining camp on Merced River, 1849-1850; driven by Indian raids to Mariposa Creek, 1850; also had a branch post on Fresno River; Mariposa Battalion formed, with Savage as major; at head of two companies, pursued Indians to cañon of the Merced, being first white men to enter Yosemite Valley, March 25, 1851; after Indian disturbances were quieted, Savage resumed trading on Fresno River; murdered, August, 1852. (Bunnell: Discovery of the Yosemite, 1880.—R. S. Kuykendall: Early History of Yosemite Valley, in The Grizzly Bear, July, 1919, reprinted by National Park Service, Department of the Interior.—W. W. Elliott: History of Fresno County, 1882.— Daily Alta California, San Francisco, April 23, 1851.)

SMITH, Jedediah Strong, born Chenango County, New York, 1798; came to St. Louis at early age and spent several years in Indian country; with David E. Jackson and Milton L. Sublette, acquired William Henry Ashley’s interest in Rocky Mountain fur trade, 1826; Smith undertook exploration for new beaver country in southwest and was leader of first party of white men to make overland journey from Mississippi Valley to California; passed through southwestern Utah, crossed Cajon Pass, arriving at San Gabriel, November, 1826; crossed to San Joaquin Valley, probably via Tehachapi, and camped near Kings River early in 1827.

“On my arrival at a River which I called the Wim-mel-che, (named after a Tribe of Indians who reside on it of that name) I found a few Beaver.— & Elk, Deer & antelope in abundance. I here made a small hunt, and attempted to take my party across the [mountain] which I before mentioned, & which I called Mount Joseph, to come on & join my Partners at the Great Salt Lake.—I found the Snow so deep on Mount Joseph, that I could not cross my horses,—five of which starved to death. I was compelled therefore to return to the Valley which I had left. And there leaving my party, I started with two men, seven horses & 2 Mules, which I loaded with hay for the horses & provisions for ourselves, and Started on the 20th of May & succeeded in crossing it in 8 days—having lost only two horses & 1 mule. I found the snow on the top of this mountain from 4 to 8 feet deep but it was so consolidated by the heat of the sun, that my horses only sunk from 1/2 foot to one foot deep. “After travelling 20 days from the East side of Mount Joseph, I struck the S.W. corner of the Great Salt Lake, travelling over a country completely barren, and destitute of game.” (Letter from Jedediah S. Smith to General William Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs; dated from Little Lake of Bear River, July 12, 1827; quoted verbatim from original in office of Indian Affairs, Washington, by C. Hart Merriam in California Historical Society Quarterly, October, 1923, II:3, pp. 233-236.)

This was the first known crossing of the Sierra Nevada by white men. Smith promptly returned via southwest and rejoined his men near American River; thence moved north through Sacramento Valley to coast of northern California and southern Oregon; escaped with two men from massacre by Indians on Umpqua River, July 14, 1828; reached safety at Fort Vancouver on Columbia River; returned to Rocky Mountains in summer of 1829; Sold his interest in fur trade and reached St. Louis, October, 1830; set out on Santa Fé Trail in spring of 1831; murdered by Comanche Indians on the Cimarron, 1831. (H. C. Dale: The Ashley-Smith Explorations, 1918.—C. Hart Merriam: in S.C.B., 1923, XII:4, pp. 375-379; in California Historical Society Quarterly, October, 1923, H:3, pp. 228-236; in same, April, 1924, III:1, pp. 25-29.— F. N. Fletcher, in California Historical Society Quarterly, January, 1924, II:4, pp. 344-349.)

SOLOMONS, Theodore Seixas, born San Francisco, 1870; stenographer, photographer, journalist, lawyer, miner, fiction writer; pioneer and explorer in the High Sierra; went to Alaska, 1898, and remained ten years; later in New York; now (1926) living in California. Explored and named Evolution Group and was first to propose high mountain trail route along crest of Sierra. A charter member of Sierra Club.

