Yosemite's Overhanging Rock by Zina Abbott

 I should have titled this post as "Yosemite's Overhanging Rock at Glacier Point." There are many fascinating rock formations withing Yosemite National Park--especially in the vicinity of Yosemite Valley, but this is one of the best known. It was here, in 1903, naturalist John Muir took President Theodore Roosevelt. There, the President was able to view not only Yosemite Valley, but also Half Dome and several other prominent peaks of the High Sierra, Yosemite Falls, and Little Yosemite Valley. I do not believe the President and John Muir stood on the very edge of the Overhanging Rock but close to it.

 

 

The following is what the valley below looked like from Glacier Point and Overhanging Rock;

 

 

And, if one were in the Valley, this is how the sheer granite cliffs below Glacier Point and Overhanging Rock appeared.

 

 

However, ever since Yosemite became a tourist destination, and intrepid photographers were willing to perch on precarious cliffs in order to capture the shot, enthusiastic adventurers have sought to have their images immortalized by being photographed while on top of Overhanging Rock. Some took a more conservative approach by viewing the wonders while keeping their backsides firmly rooted to the rocky ledge.

 

I am almost certain the husband of this couple, below, helped his wife situate herself to sit demurely on the edge with her feet hanging over for this formal portrait. He probably later helped her up and off her perch. Otherwise, it was a long way down.

 

Then there were those who preferred to stand--especially if they needed to make room for more than one or two. The photo says circa 1850 by a German artist. Based on the ladies' clothing, I suspect  the time frame was closer to 1880s or 1890s.

 

 

Looks like the young man in this patriotic group just had to sit with his feet dangling over the edge. 

 

Some ladies just had to see what was below--all 3,250 feet down. This tinted image was published as a postcard.

 

 

Then there are the photographs of what I call "The Dancing Ladies." Perhaps one of the most famous images of women on Overhanging Rock is the one on the left of the following collage.  Some time in the 1890s or early 1900s, Kitty Tatch and her friend and coworker, Katherine Hazelston, hiked up Glacier Point to have their pictures taken. The two worked as either maids and/or waitresses at the Sentinel Hotel, which opened in 1893. As was expected of female mountaineers in their day, they wore skirts and petticoats while climbing. Not content to be photographed while standing on Overhanging Rock, they both kicked up their heels. Others followed their example.

 

 

Kitty liked it so well, she did it again. The photographer, George Fiske, made postcards with her image, many of which she bought and autographed before selling.  

 

 Then there were the fellows who I categorize under the "more bravado than brains" department. 

 

 

Check out the formal suits, bow ties, and dress shoes of the two men on the right. I doubt most mountaineers today would consider that appropriate rock climbing gear.

 

Then, there was the handstand.

 

  

Many of these photographs were taken by George Fiske, who was the first photographer who lived in Yosemite year-round. A friend of Galen Clark, he ran a photographic concession of landscape views and custom tourist portraits.

 

  

Rain or shine, Mr. Fiske, with his trusty burro, "Honest John," traversed Yosemite. In winter, Honest John pulled the portable studio through the snow on runners. Although I only found one image of an animal on Overhanging Rock, I suspect it bears a strong resemblance to Mr. Fiske's trusty helper.

 

 

 

I suspect he was the photographer of this portrait taken of Galen Clark--a long-time resident of Yosemite since the 1850s and the first Guardian when Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were under the management of the State of California starting in 1864. Note this image was taken at a time of year when ice cycles draped off of Overhanging Rock and large patches of snow adorned the cliffs below.

 

 

I found two notable photographs of automobiles that were taken in the early days of Yosemite National Park. The first was of a locomobile--a steam-powered vehicle that one of the Washburns of Wawona Hotel and Yosemite Stage and Turnpike Company fame convinced Oliver Lippincott to bring into the park for publicity purposes. This vehicle arrived by way of Wawona in June 1900. Mr. Lippincott modified the original body and traveled with Edward E. Russell to tour the park. On the second day, they documented their presence at Overhanging Rock with a photograph.

 

Not long after Mr. Lippincott's visit to Yosemite National Park, automobiles were banned from the park. That restriction was not lifted until August of 1913. The following photograph taken in 1916 documents a later model vehicle that ascended to Overhanging Rock.

 

 In my upcoming novel, in Chapter One, my hero visits Overhanging Rock with a friend. When he returns a few years later as part of a construction crew, I imagine that if they ventured to the famous geological feature for a group photograph, it might have looked somewhat like the following:

 

As for my heroine, like many ladies to ventured to Overhanging Rock, even in 1915, she would have worn a skirt--or maybe a split skirt. In the image below, I picture her like the woman on the left. Today, the Overhang Rock today is blocked off, but the photograph on the right was taken by my husband near its location. It shows the scenery Emily might have viewed.

 

 Of course, in modern times, most people no longer hire a professional photographer to take a picture of them at Glacier Point by Overhanging Rock. They take selfies.

