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DISCOVERY OF THE YOSEMITE, AND THE INDIAN WAR OF 1851, WHICH LED TO THAT EVENT. BY LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON BUNNELL, M.D., OF THE MARIPOSA BATTALION, ONE OF THE DISCOVERERS, LATE SURGEON THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT WISCONSIN VOLUNTEERS. THIRD EDITION—REVISED AND CORRECTED. FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY, NEW YORK: CHICAGO: 30 Union Square: East. 148 and 150 Madison St.
DISCOVERY OF THE YOSEMITE, AND THE INDIAN WAR OF 1851, WHICH LED TO THAT EVENT. BY LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON BUNNELL, M.D., OF THE MARIPOSA BATTALION, ONE OF THE DISCOVERERS, LATE SURGEON THIRTY-SIXTH REGIMENT WISCONSIN VOLUNTEERS. THIRD EDITION—REVISED AND CORRECTED. FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY, NEW YORK: CHICAGO: 30 Union Square: East. 148 and 150 Madison St.
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1880-1892, by L. H. BUNNELL, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. DEDICATION. TO THE HON. CHARLES H. BERRY, THIS BOOK, IN REMEMBRANCE OF KINDLY SUGGESTIONS, IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. By Courtesy of the Publishers. MAP OF THE YO SEMITE NATIONAL PARK SITUATED IN TUOLUMNE, MARIPOSA, FRESNO, AND MONO COUNTIES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA. COMPRISING 42 TOWNSHIPS, COVERING AN AREA OF ABOUT 1,500 SQUARE MILES, BEING APPROXIMATELY 960,000
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WONDER LAND.
WONDER LAND.
VIEW OF THE YOSEMITE. Looking up the valley from a height of about 1,000 feet above the Merced River, and above sea level 5,000 feet, giving some faint idea of the beauty, grandeur and magnitude of this magnificent work of nature....
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
Incidents leading to the discovery of the Yosemite Valley—Major Savage and Savages—Whiskey, wrangling and War—Skinned Alive—A brisk Fight—Repulse—Another Fight, and Conflagration. During the winter of 1849-50, while ascending the old Bear Valley trail from Ridley’s ferry, on the Merced river, my attention was attracted to the stupendous rocky peaks of the Sierra Nevadas. In the distance an immense cliff loomed, apparently to the summit of the mountains. Although familiar with nature in her wilde
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Major Burney’s Letter to Gov. McDougal.
Major Burney’s Letter to Gov. McDougal.
Agua Fria , January 13, 1851. Sir : Your Excellency has doubtlessly been informed by Mr. Johnston and others, of repeated and aggravated depredations of the Indians in this part of the State. Their more recent outrages you are probably not aware of. Since the departure of Mr. Johnston, the Indian agent, they have killed a portion of the citizens on the head of the San Joaquin river, driven the balance off, taken away all movable property, and destroyed all they could not take away. They have inv
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
March Down the South Fork—Capture of an Indian Village—Hungry Men—An able Surgeon—Snow Storms—Visit of Ten-ie-ya, Chief of the Yosemites—Commander’s Dilemma—Unique Manner of Extrication—Approaching the Valley—First View—Sensations Experienced—A Lofty Flight Brought Down. There was a very passable trail for horses leading down the right bank of the river, but it was overlooked on the left bank by the Indian village, which was situated on a high point at a curve in the river that commanded an exte
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
Naming the Valley—Signification and Origin of the Word—Its proper Pronunciation: Yo-sem-i-ty—Mr. Hutchings and Yo-Ham-i-te—His Restoration of Yo-sem-i-te. My devout astonishment at the supreme grandeur of the scenery by which I was surrounded, continued to engross my mind. The warmth of the fires and preparations for supper, however, awakened in me other sensations, which rapidly dissipated my excitement. As we rode up, Major Savage remarked to Capt. Boling, “We had better move on up, and hunt o
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
