Yosemite National Park Sites

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped develop the Badger Pass Ski Area at Yosemite National Park in the mid-to-late 1930s. Limited skiing had started in 1933 with the opening of the Glacier Point road, making Badger Pass one of the earliest California ski areas.  The Badger Pass lodge was built in 1935.   The National Park Service wanted to encourage skiing and used the CCC to assist with further improvements at Badger Pass. The CCC was involved in at least the following projects: •1938  Widening the Badger Pass Access Road. •1939 – 1940  Building the Badger Pass Ranger Residence. •1940 – 1941  Adding a Comfort Station...

The present Big Oak Flat Road was constructed by the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR), with Public Works Administration (PWA) funding, between 1935 and 1940.  It is one of  three main roads into Yosemite Valley, along with El Portal road and Wawona road. Big Oak Flat Road is the main entrance road into Yosemite from the north, designated as state highway 120. At Crane Flat, highway 120 follows the Tioga Road toward Tuolumne Meadows and over Tioga Pass.  Big Oak Flat road splits off to head south toward Yosemite Valley.  Highway 120 from Groveland (west of the park) to the park...

Cascades Camp in Yosemite Valley was one of the two hubs of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) activity in Yosemite National Park from 1933 to 1941; the other was Camp Wawona.  There were around a dozen smaller CCC camps (seasonal and stub camps) added around the park, as well.  Overall, around 7,000 enrollees served in Yosemite. Camp Cascades was officially camp YNP 6 (the 6th camp established in Yosemite) or NP 20 in the western region.  CCC Companies 920 and 942 operated out of Camp Cascades during the decade.  (Co. 942 was integrated up to 1935, as seen in the photograph) The first Camp...

Camp Wawona, at the south end of Yosemite National Park, was one of two hubs for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the park during the New Deal era, 1933-42 (the other hub was at Camp Cascades in Yosemite Valley).  The Wawona area had only been added to the park in 1932 and there was much work to be done to improve that part of the park. The first two camps at Wawona, YNP #1 and 2, were established in May 1933 and were the first CCC camps in the West. These early camps were located at the far end of...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) landscaped Fern Spring, creating an attractive, naturalistic rock garden and planting a variety of ferns, wildflowers, and ground covers. A log guardrail was installed to define the parking area and log seats were placed in the woods around the spring to improve the popular spot. The original wooden structures have been replaced or disappeared over time. Fern Spring had been a sacred site for the native people of Yosemite Valley, long before the park was created in 1863. To this day, Fern Spring is a favorite stopping point for Yosemite visitors. It is located just beyond the Pohono Bridge on...

The New Deal vastly improved Yosemite National Park in California, which has long been the showpiece of the national park system.  Several federal agencies operated in the park from 1933 to 1942, under the general supervision of the National Park Service: the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Public Works Administration (PWA), and Bureau of Public Roads (BPR), plus the short-lived Civil Works Administration (CWA)  (December 1933 to April 1934). Major works around Yosemite are detailed in the various site pages listed on the right. Nevertheless, some of the immense amount of work done during the New Deal cannot be pinpointed, so we...

The federal Bureau of Public Roads (BPR), funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), built the 15.7 mile Glacier Point Road from Chinquapin Flat on the Wawona Road to Glacier Point, 1933-35. This project was part of a complete overhaul of Yosemite National Park roads carried out under the New Deal in the 1930s. The Glacier Point Road replaced a primitive saddle road built in the 1870s. Surveys for the route were done in 1930-31 and grading began in 1932. Then, funding for the project became available through the National Industrial Recovery Act, which created the PWA.    "The new road was to...

The Half Dome cables, originally installed in 1920 by the Sierra Club, were replaced and strengthened by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees in 1934. These cables allow thousands of people each year to hike to the top of this famous peak. The Half Dome trails runs from the valley floor to the top of Half Dome, over 8 miles (via the Mist Trail) with a 4,800-foot elevation gain.  The final 400 feet are so steep that   two steel cables, bolted to the rocks, are needed for handholds. Every Spring the cables are brought out from winter storage and  raised onto...

The Henness Ridge Fire Tower was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934.  It was actively used until 1966, but is now empty. The Henness Ridge Fire Tower was one of several fire protection buildings constructed in the Sierra under the guidance of John D. Coffman as a part of a comprehensive fire prevention plan developed in response to difficulties encountered during a 1928 fire near Sequoia National Park. The Henness Ridge lookout is a fine example of the rustic architecture style developed by the National Park Service (fire towers outside the park are simpler steel and wood structures).  It is...