Publications on High Sierra: Among the Sources of the San Joaquin, in S.C.B., 1894, I:3; A Search for a High Mountain Route from the Yosemite to the Kings River Cañon, in S.C.B., 1895, I:6; An Early Summer Excursion to the Tuolumne Cañon and Mt. Lyell, in S.C.B., 1897, II:1; An Ascent of Cathedral Peak, in S.C.B., 1901, III:3; Mt. Goddard and Its Vicinity, in Appalachia, January, 1896, VIII:1; The Grand Cañon of the Tuolumne, in Appalachia, November, 1896, VIII:2, Explorations in the Sierra Nevada During the Season of 1896, in Appalachia, July, 1897, VII:3; Unexplored Regions of the High Sierra, six articles in Overland Monthly, May, June, August, November, 1896, and January, August, 1897; Grand Cañon of the Tuolumne, in The Traveler, December, 1894; In a Crevasse of the Lyell Glacier, (fiction), in The Traveler, May, 1895; An Enchanted Gorge, in The Traveler, November, 1895; Tehipite Valley, in The Traveler, May, 1896.

SOVULEWSKI, Gabriel, born Suwalki, Poland, 1866; came to United States, 1882; lived in Chicago until 1888; enlisted, 1888, and served two five-year enlistments in Troop K, 4th U. S. Cavalry: corporal, 1892; sergeant, 1893; quartermaster-sergeant, 1898. While serving in the army, was on duty in Sequoia and General Grant national parks, 1891, 1892; in Yosemite National Park, 1895, 1896, 1897. In the Philippines, 1898. In Yosemite National Park, as packer for troops, 1899. Employee of street-railway company, San Francisco, 1901-1906; relief work with army quartermaster department after San Francisco fire, 1906. Since August, 1906, in Yosemite National Park—first as laborer, then as supervisor of the park in charge of all outside work, especially trail construction and road maintenance; in full charge of park during absence of army superintendents; since 1916, supervisor of trails and other duties in the park.

“[Corporal Gabriel Sovulewski], Troop K, Fourth Cavalry, had charge of the guard in General Grant Park until a few days ago, and showed great tact in his relations with the numerous visitors, while he performed the duties required of him with firmness and thoroughness.” (Report of the Acting-Superintendent [Captain J. H. Dorst] of Sequoia and General Grant National Parks for 1892, p. 21.)

STEWART, George W., born Smith’s Flat, near Placerville, California, 1857; lived in El Dorado County until 1869, then Santa Cruz County until 1872, when he moved to Tulare County; wrote for Visalia Delta, 1876-1880; associate editor, Mining and Scientific Press, San Francisco, 1880; editorial work in Hawaii, 1880-1883; returned to Visalia, 1885, and resumed work on the Delta, continuing until 1899; officer of California National Guard since 1887, attaining rank of lieutenant-colonel; register of U. S. Land Office at Visalia, 1898-1914; land attorney at Visalia since 1914; first visited High Sierra in 1875; while editor of Visalia Delta, took active part in preserving the big trees, and is properly regarded as “the father” of Sequoia National Park; organizer and president of The Mount Whitney Club, 1902-1904, and editor of the three numbers of its journal; now living at Visalia, 1926.

TAPPAAN, Clair Sprague; A.B., Cornell, 1898; LL.B., 1900; professor of law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; a director of the Sierra Club, and assistant manager of its high-mountain outings since 1912; president of the Sierra Club, 1922-1924.

WHEELER, George Montague, (1842-1905); graduated U. S. Military Academy, second lieutenant, engineers, 1866; assistant engineer in construction of defenses of Fort Point, San Francisco, 1866-1868; first lieutenant, 1867; on geographical reconnaissance in central Nevada, 1869; in charge of Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, 1871-1879; captain, 1879; retired by illness, 1888; rank of major, 1898.

WHITE, John Roberts, born Reading, England, 1879; served in the Greek Foreign Legion in 1897, fighting against the Turks in Thessaly; came to Canada, 1898, and then to Alaska; enlisted in the 4th U. S. Infantry for duty in the Philippines, 1899, and spent the next fifteen years in the Philippine Islands; transferred to the Philippine Constabulary, 1901, as second lieutenant; became lieutenant-colonel, 1908, and colonel, 1914; medal for valor in Moro campaign at Jolo, 1906; in many engagements with insurgents; governor of Agusan province, 1911; retired from Constabulary, 1914, because of physical disability in line of duty; special representative of American Red Cross in Central Europe, 1916; entered military training camp, 1917, commissioned major, and later, lieutenant-colonel, U. S. Army; attached to Adjutant General’s office, then Signal Corps; qualified as pilot in aviation; to France with A.E.F., September, 1918; provost-marshal of Paris after the armistice; resigned from army because of ill-health and sought recuperation at Grand Cañon National Park, where he was made chief ranger; superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant national parks since July 12, 1920.