Date of Discovery—First White Visitors—Captain Joe Walker’s Statement—Ten-ie-ya’s Cunning—Indian Tradition—A lying Guide—The Ancient Squaw—Destroying Indian Stores—Sweat-houses—The Mourner’s Toilet—Sentiment and Reality—Return to Head-quarters. The date of our discovery and entrance into the Yosemite was about the 21st of March, 1851. We were afterward assured by Ten-ie-ya and others of his band, that this was the first visit ever made to this valley by white men. Ten-ie-ya said that a small par
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
Out of Provisions—A hurried Move—Mills where Indians take Their Grists, and Pots in which they Boil their Food—Advance Movement of Captain Dill—A Hungry Squad—Enjoyment—Neglect of Duty—Escape of Indians—Following their Trail—A Sorrowful Captain—A Mystery made Clear—Duplicity of the Chow-chillas—Vow-chester’s Good-will Offering—Return of the Fugitives—Major Savage as Agent and Interpreter. On our arrival at the rendezvous on the South Fork the officer in charge reported; “We are about out of grub
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
Campaign against the Chow-chillas—The Favorite Hunting Ground—A Deer Hunt and a Bear Chase —An Accident and an Alarm—A Torch-light Pow-wow—Indians Discovered—Captain Boling’s Speech—Crossing of the San Joaquin—A Line of Battle, its Disappearance—Capture of Indian Village—Jose Rey’s Funeral-pyre—Following the Trail—A Dilemma—Sentiment and Applause—Returning to Camp—Narrow Escape of Captain Boling. Major Savage now advised a vigorous campaign against the Chow-chillas. The stampeding of our captive
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
A Camp Discussion—War or Police Clubs—Jack Regrets a Lost Opportunity—Boling’s Soothing Syrup—A Scribe Criticises and Apologises—Indian War Material and its Manufacture—The Fire-stick and its Sacred Uses—Arrival at Head-quarters. It was not until after we had partaken of a hearty supper and produced our pipes, that the lively hum of conversation and the occasional careless laughter indicated the elastic temperament of some of the hardy, light-hearted, if not light-headed, “boys,” while in camp.
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CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER IX.
Starvation subdues the Chow-chillas, and the Result is Peace—Captain Kuykendall’s Expeditions—An Attack—Rout and Pursuit—A Wise Conclusion—Freezing out Indians—A wild Country—A terrific View—Yosemite versus King’s River—Submission of the Indians South of the San Joaquin—Second Expedition to Yosemite—Daring Scouts—Capture of Indians—Naming of “Three Brothers.” A few days after our return from the campaign against the Chow-chil-las, a small delegation from a Kah-we-ah band on King’s river was sent
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
A General Scout—An Indian Trap—Flying Artillery—A Narrow Escape—A Tragic Scene—Fortunes of War—A Scout’s Description—Recovery from a Sudden Leap—Surrounded by Enemies. While Captain Boling was engaged in capturing the Indians we had “treed” on the north side of the valley, scouting parties were sent out by Lieut. Chandler. They spread over the valley, and search was made in every locality that was accessible. Discovering fresh signs on a trail I had unsuccessfully followed on my first visit, I p
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
Camp Amusements—A Lost Arrow—Escape of a Prisoner—Escape of Another—Shooting of the Third—Indian Diplomacy—Taking His Own Medicine—Ten-ie-ya Captured—Grief over the Death of His Son—Appetite under Adverse Circumstances—Poetry Dispelled—Really a Dirty Indian. Although our camp was undisturbed during the night, no doubt we were watched from the adjacent cliffs, as in fact all our movements were. The captives silently occupied the places by the camp fire. They were aware of Spencer’s mishap, and pr
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
Bears and Other Game—Sickness of Captain Boling—Convalescence and Determination—A Guess at Heights—A Tired Doctor and a Used-up Captain—Surprising an Indian—Know-nothingness, or Native Americanism—A Clue and Discovery—A Short-cut to Camp, but an Unpopular Route. Considerable hilarity has been exhibited by modern visitors when told that the Yosemite and its environs were once the favorite resort of the grizzly bear. After these visitors have returned to New York or Boston, they tell the public no
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CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIII.
