The Lore and the Lure of the Yosemite The Indians Their Customs, Legends and Beliefs, and the Story of Yosemite Herbert Earl Wilson [1922]

This short book about Yosemite Valley and its original inhabitants was written early in the 20th century. Of particular interest are the photographs, which are all in the public domain; while not as gorgeous as those taken in later years by Ansel Adams, they adequately convey the magnificent landscape.

This book has a few factual inaccuracies, but only because of the limits of contemporary knowledge. For instance, at the time of writing, Ribbon Falls was thought to be the highest waterfall in the world; today we know that Angel Falls in Venezuela has this distinction. Also, the small but signficant survival of Chinese Redwoods was likewise unknown at the time, so we can today qualify the statement that this tree only exists in California. However, for the most part this book is fairly accurate; in particular, the geological description is not obsolete.

The core of this book is a description of the beliefs and material culture of the Miwok of Yosemite, and the disgraceful history of their ejection from the valley. The historical and ethnographic information is fairly accurate; in contrast, the information on religion is the thinnest part of this book. Wilson writes of a 'Great Spirit'; as far as I know, this is not a part of Miwok beliefs. There is no concept of an overarching deity. Rather, Miwok mythology revolves around Coyote and the other animal-people inhabitants of the dreamtime.

Chapter I. The Coming of the White Man to Yosemite

Chapter II. The Story of Yosemite

Chapter III. Sunset in the Yosemite

Chapter IV. Big Trees of the Mariposa Grove

Chapter V. Indian Myths and Legends

Chapter VI. Creation

Chapter VII. The Coming of the Indian to Yosemite

Chapter VIII. His Customs, Religious Beliefs, and Ceremonies

Chapter IX. Retrospection and Prophecy

Chapter X. Geology of the Yosemite Valley