The making of Yosemite : James Mason Hutchings and the origin of America's most popular national park
Leader of the first tourist expedition into Yosemite in 1855, James Mason Hutchings became a tireless promoter of the valley--and of himself. Seeking to create an alternative to California's Gold Rush social chaos, Hutchings whetted the public enthusiasm for this unspoiled land by mass producing a lithograph of Yosemite Falls, while his Hutchings' California Magazine beat the drum for tourism. But because of his later legal imbroglios over the park, Hutchings was effectively written out of its history, and today he is largely viewed as an opportunist who made a career out of exploiting Yosemite
Print Book, English, ©2011
University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, ©2011