WINCHELL, Elisha Cotton, born Springfield, Massachusetts, 1826; emigrated to Missouri, 1835; crossed the plains to California, 1850, and settled in Sacramento, practicing law; moved to Millerton, on San Joaquin River, then county seat of Fresno County, 1859; district attorney, 1861; county judge, 1864-1867; when county seat was moved to site of Fresno, 1874, he established first law office in Fresno; continued practice of law until 1900; died, 1913. Visited Kings River Cañon, September, 1868, and published account in t San Francisco Morning Call, September 11 and 12, 1872. (Reprinted in S.C.B., 1926, XII:3, pp. 237-249.)

WINCHELL, Lilbourne Alsip, born Sacramento, 1855, son of Elisha Cotton Winchell; grew up in close association with pioneers of the San Joaquin Valley and adjacent mountains; educated in San Francisco; spent five months in High Sierra, 1879, visiting Tehipite Valley with Frank Dusy, exploring Palisade region, and making first ascent of Mount Goddard with Louis W. Davis; other extensive exploring trips in High Sierra extending over period of many years; now living in Clovis, Fresno County, 1926. (Portrait in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, plate CXII.)

YELVERTON, Maria Teresa Longworth, known as Thérèse Yelverton, Viscountess Avonmore, born 1832; married Major William Charles Yelverton, Viscount Avonmore, 1857; marriage denied by Yelverton; litigation to establish validity brought great notoriety; Yelverton disappeared; she traveled widely and published several books; visited Yosemite, 1870, where she wrote “ Zanita: A Tale of the Yosemite,” published 1872, a romantic novel in which the characters represent John Muir and James M. Hutchings and his family, especially Florence Hutchings (“Zanita”); died, 1881. (Charles Warren Stoddard: In the Footprints of the Padres, 1902; chapter, “A Mysterious History,” omitted from later edition.—Badè Life and Letters of John Muir. vol. I, 1923, pp. 278-283.)

LIST OF MAPS

FONT, 1777. Mapa del viage que hizo el P. F. Pedro Font a Monterey, y Puerto de San Francisco; y del viage que hizo el P. F. Francisco Garcés por el Rio Colorado hasta su desemboque, y para arriba hasta el Moqui. 1777. (In the archives at Seville, Spain; sketch-copy in Coues: On the Trail of a Spanish Pioneer, 1900, vol. I. This map shows the name Sierra Nevada for the first time in its present location and indicates rivers entering the Tulares from the Sierra.)

GALLATIN: INDIAN TRIBES, 1836. Map of the Indian Tribes of North America about 1600 A.D. along the Atlantic; & about 1800 A.D. westwardly. Published by the Amer. Antiq. Soc. From a drawing by Hon. A. Gallatin. (Published in Archaeologia Americana, vol. II, 1836. Shows route of Jedediah S. Smith across the Sierra, but too vaguely for identification of precise location. This was probably from a sketch-map furnished by Smith himself. See Henry R. Wagner: The Plains and the Rockies, 1921, p. 24.)

FREMONT, 1848. Map of Oregon and Upper California from the surveys of John Charles Fremont and other authorities. Drawn by Charles Preuss. 1848. Scale, 1:3,000,000. (Shows the routes of Fremont’s expeditions, including exploration of Kings River in 1845-1846.)

GODDARD, 1857. Britton & Rey’s map of the State of California, compiled from the U. S. land & coast surveys, the several military, scientific & railroad explorations, the state & county, boundary surveys made under order of the Surveyor General of California, & from private surveys. By George H. Goddard, C. E. Completed with additions & corrections up to the day of publication from the U. S. Land Office & other reliable sources. Lithy. of Britton & Rey, Montgomery St. cor. Commercial, S. F. Entered 1857.

KING AND GARDINER, 1865. Map of the Yosemite Valley from surveys made by order of the commissioners to manage the Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove. By C. King and J. T. Gardner.* 1865. Geological Survey of California: J. D. Whitney, State Geologist. Scale, 1/2 mile to 1 inch. (In Whitney: Yosemite Book, 1868.—Same, with minor differences, in Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870.)

——
*Spelled GARDNER on map; correct spelling appears to be GARDINER.

HOFFMANN AND GARDINER, 1863-1867. Map of a portion of the Sierra Nevada adjacent to the Yosemite Valley. From surveys made by Chs. F. Hoffmann and J. T. Gardner, 1863-1867. Geological Survey of California: J. D. Whitney, State Geologist. Scale, 2 miles to 1 inch. (In Whitney: Yosemite Book, 1868; Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, 1870; Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, pocket edition, 1874.)

