GETTING THERE IN THE PAST
I was really ready for this one! J All photos, one way and another, are related to my Great Grandfather, J.K. Smedley’s trip to Yosemite in 1874.
J.K lived in Sacramento at
the time of his trip to Yo-Semite – I’m guessing on a quieter street, however.
From Sacramento he took
the train to Milton where he and three others hired a coach & four with a
driver for the rest of the trip. Several
folks he knew opted to take the stage – seen here – instead.
Before heading for
Yosemite they took a little side trip up to Calaveras Big Trees to see the
giant Sequoias there and stayed at the Sperry & Perry Hotel in Murphys.
They had lunch at the
Mammoth Grove Hotel owned by Sperry & Perry at Calaveras Big Trees.
The road from the ferry
brought them to Sonora where I live now, but this is the way they would have
seen it back then.
They stopped and had some
libation at the Sonora City Hotel before continuing on their way.
They crossed the Tuolumne
River on Hoswell’s Ferry and continued on to Rattlesnake Hill.
At Rattlesnake Hill they
would have climbed a very steep narrow road rising 1700 feet in elevation in
two miles to reach the top and Priest’s Hotel.
They would have been doing it from 10:00 at night to midnight in the
dark with only lanterns hung on the carriage to light the way and they had to take turns riding in the carriage one at a time! Their carriage driver was none too happy
about climbing that hill in the dark, but he was paid well for his grumbling.
My great grandfather had
heard about the wonderful meals served at Priest’s Hotel and was bound and
determined to have dinner there, When
J.K. & friends got there at midnight (I don’t think they realized they were
going to be arriving so late), they knocked on the door and the hotel owners
got up and fixed them a full dinner!
This particular photo was taken in July on the day the Big Oak Flat road
to Yo-Semite was open to carriage & wagon traffic all the way into the Valley. I’m thinking these travelers must have been
part of a band to play there in celebration of the occasion.
The stage with J.K.’s
other friends arrived at Priest’s Hotel the next morning, the stage driver
preferring to spend the night in Sonora and travel up Rattlesnake Hill in the
light of day.
From Priest’s J.K. &
friends would have come through Big Oak Flat and up the road - perhaps past
Jordan’s Cash Store if it was there at the time?
On through First Garrote –
now Groveland where we lived for 28 years – and on past “The Rim of the World”
lookout (probably not called that back then, but J.K. made notable mention of
the amazing view in his journal.)
Crossing the South Fork of
the Tuolumne River
Heading up Hardin Hill
Somewhere farther along on
the Big Oak Flat road.
And now down the
switchbacks to Yosemite Valley far below.
This was the section of the road finished and open to wagon &
carriage traffic all the way into the Valley in July of 1874. It was one-way controlled traffic. I believe it was up on the odd hour, down on
the even hour. (or vice versa) Because J.K. made the trip in May, he missed being able to go all the
way to the Valley by carriage and had to get there by saddle train from
Tamarack Flat.
The green slope next to El
Capitan is where the old Big Oak Flat road zigged-zagged down to the Valley
floor. Fortunately, we don’t go that way
anymore!
A saddle train making the
trek down to the Valley from Tamarack Flat.
After seeing the sights in
Yosemite for three days, it was back the way they’d come through First Garrote
and Big Oak Flat to Priest’s Hotel – this time heading down the steep narrow Rattlesnake Hill road. From the bottom of the hill, however, they
took a different route home fording Woods Creek beyond its junction with the
Tuolumne River and heading for Chinese Camp.
In Chinese Camp they spent
the night at Garrett House. I don’t know
if this building was still standing when a lightning caused wildfire burned
down most of Chinese Camp, including almost all the historic buildings, on
September 2nd of this year?
It’s a brick building, so maybe?
I taught music at the Chinese Camp elementary school from 1987 to 1989
but I wasn’t that familiar with the historic town itself. The school – a much newer building – was
spared, but many homes were lost along with the historic buildings in the recent
fire.
Fast forwarding now to the
early 1900s. My Grandfather, Frank
Herbert Bradley, made a trip to Yosemite round about this time. He married my grandmother, Harriet (Hattie)
Bell Smedley, J.K.’s daughter. He rented
a room & board in Harriet’s and her mother, Ella’s, home and I’m sure, at
one point, the story of Harriet’s father’s trip to Yosemite earlier must have
come up and led to Frank’s interest in making the trip himself. Automobiles were not allowed in Yosemite
until 1913 so I’m assuming his carriage & horses trip was before that. He went with a couple of other fellows and here
they’re looking at the trail over their horses’, er, heads. J
There are two tunnel trees
in Yosemite - one in the Tuolumne Grove of Big Trees, and one in the Mariposa
Grove of Big Trees. This could be a
photo of either one as they were close to both groves on the trip. However, they would have passed right by the
one in the Tuolumne Grove, whereas the one in the Mariposa Grove would have
meant a side trip. I’d like to think
it’s the Tuolumne Grove as that’s the same one, years later, I drove my car
through J
And here is their
coach. It looks like they were camping
here. It must have been on the way to
the Park, or coming home as the trees are low country trees rather than the
taller pines and Sequoias in the park itself.
One of these daring idiots is my Granddad. I think he’s the one in front but I’m not sure. They’re sitting on Overhanging Rock, 3000 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor, at Glacier Point so either they took their carriage up to the Point, or they rode horses up Four-mile Trail to get there. Unfortunately I have no information about which route they chose, but I hope you’ve enjoyed both trips to Yosemite.
:->
La Nightingail
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