 

 

My next release is Emily Yosemite Bride, part of the National Park Brides series. The book is currently on preorder and is scheduled for release on September 11. To find the book description and pre-order link, please CLICK HERE 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sources:

 

Wikimedia Commons

 

California's Past on Facebook

 

Yosemite National Park websites

 

https://nhm.org/stories/steamy-trip-through-yosemite

https://racingnelliebly.com/secret-places/glacier-point-dancers-fancied-daring-photo-ops

  

 

  

 

 

The Skunk Train by Zina Abbott

 Those who receive my newsletter also received the opportunity to learn a little about my vacation to the Northern California coast where my husband and I rode the two tours offered by the Skunk Train. Here are more details about how that train started and evolved.

 

California Western Railroad Locomotive no. 45

 

The tracks for today's Skunk Train started being laid in 1885 to carry a logging train owned by the Fort Bragg Redwood Company to carry coast redwood logs from the dense redwood forest around Glenela (today's Glen Blair), about 6.6 miles from Fort Bragg. 

Loading redwood lumber on ships

From the logging site, the train moved the logs to the lumber mill along the coast, where afterward, most were shipped to San Francisco. In 1905, the railroad was renamed the California Western Railroad & Navigation Company. At first, the fleet of steamships were built with wooden hulls, but later the newer ship hulls were built with steel.

Union Lumber Company, Fort Bragg, California

Logs bound for Ft. Bragg, ca. 1890s

In 1891, the lumber company was incorporated into the new Union Lumber Company, but the railroad stayed with the parent company until 1969. To get past the high peaks of the Mendocino Range, which is part of the series of California Coastal Ranges, the rail company employed Chinese tunnel builders to complete a 1,184 foot tunnel from Pudding Creek to the Noyo River, which allowed the rail line to access and transport redwoods farther east once the forest in Glenela was harvested. 

 

Rails roughly follow Pudding Creek and Noyo River from Ft. Bragg to Willits

As each logging area was harvested, the tracks were built in the steep coastal range valleys loosely following the Noyo River. There was an average 3.3 percent grade with five 33-degree horseshoe curves.

 

As an area was logged out, the tracks were gradually built farther east and a new logging camp was created. Using the train, loggers' housing was moved to logging camps.

 

Map of Crowley Cabin Site, courtesy of Skunk Train tours.

 One of those logging camps, Crowley, which is about ten miles west of Willits, California, is now the turn-about point of the Wolf Tree tourist run operated by today's Skunk Train.

 

The completion of a 795 foot tunnel, Tunnel #2, on the summit allowed for the railroad to be extended to the logging and lumber town of Willits, now close to Highway 101 in California. This allowed the California Western to connect with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at Willits, which provided a faster and less-treacherous means of travel between Fort Bragg and San Francisco.

 

With the construction of a branch line northward, trains brought logs from the Ten Mile River to the Fort Bragg sawmill until in 1949, the rails were replaced by logging trucks using a road. 

How did the Skunk Train get its name? 

 

As roads were built and both freight and logging diminished on the rail line, many of the older cars were scrapped. To bring in revenue, gas-powered, self-propelled passenger railcards that resembled trolley cars were added to the line. With oil added to the gasoline, the cars emitted a foul-smelling exhaust that many people equated to the stink of a skunk. And, due to the steep canyon walls along the Noyo River, the little towns that still existed along the line claimed that -- like a skunk -- a person could smell the railcar coming before they could see it.  

The cars were nicknamed "Skunks." They continued to provide passenger service between Fort Bragg and Willits until 1949. 

In 2001, all freight service was discontinued. The emergency order by the Federal Railroad Administration effectively removed the California Western Railroad from the national rail network.

California Western eastbound on first crossing of the Noyo River

The train still offered passenger service and tours until fifty feet of Tunnel No. collapsed in 2013. An arrangement allowed the line to continue until the damage caused by the 2015-16 El Nino shut down Tunnel No. 1 until extensive repairs could be made.  

To raise funds for repairs to Tunnel No. 1 so that passenger service and tours between Fort Bragg and Willits might continue, the rail line, which now operates as the Skunk Train as part of the California Western Railroad, offers two short tours--both with diesel locomotives pulling vintage rail passenger coaches and a open cargo car each.

 

One is out of Willits, called the Wolf Tree Turn.

 One is out of Fort Bragg, called the Pudding Creek Run.  

 

Pudding Creek used to hold logs bound for sawmill.

 As a side note, Pudding Creek on the north side of Fort Bragg, which for a time was dammed and used as a holding pond for logs brought from points east by the railroad, was original known as the "Put In" Creek. During stormy or foggy weather, it was considered a good place for ocean-going boats to "put in" and wait out the weather.

 

 

My latest book scheduled for release next week on July 30th is Sophia's Dance Surprise. Helena, Montana, in the 1880s was more gold-mining country. To find the book description and pre-order link, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

My book, Ardith Yosemite Bride, includes several scenes involving a railroad which originally expected to make most of its revenue transporting tourists to Yosemite National Park. However, in reality, once roads improved and automobile travel became more popular, the Yosemite Valley Railroad--much like the California Western Railroad that eventually became known as the Skunk Train--ended up being a large transporter of logs harvested from the mountains around the national park and the mill in Merced Falls. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

Sources:

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

Mendocino-Railway-completes-acquistion-of-former-millsite-from-Georgia-Pacific-Press-Release-FINAL-A

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

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Fort_Bragg,_California

https://www.kelleyhousemuseum.org/tiny-houses-in-the-redwoods-a-century-ago/