HOFFMANN, 1873. Topographical map of Central California, together with a part of Nevada. C. F. Hoffmann, principal topographer; V. Wackenreuder, J. T. Gardner, A. Craven, A. D. Wilson, field assistants; 1873. State Geological Survey of California: J. D. Whitney, State Geologist. Scale, 6 miles to 1 inch. (In four sheets, of which the southeastern is the first comprehensive map of the High Sierra. A portion of the map is reproduced in King: Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, fourth edition, 1874.)

WHITNEY SURVEY: HETCH HETCHY, 1874. Sketch of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. State Geological Survey, 1874. (A small map in Whitney: Yosemite Guide Book, pocket edition, 1874.)

WHEELER SURVEY: CENTRAL SIERRA NEVADA, 1878-1879. Parts of Central California, atlas sheet 56D. Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian: Capt. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army. Expeditions of 1878, ‘79, under the command of 1st Lieut. M. M. Macomb, 4th Artillery, U. S. Army; J. C. Spiller, F. O. Maxson, topographical assistants. Scale, 1:253440.

WHEELER SURVEY: YOSEMITE, 1883. Topographical map of the Yosemite Valley and vicinity. From topographical plat by Lt. Macomb, Nov. 30, 1883. U. S. Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian: Capt. Geo. M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army. Scale, 1:42240. (Copied in Hutchings: In the Heart of the Sierras, 1886.)

LANGLEY, 1883. Vicinity of Mount Whitney, California, with plan of proposed Military Reservation. Prepared under direction of the Chief Signal Officer. July, 1883. (In Researches on Solar Heat: A Report of the Mount Whitney Expedition, by S. P. Langley, Professional Papers of the Signal Service, no. XV, 1884.)

WRIGHT, 1883. Guide to the scenery of the Sierra Nevada. Drawn by J. W. A. Wright for W. W. Elliott & Co., San Francisco, Cal., 1883. (In Elliott: History of Fresno County, dated 1882. Sketch-map covering most of the Kings, Kern, and Kaweah watersheds. Same map, with borders slightly trimmed, in Elliott: Guide to the Grand and Sublime Scenery of the Sierra Nevada, 1883.)

RUSSELL AND JOHNSON: GLACIERS, 1884. Existing glaciers of the Sierra Nevada. I. C. Russell, geologist; W. D. Johnson, topographer. U. S. Geological Survey: Fifth Annual Report, for 1883-84, plate XXXII. Scale, 2 1/2 miles to 1 inch. (Shows crest of the Sierra from Mount Conness to headwaters of San Joaquin River.—See, also, detail map of Lyell Glacier, plate XL, same volume.)

RUSSELL AND JOHNSON: LAKE MONO, 1887. Hydrographic basin of Lake Mono. I. C. Russell, geologist; W. D. Johnson, topographer. U. S. Geological Survey: Eighth Annual Report, for 1886-87, plate XVII. Scale, 1:250,000. (Contour map, showing Sierra region from Bridgeport to Mount Ritter.)

MUIR, 1891. Map of the Sequoia National Park and Proposed Addition; Map of the Kings River Yosemite. (Two small sketch-maps in Century Magazine, November, 1891, pp. 78, 79.

LE CONTE: YOSEMITE, 1893. Map of a portion of the Sierra Nevada adjacent to the Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy Valleys. By J. N. Le Conte. January, 1893. Scale, 4 miles to 1 inch. (Publications of the Sierra Club, No. 4.)

LE CONTE: KINGS RIVER, 1893. Map of a portion of the Sierra Nevada adjacent to the King’s River. Compiled for the Sierra Club. By J. N. Le Conte. January, 1893. Scale, 4 miles to 1 inch. (Publications of the Sierra Club, No. 5.)

MCCLURE, 1895. Map of the Yosemite National Park prepared expressly for use of U. S. troops by N. F. McClure, 1st Lieut., 5th U. S. Cavalry. February, 1895. (In Report of the Acting Superintendent of the Yosemite National Park, 1895.)

BENSON, 1896. Yosemite National Park. Compiled from Captain Wheeler’s Survey (Sheet 56D and Yosemite Valley Sheet), U. S. Geological Survey (Yosemite Sheet), U. S. Land Office Plats, Lieutenant McClure’s Map, and from notes of scouts made by 1st Lieut. H. C. Benson, 4th U. S. Cav. (In Report of the Acting Superintendent of the Yosemite National Park, 1896. Reprinted in Report for 1897.)

