Who discovered Yosemite National Park

Get ready for a giant adventure in Yosemite! ⛰️ Imagine waterfalls taller than skyscrapers and trees so old they were alive when dinosaurs roamed! 🤯 175 years ago, some people saw this amazing place for the very first time and couldn't believe their eyes! But wait—Native Americans lived there happily for thousands of years before that! Discover the incredible journey of how Yosemite became one of America's first national parks, thanks to nature-lover John Muir who fought hard to keep it wild! Mira and Finn take you deep into the giant sequoias and roaring rivers of this spectacular valley. Don't miss this epic story of discovery, giants, and protecting nature! What secrets did they find in the mountains?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com. I'm Mira!

SPEAKER_01 0:05

And I'm Finn.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Wow Finn, today is a super special day in history. It's almost exactly 175 years ago that some explorers first stumbled upon a valley in California that took their breath away.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Wait, wait, 175 years ago? Was it a secret treasure map that led them there?

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Not exactly a map, but it was a journey. They found a place with waterfalls so tall they make our biggest skyscrapers look like little Lego bricks. We're talking about the stunning Yosemite Valley. Waterfalls taller than buildings? No way! How tall are we talking? Some of them are over 2,400 feet tall. But here's the biggest secret. People were already living there for thousands of years before those explorers even showed up. Okay, let's set the scene. This incredible place is Yosemite Valley, nestled in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Imagine granite cliffs towering up to 4,000 feet. That's taller than 30 Empire State buildings stacked on top of each other.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Wow, 30 buildings! So who were the people living there first? Were they called Yosemite people?

SPEAKER_00 1:26

That's a great question. For over 4,000 years, the Awanichi people lived in the valley, which they called Awani. They were incredible stewards of the land, thriving in this amazing place.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

4,000 years? That's longer than almost any country has existed. So if they were there, why did the explorers think they discovered it?

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Because the Awanichi were living hidden away in that massive valley, surrounded by giant mountains. The world outside didn't know about it. The first recorded non-Native American group to see it was the Mariposa Battalion on March 27, 1851.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

March 27, 1851. Got it. Was that group a bunch of brave explorers looking for gold?

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Close. They were actually a military group led by Major John Bowling, sent to find and remove the Native American people from the area. Life for the Awanichi suddenly got very sad and difficult, as they were forced to leave their ancestral home.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Oh, that's not a good way to meet new neighbours. What did the soldiers call the place if the people called it Awani?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

The soldiers adapted a name based on the people they encountered, which became Yosemite. It's a complex history, but the important thing is that for the explorers, they felt like they were the very first ones to see these wonders. When the Mariposa Battalion finally entered the valley, they couldn't believe what they saw. Picture this: massive waterfalls like Yosemite Falls plunging 2,425 feet. That's nearly 100 times taller than a ten-story building.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Wait, wait! 2,425 feet? That's huge! Did they bring measuring tapes that long?

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Ha! They probably just use their eyes in descriptions. But they also saw trees that looked like giants, the giant sequoias. These trees are so wide you could drive a small car through a hole carved in one. Some of them are over 3,000 years old.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

3,000 years old? That means they were alive when pirates sailed the seas. Were there any funny moments when they first saw everything?

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Well, one explorer wrote that the waterfall sounded like the rushing of a thousand mighty rivers. Imagine that roar. The valley floor itself is only about eight miles long and one mile wide, but it's surrounded by walls of solid granite like El Capitan, which is 3,000 feet straight up.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

Whoa! Granite walls 3,000 feet high. That's like climbing Mount Everest halfway, just by looking up. So, did they try to climb El Capitan right then?

