History

The park was established in 1940 and covers 461,901 acres.

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History Details

What's now known as Sequoia National Park was first home to Monachee (or Western Mono) Native Americans, who lived mainly in the Kaweah River drainage in the Foothills region of the park, though evidence of seasonal habitation exists as high as the Giant Forest. These early residents traveled over the high mountain passes to trade with tribes to the east. Pictographs from this time can be found at several sites within the park, including Hospital Rock and Potwisha. Bedrock mortars used to process acorns, a staple food for the Monachee people, also have been discovered. By the time the first European settlers arrived, smallpox had decimated Native American populations. The first homesteader in the area was Hale Tharp, who, in 1861, built a home out of a hollowed-out and fallen giant sequoia in the Giant Forest, next to Log Meadow. Visitors today can see Tharp's Log in its original location. In the 1880s, white settlers who wanted to create a utopian society founded the Kaweah Colony, whose members harvested Sequoia timber. Although Sequoia trees were later discovered to splinter easily, thousands were felled before logging operations finally ceased. On Sept. 25, 1890, Sequoia became the United States' second national park. Created to protect the giant sequoia trees from logging, the establishment of the park was largely due to the work of famed naturalist John Muir. Just one week later, General Grant National Park was created, and Sequoia was enlarged. Early access to the park was limited to a pack road, but the growing popularity of cars led to the opening of the Generals Highway in 1926, which opened up the Giant Forest to increased visitation. One of the earliest projects undertaken by the newly formed National Park Service in 1917 was the construction of the first steps to the Moro Rock Summit, and backcountry trail construction became a priority, as well. In 1932, the High Sierra Trail was completed, connecting the Giant Forest and Mt. Whitney. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps also built and improved campgrounds, trails, buildings, and other facilities within the parks. Kings Canyon was established as a national park in 1940. The area had been known to settlers since the mid-19th century, but not until John Muir first visited in 1873 did the canyon begin to become nationally famous. Harold Ickes, U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1933 to 1944, fought to create Kings Canyon National Park, hiring famed nature photographer Ansel Adams to photograph and document this area among others. Adams' photographs played a large part in the establishment of the park, combining the General Grant Grove with the backcountry beyond Zumwalt Meadow.

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