Petition and Map from John Muir and Others, Members of the Sierra Club, Protesting Reduction of the Size of Yosemite National Park, January 2, 1893
In 1893, California Congressman Anthony Caminetti proposed a bill to open approximately half of Yosemite National Park for mining and farming. In protest, the Sierra Club—founded in 1892 by John Muir and other conservationists to protect wilderness areas—sent Congress this petition and map to draw public attention to the issue. The blue line on the map shows the reduced area described by the bill. In the end, Congress preserved Yosemite at its original size.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
Protecting Natural Resources - 2
The development of the West brought an ever-increasing number of settlers. When resources became depleted or despoiled, voices were raised to preserve the West’s scenic lands and their fragile environments. In 1864, Congress acted. Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias became the first parklands set aside by the federal government. They were initially granted to the state of California and later became a National Park in 1890. Yosemite was made part of the National Park Service when it was established by Congress in 1916.