SPEAKER_00 4:20

Not yet. Climbing those massive granite walls took many more years. But after the explorers saw it, word started to spread, and that's when another amazing person showed up, John Muir. John Muir arrived in 1869, about 18 years after the initial sighting, and he completely fell in love. He said, when one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. He didn't just visit, he lived there, studying the glaciers that carved the valley and the unique wildlife.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Wait, glaciers? Like ice mountains. Did he see them making the valley when he was there?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

He figured out that giant glaciers, hundreds of feet thick, had slowly carved out that U-shaped valley over millions of years, smashing the rock away. Muir decided this place was too special to just be lumbered or mined. He became Yosemite's first, loudest, and most passionate protector.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

He wanted to save it, like a superhero for trees and rocks. Did people listen to him right away?

SPEAKER_00 5:30

It was a huge fight. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln actually signed the Yosemite grant, protecting Yosemite Valley and the nearby Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias. That protected about 40,000 acres initially.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Lincoln did that before Muir even got there. That's amazing foresight. But you said Muir fought to protect it later, too.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

He did, because the initial grant didn't protect the whole massive area we know today. Muir spent years writing articles and letters, pleading with Congress. Finally, in 1890, thanks to his passionate efforts, the area became Yosemite National Park, one of America's very first national parks.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

So his writing saved the rest of the giant trees and mountains. How big is the whole park now, compared to the first protected area?

SPEAKER_00 6:26

It grew. The park is now over 1,189,000 acres. That's larger than the entire country of Rhode Island. All because people like Muir saw something worth saving. So, what changed? Yosemite went from a hidden jewel to a protected wonder for everyone. The creation of Yosemite National Park set a huge precedent. By 1900, the US had established several more parks, all inspired by the idea that these natural places needed protection.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Wow, that idea spread like wildfire. It's still there, totally protected. What's a super weird fact about Yosemite?

SPEAKER_00 7:09

Did you know that Yosemite Falls is so high that in a really dry year the very bottom part of the waterfall actually freezes solid and the water has to tunnel under the ice to reach the ground? It's like a secret underground river for a little while.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

It makes its own ice bridge. That is wild. Are the trees really that big? They are.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

The largest tree by volume in the world is in Yosemite, called the Grizzly Giant. It's about 27 feet across its base. If you weighed all the wood in that one tree, it would be over 2 million pounds.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

2 million pounds? That's heavier than 400 full-grown elephants.

unknown 7:51

Haha.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

I'm glad John Muir convinced everyone to leave those giants alone.

SPEAKER_00 7:55

Me too. From the first military sighting in 1851 to the original small grant in 1864 to the full national park in 1890, it's a perfect example of how one special place can change history. Alright, Finn, time for the quiz! Are you ready to test your Yosemite knowledge?

SPEAKER_01 8:14

I think so. Bring on the giant tree questions.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

Okay, first question. What year did the Mariposa Battalion first record seeing the Yosemite Valley? Next one. This is about scale. About how tall is the tallest waterfall, Yosemite Falls, in feet? Question three. Who was the famous nature lover that fought hard to protect the area later on? Here's number four. What massive natural force did John Muir realise carved the valley over millions of years? Last question. What is the name of the famous tree in Yosemite that is the world's largest by volume? Great job! Let's see how you did on those tricky facts. The first answer is the year 1851, specifically March 27th. For question 2, the height is over 2,400 feet. Number 3. The person who fought for it was John Muir. Question 4. The valley was carved by ancient glaciers. And the final answer is the grizzly giant.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Wow, 1851 feels like yesterday compared to those 4,000 years the Awanichi lived there.

SPEAKER_00 9:42

It really does put time in perspective. And imagine, standing next to a tree that's lived through so much history. It makes you want to protect things, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Totally. Hey Mira, if you loved this episode about saving the giants, you should ask your grown-up to leave us a five-star review.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

That's right. If you want more history adventures like this one, please scroll down right now and tap those five stars for us. It helps other history explorers find our show.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

And don't forget to check out our site, kidopoly.com. We have tons of fun learning games and activities there that go along with all the cool stuff we learn.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

If you want a shout out on a future episode, or just want to tell us what you thought of the giant gorgeous tree, send an email to hello at kidopoly.com. We love hearing from you.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

See you next time on History's Not Boring. Bye everyone.