McCLURE, 1896. Map of the Yosemite National Park prepared for use of U. S. troops by N. F. McClure, 1st Lieut., 5th Cavalry. March, 1896. (In Report of the Acting Superintendent of the Yosemite National Park, 1900. Reprinted in Reports for 1902, 1903, 1904.)

SOLOMONS, 1896. Sketch map of the High Sierra between Yosemite Valley and Kings River Cañon. By Theodore S. Solomons. February, 1896. Scale, 2 1/2 miles to 1 inch (Original in library of Sierra Club, not reproduced in full. Detail reproduced in S.C.B., 1923, XI:4, plate CXIV. Drawing taken from this map reproduced in Overland Monthly, May, 1896, p. 484.)

LE CONTE: SIERRA, 1896. Map of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Central California. Publication No. 12 of the Sierra Club. January, 1896. [Compiled by J. N. Le Conte.] Scale, 4 miles to 1 inch. (Inserts: Yosemite Valley, Hetch-Hetchy Valley.)

DAVIS, 1896. Sketch of that portion of the Sierra Nevadas adjacent to the [Sequoia] National Park. Surveyed and drawn by 2nd Lieut. Milton F. Davis, 4th Cavalry, U.S.A. 1896. Scale, 2 miles to 1 inch. (Blueprint only. The central portion of this map was reproduced under title of “Sketch of the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks and the Sierra Forest Reserve in their Immediate Vicinity,” in Report of the Acting Superintendent of the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks, 1897, and in Reports for 1900, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908.)

CLARK, 1899. Reconnaissance sketch of Sequoia National Park and Vicinity. By 2nd Lt. Henry B. Clark, 3rd U. S. Art’y. 1899. (In Report of the Acting Superintendent of the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks, 1899.)

LE CONTE: SIERRA, 1899-1904. Portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Central California. No. 1, Yosemite Sheet; No. 2, San Joaquin Sheet; No. 3, Kings-Kern Sheet. By J. N. Le Conte. Scale, 1:125,000. (Blueprints, in 3 sheets, issued with several revisions from 1899 to 1904.)

LE CONTE: SIERRA, 1906. Outline map of the Southern Sierra Nevada showing the location of the principal streams and peaks. From work of the U. S. Geological Survey and original surveys by J. N. Le Conte. By Joseph N. Le Conte, December, 1906. (In Alpina Americana, no. 1, 1907. Published by the American Alpine Club.)

SKETCH MAPS IN SIERRA CLUB BULLETIN. Kings-Kern, by J. N. Le Conte, in I:1, 1893; Kings River Region, by B. C. Brown, in I:8, 1896; Kings-Kern, by B. C. Brown, in II:1, 1897; Bubbs Creek, by J. N. Le Conte, in II:2, 1897; Kaweah Peaks, by W. R. Dudley, in II:3, 1898; Bubbs Creek, by C. B. Bradley, in II:5, 1899; Triangulation between Mount Ritter and Mount Whitney, by J. N. Le Conte, in II:5, 1899; Ouzel Basin, by D. S. Jordan, in III:1, 1900; Sixty Lake Basin, by B. C. Brown, in III:2, 1900; Fish Creek, by Lincoln Hutchinson, in IV:3, 1903; Palisades, by J. N. Le Conte, in V:1, 1904; South Fork of San Joaquin, by J. N. Le Conte, in V:3, 1905; High Mountain Route, by J. N. Le Conte, in VII:1, 1909; Tuolumne Soda Springs, by J. N. Le Conte, in IX:1, 1913; Tenaya Cañon, by J. N. Le Conte, in IX:3, 1914; Colby Pass and Black Kaweah, by J. S. Hutchinson, in XI:2, 1921; Kings River Region, by J. S. Hutchinson, in XI:4, 1923; Mount Goddard and Simpson Meadow, by J. S. Hutchinson, in XII:1, 1924; Tehipite Valley, by T. S. Solomons (1897), in XII:2, 1925; Kings River Cañon and Yosemite Valley, by F. E. Matthes, in XII:3, 1926.

U.S.G.S.: YOSEMITE QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1893-1894; topography by R. B. Marshall; triangulation by H. E. C. Feusier; edition of 1909, reprinted 1923.

