Mariposa Battalion and Discovery of Yosemite Valley by Zina Abbott

 

It is thought that the J. R. Walker expedition crossed what is now Yosemite National Park in 1833. Walker and his men probably saw the Yosemite Valley from the rim, but did not enter. Likewise, in 1849, William Penn Abrams and U. N. Reamer looked down into Yosemite Valley from southwestern rim. It is believed that the first white Americans to enter and see the Yosemite Valley were members of the Mariposa Battalion led by James D. Savage.

 With the start of the California Gold Rush in 1849, tens of thousands of miners swarmed into the Sierra Nevada foothills. The indigenous peoples of California had been dealing with the Spaniards and Mexicans for decades. However, with the United States being the victor of the Mexican-American War, coupled with the very un-Christian-like attitude that the acquisition of this new territory belonged to citizens of the victors in spite of most having contributed nothing to the effort to acquire the land, these first white Americans descended upon the lands held by the Native tribes like a scourge.

Some encounters between the miners and Native American tribal people were amicable—to a point. Mostly, they were not and often turned violent. Many white Americans resorted to forced labor and outright killing of Native Americans. The miners, settlers, ranchers, and other pioneers also brought with them diseases to which Native Americans had no natural immunity.

Some trade relations were established—James D. Savage of Mariposa who ran a trading post and dealt with the Native people in the region was an example. With an aptitude for learning languages, he became closely tied to more than one tribe among the lower foothill peoples. In their wars with the mountain tribes, his guidance with tactics helped them prevail.

Once gold was discovered, Savage encouraged those who came to trade to bring large amounts of the yellow metal, which he traded for cloth and other goods at an exchange rate very favorable to him. However, with the trading post located at the mouth of the South Merced River, just fifteen miles from Yosemite Valley, the time came when it he was attacked by the mountain Yosemite tribe (also known as the Ahwahneechee). This warlike tribe had often come against the foothill tribes who were Savage’s allies. Along with seeking plunder, their objective was both to drive him away from what they considered their territory.

 

Savage and his Indian allies were able to repulse the attack, which included driving the Ahwahneechee back into the Yosemite Valley. Savage followed, but his Native allied warned him that entering the valley would not be a good idea. He retreated.

Savage realized he would continue to have problems if he kept his trading post at the mouth of the South Fork of the Merced River. He relocated his trading post to the Mariposa Creek near the mouth of Agua Fria (the first Mariposa County seat), plus—due to the mining prospects which had developed there—he built another trading post along the Fresno River.

After California became a state in 1850, the federal government tried to persuade or force tribes in the Sierra Nevada to move to reservations in California's Central Valley. Unconvinced, most fought to stay where they were. In retaliation, in December of 1850, an incident occurred in which Miwok, Yokut, and other tribal people attacked Savage’s trading post in retaliation for a slight, resulting in the death of several of his employees.

After a force under Mariposa County Sheriff James Burney was found unequal to the task of defeating the Native Americans, Burney made an appeal to Governor John McDougal for help. From that appeal, the Mariposa Battalion, a California militia unit comprised of about two hundred men, was formed to defeat the Ahwahnechee and Chowchillas in the Mariposa War.

The Mariposa Battalion was mustered 12 February 1851 in Agua Fria. Sheriff Burney was the first choice for the major to command the unit, but Burney declined due to his other responsibilities in Mariposa County. Instead, mainly due to his scouting abilities, James D. Savage was chosen as major.

First sketch of Yosemite Valley 1855, Thomas Ayers

The battalion was divided into three companies: Company A commanded by John J. Kuykendall, with seventy men; Company B under John Boling, with seventy-two men; and Company C, under William Dill, with fifty-five men. Other officers elected included M. B. Lewis as Adjutant, A. Brunson as surgeon and Vincent Hailor as guide. A camp was established two and a half miles from the town of Mariposa near Savage's Agua Fria trading post. On March 9, 1851, they left what was known as Camp Frémont.

Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Point

It was at Inspiration Point that the battalion first viewed the Yosemite Valley. Upon entering Yosemite Valley, they met seventy-two Yosemite Indians who were coming in to surrender. While camped Bridalveil Meadow on March twenty-seventh, the name “Yosemite Valley” was used for the first time. The battalion explored Yosemite Valley but found no Indians except an elderly woman. They discovered Vernal and Nevada Falls. On March twenty-ninth, they withdrew from Yosemite Valley after destroying acorn stores.

Bunnell History of Discovery of the Valley

On May 9, 1851, Capt. John Boling’s Company entered the Yosemite Valley a second time. On May twenty-second, Boling’s company captured a band of Yosemite Indians at Tenaya Lake and escorted the Indians to the Fresno Reservation.

The battalion members burned the village of the Ahwahneechee and the Natives’ food supplies. They captured their leader, Chief Tenaya. Those tribal people who were not killed, battalion members forcibly relocated onto reservations down in the Central Valley. However in late 1851, Chief Tenaya and his family were allowed to return to Yosemite during the winter.

 

All of these incidences took place over three and a half decades before the time of my book, Anthelia Yosemite Bride. This book set mostly in the Mariposa Grove area in the southern region of Yosemite, but it also includes scenes in the Yosemite Valley.

To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICKHERE

 

 

Sources:

https://www.myyosemitepark.com/park/miners-and-mariposa-battalion 

Russell, Carl Parcher, One Hundred Years in Yosemite (Omnibus Edition). Yosemite Association, Yosemite National Park, California: 1992.

https://www.myyosemitepark.com/park/miners-and-mariposa-battalion 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariposa_Battalion

https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.discoveryofyosem01bunn/?st=gallery