09-07-2021, 02:16 PM
In the Heart of the Sierras: Yo Semite Valley and the Big Trees by James M. Hutchings
The space in the middle of Yosemite in the title is deliberate. That's how they spelled it back in the day.
James Mason Hutchings was one of the original tourists to Yosemite valley. He made his first trip to the valley back in 1855. He had heard rumors about Savage's expedition and wanted to see the valley. The only problem was that nobody from Savage's expedition remembered the route. Hutchings was eventually directed to some Native Americans who knew how to get there.
This book is a travelogue about getting to Yosemite and what to see once you get there. It was first published in 1886 and was based on the numerous articles Hutchings wrote for his magazine Hutching's Illustrated California Magazine The book is a wealth of detail from every single stop the stages made on the various routes into the valley to biographies of all the Inn Keepers in the valley. There is also a lot of background about how Hutchings became a hotel keeper himself. His writing is florid and of that time. But it is entertaining and I've added several more anecdotes to my stockpile.
But I don't know if Hutchings is to be trusted as a narrator. He is a self promoter and behooved him to paint as good a picture about Yosemite as he could. It's also odd than John Muir's name never comes up in the book despite the fact Muir worked for Hutchings at Hutchings's saw mill. The saw mill was located near Yosemite Falls. Rumor has it that Hutchings was jealous of all the attention Muir got for talking about Yosemite.
The book is informative.
The space in the middle of Yosemite in the title is deliberate. That's how they spelled it back in the day.
James Mason Hutchings was one of the original tourists to Yosemite valley. He made his first trip to the valley back in 1855. He had heard rumors about Savage's expedition and wanted to see the valley. The only problem was that nobody from Savage's expedition remembered the route. Hutchings was eventually directed to some Native Americans who knew how to get there.
This book is a travelogue about getting to Yosemite and what to see once you get there. It was first published in 1886 and was based on the numerous articles Hutchings wrote for his magazine Hutching's Illustrated California Magazine The book is a wealth of detail from every single stop the stages made on the various routes into the valley to biographies of all the Inn Keepers in the valley. There is also a lot of background about how Hutchings became a hotel keeper himself. His writing is florid and of that time. But it is entertaining and I've added several more anecdotes to my stockpile.
But I don't know if Hutchings is to be trusted as a narrator. He is a self promoter and behooved him to paint as good a picture about Yosemite as he could. It's also odd than John Muir's name never comes up in the book despite the fact Muir worked for Hutchings at Hutchings's saw mill. The saw mill was located near Yosemite Falls. Rumor has it that Hutchings was jealous of all the attention Muir got for talking about Yosemite.
The book is informative.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm