Mariposa Battalion Campsite (V13)

The Battalion entered the Valley on March 27, 1851. That evening, Dr. Lafayette Bunnell, the surgeon for the Battalion, suggested the valley be called "Yo-sem-i-ty" - a Miwok word which he believed to mean "grizzly bear." This was a mistake in interpretation, however, made by Major James Savage, the commander of the Battalion. The Miwok word "Yo-semi-ty" literally means "those who kill," which described the Native Americans who lived in Yosemite Valley because they were composed of renegades from multiple tribes. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt camped here with John Muir and discussed the need for conservation to help protect the country's natural resources. A plaque along the river and a sign at the edge of the meadow commemorate both events. Roadside marker: V13