U.S.G.S.: DARDANELLES QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1891-1896; topography by R. H. McKee, R. B. Marshall; triangulation by H. E. C. Feusier; edition of 1898, reprinted 1912.

U.S.G.S.: MT. LYELL QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1898-1899; topography by R. B. Marshall; triangulation by H. E. C. Feusier; edition of 1901, reprinted 1922.

U.S.G.S.: KAISER QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1901-1902; topography by R. B. Marshall; triangulation by E. T. Perkins; edition of 1904, reprinted 1923.

U.S.G.S.: KAWEAH QUADRANGLE, Surveyed, 1902; topography by E. C. Barnard, A. 1. Oliver, R. B. Oliver, W. C. Guerin; triangulation by E. T. Perkins; edition of 1909, reprinted 1921.

U.S.G.S.: TEHIPITE QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1903; topography by R. B. Marshall, George R. Davis; triangulation by E. T. Perkins; edition of 1905, reprinted 1924.

U.S.G.S.: MT. WHITNEY QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1905; topography by G. R. Davis, C. L. Nelson, S. N. Stoner; triangulation by C. F. Urquhart; edition of 1907, reprinted 1921.

U.S.G.S.: OLANCHA QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1905; topograplly by S. N. Stoner, J. P. Harrison; triangulation of C. F. Urquhart; edition of 1907, reprinted 1922.

U.S.G.S.: BRIDGEPORT QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1905-1909; topography by A. H. Sylvester, George R. Davis, Pearson Chapman; control by A. H. Sylvester, C. M. Weston, C. R. Smith; edition of 1911, reprinted 1920.

U.S.G.S.: MT. GODDARD QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1907-1909; topography by George R. Davis; control by C. F. Urquhart, L. F. Biggs; edition of 1912, reprinted 1923.

U.S.G.S.: MARIPOSA QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1909-1910; topography by C. H. Birdseye, A. J. Ogle, T. P. Pendleton, E. R. Bartlett, J. W. Muller; control by C. F. Urquhart, L. F. Biggs, L. D. Ryus; edition of 1912, reprinted 1920.

U.S.G.S.: BISHOP QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1910-1911; topography by George R. Davis, B. A. Jenkins; control by C. F. Urquhart, L. F. Biggs, R. A. Farmer; edition of 1913, reprinted 1920.

U.S.G.S.: MT. MORRISON QUADRANGLE. Surveyed, 1911-1912; topography by B. A. Jenkins, J. G. Staak, S. E. Taylor, C. W. Wardel; control by C. F. Urquhart, L. F. Biggs, C. W. Wardel; edition of 1914.

U.S.G.S.: YOSEMITE VALLEY. Surveyed, 1905-1906, in co-operation with the State of California; scale, 1:24,000; contour interval, 50 feet; topography by F. E. Matthes; triangulation by C. F. Urquhart; edition of 1907, reprinted 1922.

[Editor’s note: for the convenience of modern readers, who don’t have access to 30' topographic maps, I prepared the following index map of the early 19th century topo maps of the Sierra Nevada, California. This map does not appear in the original printed edition—DEA.]

PUBLICATIONS OF THE SIERRA CLUB

1892-1926

A.—The Sierra Club Bulletin

Publica-
tion No.

Vol.

No.

Date

Publica-
tion No.

Vol.

No.

Date

2*

I

1

January, 1893

35

VI

2

January, 1907

3*

2

June, 1893

36

3

June, 1907

6*

3

January, 1894

37

4

January, 1908

7*

4

May, 1894

38

5

June, 1908

9*

5

January, 1895

39

VIII

1

January, 1909

10*

6

May, 1895

40

2

June, 1909

11*

7

January, 1896

41

3

January, 1910

13*

8

May, 1896

42

4

June, 1910

14*

II

1

January, 1897

43

VIII

1

January, 1911

15*

2

May, 1897

44

2

June, 1911

16*

3

January, 1898

45

3

January, 1912

17*

4

June, 1898

46

4

June, 1912

18*

5

January, 1899

47

IX

1

January, 1913

19*

6

June, 1899

48

2

June, 1913

20*

III

1

January, 1900

49*

3

January, 1914

22*

2

May, 1900

50

4

January, 1915

23*

3

February, 1901

51

X

1

January, 1916

24*

4

June, 1901

52

2

January, 1917

25*

IV

1

January, 1902

53

3

January, 1918

26*

2

June, 1902

54

4

January, 1919

28*

3

February,1903

55

XI

1

January, 1920

29*

4

June, 1903

56

2

January, 1921

30*

VI

1

January, 1904

57*

3

1922

31*

2

June, 1904

58*

4

1923

32*

3

January, 1905

59

XII

1

1924

33*

4

June, 1905

60

2

1925

34

VI

1

January, 1906

61

3

1926

B.—Other Publications

1*

Articles of Association, By-Laws, and List of Members.