The Indian Names—Difficulty of their Interpretation—Circumstances Suggesting Names of Vernal, Nevada and Bridal Veil Falls—Mr. Richardson’s Descriptions of the Falls and Round Rainbow—Py-we-ack Misplaced, and “ Illiluette ” an Absurdity—An English Name Suggested for Too-lool-lo-we-ack, Pohono and Tote-ack-ah-nü-la—Indian Superstitions and Spiritual Views—A Free National Park Desirable—Off on the Trail. During our long stay in the Yosemite, I discovered that almost every prominent object and loca
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
A Mountain Storm—Delay of Supplies—Clams and Ipecac—Arrival of Train—A Cute Indian—Indian Sagacity—A Dangerous Weapon—Capture of Indian Village—An Eloquent Chief—Woman’s Rights versus Squaw’s Wrongs—A Disturbed Family—A Magnificent Sunrise—On a Slippery Slope—Sentiment and Poetry—Arrival at the Fresno. A mountain storm raged with such violence as to stampede the mules of the pack-train while the escort were encamped on the South Fork. The mules were not overtaken until they reached the foot-hill
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
The Flora of the Region of the Yosemite—General Description of the Valley and its Principal Points of Interest, with their Heights. A marked and peculiar feature observed in the landscape of the Merced River slopes, while going to the Yosemite, especially on the Coultersville route, is the dense growth of the chamiso and the manzanita. These shrubs are found most abundant below the altitude of the growth of sugar-pine, upon dry, slaty ground; though a larger variety of manzanita, distinguishable
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CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVI.
A Trip to Los Angelos—Interview with Col. McKee—A Night at Col. Fremont’s Camp—Management of Cattle by the Colonel’s Herdsmen—Back to Los Angelos—Specimen Bricks of the Angel City—An Addition to our Party—Mules Versus Bears—Don Vincente—A Silver Mine—Mosquitos—A Dry Bog—Return to Fresno—Muster out of Battalion—A Proposition. On arriving at head-quarters on the Fresno, with the remnant of the once numerous and defiant band of Yosemite Indians, whose thieving propensities and murderous attacks had
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
Captain Boling elected Sheriff—Appointment of Indian Agents—Ten-ie-ya allowed to return to Yosemite—Murder of Visitors—Lt. Moore’s Expedition and Punishment of Murderers—Gold Discoveries on Eastern Slope of Sierras—Report of Expedition, and first Published Notice of Yosemite—Squatter Sovereignty—Assault upon King’s River Reservation—The Supposed Leader, Harvey, Denounced by Major Savage—A Rencounter and death of Savage—Harvey Liberated by a Friendly Justice—An Astute Superintendent—A Mass Meetin
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Murder of Starkey—Death of Ten-ie-ya and Extinction of his Band—A few Surviving Murderers—An Attempt at Reformation—A Failure and loss of a Mule—Murders of Robert D. Sevil and Robert Smith—Alarm of the People—A False Alarm. During the winter of 1852-3, Jesse Starkey and Mr. Johnson, comrades of the Mariposa battalion and expert hunters, were engaged in supplying miners along the Mariposa Creek with venison and bear meat. They were encamped on the head waters of the Chow-chilla and fearing no dan
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
Engineering and History—Speculation and Discouragement—A New Deal—Wall Street—A Primitive Bridge—First Woman in the Yosemite—Lady Visitors from Mariposa and Lady Teachers from San Francisco—Measurements of Heights—First Houses, and their Occupants—A Gay Party and a Glorious Feast. Although no visits were made during the year 1854 to the Yosemite Valley, it was at this time that the existence of such a locality began to be generally known outside of the limits of Mariposa county. Many of the inha
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Golden Theories and Glaciers.
Golden Theories and Glaciers.
The many inquiries that the author has received concerning his views upon the gold deposits of California, has induced him to add this chapter to his work. It has been said by an earnest and astute observer, that “The cooled earth permits us no longer to comprehend the phenomena of the primitive creation, because the fire which pervaded it is extinguished,” and again that “There is no great foundation (of truth), which does not repose upon a legend.” There has been a tradition among the Californ
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
Big Trees of California or Sequoia Gigantea—Their Discovery and Classification. In speaking of the discovery of the “ Big Trees ” of Calavaras, Mr. Hutchings, in his “Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity,” says that: “In the spring of 1852 Mr. A. T. Doud, a hunter, was employed by the Union Water Company of Murphy’s camp, Calavaras county, to supply the workmen with fresh meat from the large quantity of game running wild on the upper portion of their works. Having wounded a bear, and while industrious
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THE END.
THE END.
1 “Rock Chief,” a literal translation of “Tote-ack-ah-noo-la,” rendered “El Capitan” in Spanish, from the likeness of a man’s head upon the wall. 2 The Yosemites were known as the “Bear tribe.” “Ten-ie-ya” was chief. 3 “Scho look” is the Indian name for the “High Fall;” “Ah-wah-ne,” the old name of Valley, and “Kay o pha” (the sky), the name of highest or snow-clad peaks. 4 At intervals at the Vernal a round rainbow is formed, perfect as a finger-ring. 5 “Glacier Fall,” in place of “Too-loo lo-w
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