Yosemite Valley

Mariposa County · Yosemite National Park · location approximate

On June 30, 1864, the United States granted the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove to the State of California to "be held for public use, resort, and recreation... inalienable for all time." This act, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, was the first federal authorization to preserve scenic and scientific values for public benefit. It was the basis for the later concept of state and national park systems. In 1906 the State of California returned the land, considered the first state park in the country, so that it could become part of Yosemite National Park.

1971 register text, presented as a historical document. It uses the period's terms for Native people; the state's landmark listings still carry most of this wording, and the California Office of Historic Preservation maintains the program's current texts.

Many of these plaques have since been recast or their texts revised. The California Historical Landmarks program and its current texts are maintained by the California Office of Historic Preservation. California Office of Historic Preservation ↗

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Marker data: State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, California Historical Landmarks (1971)

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