1892

4*

Map of a Portion of the Sierra Nevada Adjacent to the Yosemite. (J. N. Le Conte.)

1893

5*

Map of a Portion of the Sierra Nevada Adjacent to the Kings River. (J. N. Le Conte.)

1893

8*

Table of Elevations within the Pacific Coast. (Mark B. Kerr and R. H. Chapman.)

1895

12*

Map of the Central Portion of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and of the Yosemite Valley. (J. N. Le Conte.)

1896

21*

Ramblings Through the High Sierra. By Joseph Le Conte. (Reprinted from S.C.B., 1900, III:1.)

1900

27*

A Flora of the South Fork of Kings River. By Alice Eastwood.

1903

62

Place Names of the High Sierra. By Francis P. Farquhar.

1926

*Out of print.

THE END

“Francis Farquhar Personification of a Tradition”

by Nicholas Clinch, Sierra Club Bulletin 60:2 (February 1975), p. 21

Francis and Mary
Farquhar as seen by
Cedric Wright during
a relaxed moment on
a Sierra Club outing
of the 1930’s.

Francis P. Farquhar, the Honorary President of the Sierra Club, died at his home in Berkeley, California on November 21, 1974. Conservationist, mountaineer, scholar and writer, he ranks with John Muir and William Colby in his influence upon the club and the conservation movement. Born on December 31, 1887 in Newton, Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard University in 1901, he came west and discovered Yosemite, the High Sierra, and the Sierra Club.

He was transformed by his exposure to John Muir’s Range of Light, and from that moment forward he became a disciple of the Sierra Nevada through his mountaineering, the chronicling of hits history, his efforts to preserve it, and his service to the Sierra Club. He served as a director for 27 years, from 1924 to 1951, as vice president and fifth officer, as treasurer, and twice as president from 1933–35 and 1948–49.

Francis was editor of the Sierra Club Bulletin from 1926 to 1945, and brought to his work a vast knowledge of the Sierra Nevada, a dedication to the English language, and a love of typographical excellence that made the Bulletin, in the words of a British authority “that model of all mountaineering periodicals.”

His writings were prodigious. Besides numerous articles in various magazines and journals, he wrote Place Names of the High Sierra in 1926, edited a new edition of Clarence King’s Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada, and through his editing of the letters of William H. Brewer, a companion of Clarence King in the California Geological Survey, produced Up and Down California in 1864–64, one of the classics of California literature. His efforts as an historian culminated in his definitive History of the Sierra Nevada.

He hiked the length and breadth of the Sierra from Fredonia Pass to Mt. Langley and climbed every 14,000 foot mountain on the West Coast, including the first ascent of Middle Palisade in 1921, the last 14,000 foot peak in California to be climbed. He was responsible, through the person of Robert L. M. Underhill, for introducing the techniques of modern roped climbing to the Sierra, thereby starting the development of a climbing technique that is used throughout the world today. In 1934, he married Marjory Bridge, an outstanding climber, and for 40 years their home was the center of club mountaineering as climbers of all ages constantly gathered to be reconfirmed in the faith.

A pioneer conservationist, he was instrumental in the club’s efforts to get the entire Kern River country added to Sequoia national Park in 1926. In 1965, the club awarded him its John Muir Award for conservation.

Francis was a close friend of Stephen T. Mather and Horace M. Albright, cofounders of the National Park Service, and in the 1920’s his San Francisco apartment was the unofficial western headquarters of the National Park Service.

Because of his many contributions to the Sierra Club, it is difficult to appreciate that he carried on a full-time accounting practice as a partner of Farquhar and Heimbucher and that he worked with many other organizations with the same enthusiasm as he did with the Sierra Club. He served as president of the California Academy of Sciences, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the California Historical Society. He received numerous awards and honors, including an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Francis Farquhar personified the traditions and principles of the Sierra Club. For over three decades, he inspired, encouraged, and showed the way. Today the Sierra Club reflects the excellence of the example he gave.

Nicholas Clinch

http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/