Generations of Stories…

Located a mere 4.7 miles from Yosemite’s southern entrance, the story of the village now called Wawona starts over 8,000 years ago when the region was tended to and lived in by several Native American tribes. While little is known about the early centuries of human occupation, the Southern Sierra Miwok people cared for the land by the 1800’s, calling the area Pallachun, translating to “A Good Place to Stop.” The origin of the name Wawona is disputed, with some sources claming it comes from the word meaning “strangers” in Paiute, “big pine tree” in Paiute, or “great horned owl” in Miwuk. One way or anothe0r, the name stuck, becoming permanent by 1884.

A natural gateway to both Yosemite Valley to the North and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to the South, the region saw an explosion of popularity following the federal protection of both scenic areas in 1864. As the state of California was initially in charge of overseeing the lands, Galen Clark, a carpenter by trade turned early conservationist, was appointed by California as “Guardian of Yosemite.” He founded a traveler’s stop in present-day Wawona, selling the property to Edward, John, and Henry Washburn, a trio of brothers, in 1874. The entrepreneurial brothers turned this quiet stop into a popular destination, the Wawona Hotel. They rebuilt the property following a fire, and gradually built up the place to include phones, electricity, new buildings, a golf course, and a stagecoach road and tours into Yosemite Valley. Such tourist activity brought many other enterprising and adventurous souls to the area, including the famed artist Thomas Hill, who became renown in the late 1800’s for his dramatic landscape paintings. The current Wawona visitor center, Hill’s Studio, is named after him.

Although Yosemite National Park was formed in 1890, and the federal government re-asserted control of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove in 1906, it was not until 1932 that Wawona was added to the park’s acreage. Modern-day Wawona continues to operate in the spirit of those that made it such a special place to visit. The Hotel, although temporarily closed for renovations, continues to delight guests with its quaint, turn-of-the-century charm and grandeur. Several exhibits and trails have developed to tell the story of all who have called this place home, from a Chinese immigrant-run laundry. to one of the Yosemite’s largest meadows largely restored to its original beauty. Whether just passing through, spending a night at the hotel, or taking the family for an extended trip at one of Wawona’s many vacation rentals, the “bright green emerald set between the sparkling diamonds of Yosemite Valley’s waterfalls and the red rubies of the sequoias in the Mariposa Grove” offers one of Yosemite’s enduring and inspirational settings.

For a more in-depth history of this charming and quaint section of Yosemite, stay tuned for a list of published works! Click here for a list of sources used to build this brief history.