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The Tuolumne Valley, California
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne
The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is the notable canyon section of the river valley of the Tuolumne River, located within Yosemite National Park, in Tuolumne County and the Sierra Nevada, California, and as defined by the United States Geological Survey, this canyon begins at Glen Aulin, immediately below the confluence of Cold Canyon, Conness Creek and the Tuolumne River and ends directly above Hetch Hetchy Valley.
When the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne begins, the valley walls pull away from each other and become steeper. The Water meanders and forms deep pools. After the waterfall that marks the end of Glen Aulin, the canyon becomes deeper again forming a V-shape cross section, but the walls are not as steep and bare as those of the Yosemite Valley.
Many dramatic waterfalls are found within the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and lie on the main river, whereas the waterfalls in Yosemite valley all occur on the tributary side streams on the sides of the canyon. The Tuolumne′s own river bed, beginning above Glen Aulin is fashioned as a great staircase punctuated by waterfalls.
Tuolumne Meadows
One of the largest high elevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada, Tuolumne Meadows at 8,600 feet has been also among the most visible both during the long past down to the present. Today, a national park road called Tioga Road, (also known as California state highway 120) crosses the southern edge of the meadow.
From Tuolumne Meadows where the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses Tioga Road all the way to Sherman Pass Road south of Mount Whitney, no other roads cross the High Sierra. Thus, this roadway marks the northern end of the largest contiguous roadless wilderness in the continental United States, 241.3 miles if you were to walk the distance on the Pacific Crest Trail, not a short hike indeed.
Too, meandering quietly through the bottom channel of Tuolumne meadow is the Tuolumne river which cascades over the granite river bottom against a backdrop of the rugged Sierra Nevada mountain peaks and galacially carved domes. Tuolumne river, a national Wild and Scenic river since 1984 originates in the high country near the east side of Yosemite Park.
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Tuolumne Valley Information:
Description:
Tuolumne Valley, also known as Tuolumne Meadows is a gentle, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is 37°52.5'N 119°21'W. Its approximate elevation is 8,619 feet (2,627 m). The term Tuolumne Meadows is also often used to describe a large portion of the Yosemite high country around the meadows, especially in context of rock climbing.
Location:
Coordinates:
37.875, -119.35
Elevation:
8679 feet
Geographical Region:
Pacific Coast
The Ancients
First Migration
(The Algonquian Cultures)
Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park was traditionally used by various indigenous groups, primarily the Miwok tribes and the Mono tribes. Both of these groups utilized the area for seasonal activities like hunting, gathering, and trading.
The Miwok who historically lived in the Yosemite Valley had camps here but the Mono tribe, lived on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, but they traveled from the east to the Tuolumne Meadows for trade and resource gathering.
The Miwok
The Miwok people, including the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, have ancestral ties to Yosemite and the surrounding areas. These indigenous people live in Yosemite Valley for hundreds of years.
In time, the Miwok were joined by some from the tribes living east of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Apparently, the Mono would routinely travel east over the Sierra Nevada and trade with the Miwok people and after time, some of the Mono would remain in the Yosemite valley. The villiage of Awani soon came to have more of the Mono people than that of the Miwok.
European-American contact began in the middles 1800s.
After a group of gold miners settled in the Ahwahnechee lands, some of the Awani raided the camp, absconded with the supplies and killed two of the miners. This raid sparked the Mariposa War, and the the California State Militia troops burned the Ahwahnechee villages and took their food stores. Eventually, the white men arrived in the Yosemite Valley, which was the first time any white man had been in this valley. The date was 25 March 1851. Camping that night, the men debated what to call this new valley they had just discovered, and eventually agreed upon calling it Yosemite Valley.
The name Awani was also the name of their primary village. The Awani were also known as the Awalache from Johnston in 1851, the Awallaches from McKee in 1851, the Ahwahnechee from Hittell in 1868, and the Awanee from Powers in 1874.
Second Migration
(The Uto-Aztecan Cultures)
The Mono
The Mono, (or Monachi) are a Numic family group, specifically the Western division of the Numic family, and are closely related to the Bannock, Nothern Paiute and Kawaiisu tribes.
The Mono lived on both sides of the Sierra Nevada and are divided into two regional tribes, each with their own dialects. The division is roughly based on the Crest of the Sierra Nevada and are called the Eastern Mono on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and the Western Mono on the west side of the Sierra Nevada.
The Earth
The Modern Man
The Steps
Steps Afoot
John Muir Trail
Steps Afield
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