Re: Yosemite Forum Tuesday, April 12th at 3:30

"A way across the mountain: Joseph Walker's 1833 trans-Sierran passage and the myth of Yosemite's discovery" by Dr. Scott Stine

In 1833, Joseph Walker led a brigade of fur trappers from Wyoming to California. Toward the end of their journey the Walker brigade crossed the Sierra Nevada, becoming the first non-Native people to traverse the range from east to west. Following Walker's death in 1876, an alluring tale arose in which Walker found himself on the northern rim of Yosemite Valley, and over time this tale of discovery hardened to folklore. In this talk, Dr. Scott Stine will reconstruct Walker's 1833 route over the Sierra using a detailed travel narrative from the brigade's field clerk, combined with observations of geomorphology, hydrography, biogeography, and climate, demonstrating that Walker's route was in fact well north of Yosemite Valley.

The Forum will take place Tuesday, April 12, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in the Yosemite Valley Auditorium. Please contact Ami Knighten at 379-1301 for additional information.

Did any one attend this forum? Any details?

I saw him speak about ten years ago and am surprised it took him this long to get his book published. Thought it was pretty compelling at the time. I'm glad his research is finally out for the masses.

It looks like a great book. I would certainly buy a copy, if it weren't for the $40 price tag!

The SF Library has one on order...