1890 – Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress.
Yosemite National Park, in California’s Sierra Nevada, is one of America’s most celebrated landscapes—a place of soaring granite cliffs, thundering waterfalls, giant sequoias, alpine meadows, and deep wilderness. Established on October 1, 1890, the park protects nearly 750,000 acres, ranging from foothill chaparral and oak woodland to high-elevation granite peaks.
Its best-known landmarks include El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. Yosemite Falls drops 2,425 feet in three stages, making it North America’s highest waterfall. Glaciers shaped much of the park’s dramatic scenery, carving Yosemite Valley’s broad floor and steep, U-shaped walls over immense spans of time.
Long before federal protection, Yosemite was home to Indigenous peoples, including the Ahwahneechee, whose descendants and cultural traditions remain an essential part of the region’s history. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant, preserving Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove for public use; the broader national park followed in 1890 after advocacy by conservationists including John Muir.
Today, Yosemite supports more than 400 vertebrate species across habitats ranging from conifer forests to alpine rock. It remains a powerful symbol of conservation, adventure, and the enduring grandeur of the American West.
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