A comfort station at the end of Evergreen Road above O'Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy reservoir was almost surely built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, judging by the construction.  The building is done in classic National Park rustic style, with walls constructed of large boulders. Comfort station is the name used at the time for restrooms with additional washing facilities, which this one does not appear to have; hence, it is literally just a 'restroom'. There is no written record we can find of this structure, perhaps because of the poor relations between the National Park Service and...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a major increase in the height of the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which creates Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.  The dam had been completed by the city of San Francisco in 1923, after years of controversy over flooding the magnificent Hetch Hetchy Valley, the smaller twin of Yosemite Valley.  This was the height of the dam-building era in America. When San Francisco sought to expand the reservoir's capacity, the PWA provide funding for the project, which was completed in 1937-38. The dam was raised by 86 feet and the width of the dam enlarged at the same time.   "In...

The Group Utility Building (original name) in Yosemite Valley opened 1935.  It was funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The utility building consolidated a hodgepodge of old shops, forges, storage and maintenance into one facility.  It also provided three bays for fire trucks. It is a mammoth structure covering 18,548 square feet and lacking in any architectural niceties, hence popularly known as "Fort Yosemite."  Despite its size, however, very few visitors ever see it or know of it.  It is tucked away in the maintenance and parking areas north of the Visitors' Center and Yosemite Museum.

New Deal agencies played a major role in the transformation of the narrow and dangerous Wawona wagon trail into a safe and comfortable route from the South Entrance of Yosemite National Park to Yosemite Valley. As part of this project, a new entry road was built to the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees (Sequoia Giganteum). The National Park Service and the Bureau of Public Roads (U.S. Department of Agriculture) signed a Memorandum of Agreement in July 1925, authorizing the planning and construction of new roads within Yosemite National Park. Surveying was begun in 1928 and initial construction was finished by 1933,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Ostrander Ski Hut in 1941.  The ski hut is a two-story stone structure, in the classic National Park rustic style. It was built  for cross-country skiers, meant to be part of a larger system of winter trails and huts along the Sierra Crest that never were developed. The hut sits in a small glacial cirque at the edge of Ostrander Lake. Very basic overnight accommodations and cooking facilities are available at the hut. It sleeps 25 people and has bunks, mattresses, wood stove, a kitchen with a gas stove for cooking and assorted pots...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a major presence in Yosemite National Park from 1933 to 1942, helping to improve the park for public use.  CCC enrollees carried out a wide range of projects throughout the park, from forestry to construction. More than seven thousand young men and 24 companies cycled through the park during the life of the program (a 25th company arrived just before the program ended, according to Broesamle 2022). The two hubs of CCC activity were Camp Wawona at the south end of the park and Camp Cascades at the foot of Yosemite Valley (see separate pages...

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the creation of the South Gate Entrance Station to Yosemite National Park.  This followed enlargement of the park by the addition of the area from Wawona south and was done as part of the Wawona Road reconstruction.  The new entrance station included a parking area, entrance station, comfort station (restroom), residences for park rangers and a garage. Of this work, the restroom and ranger residence are original New Deal structures.   The Historic American Engineer Record (HAER) report on the Wawona Road provides these details:  "In 1934, roads around the South Entrance station were...

New Deal agencies realigned and reconstructed 47 miles of the Tioga road from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass over the years 1933 to 1943.  They were not able, however, to complete the road down from Tioga Pass to Lee Vining (Mono Lake), which remained in deplorable condition until it was remade in 1961.  Funding for the Tioga Road project came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) managed construction, using private companies; and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did auxiliary work landscaping roadsides. The National Park Service (NPS) oversaw all work in the park.  The short-lived...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made many improvements around Yosemite National Park during its time there, 1933-42.  Enrollees worked out of two major hub camps and a dozen or so seasonal and 'spike' (temporary) camps. One of the typical activities of the CCC in national and state parks was building and upgrading trails.  Because Yosemite is the second oldest national park, the trail system was already well developed before the CCC arrived.  Nevertheless, CCC teams did extensive maintenance and improvement work on the far-flung trail system of the park.   In particular, after the damage done by the floods of winter 1937,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the Tuolumne Meadows campground in 1933-34, according to a plan laid out by the National Park Service (NPS) and with financing from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  It is the largest campground in Yosemite National Park.  The campground regularized camping at Tuolumne, which had previously been a free-for-all with cars driving across the meadows and people camping wherever they liked. The damage to the meadows had been extensive before the National Park Service brought a halt to the anarchy. First, the NPS restricted camping to designated campgrounds and then implemented a new plan for individual campsites,...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the Tuolumne Meadows campground in 1933-34.  It is the largest campground in Yosemite National Park. The CCC enrollees also built three comfort stations for the campground, done in classic National Park rustic style of boulders and timbers.  At the time, a comfort station was more than a restroom, because it included washing facilities. The three comfort stations still operate and have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.    

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the Tuolumne Meadows campground in 1933-34 and added a "contact station" or entrance station in 1936. The building is done is classic National Park rustic style, with massive boulder walls. An entrance kiosk has been added to the campground in recent years.  

In the late 1930s, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a new sewage collection and treatment system for Tuolumne Meadows.  It replaced the original septic tanks for the campground comfort stations and was extended to take in a broader area around the campground. More information is needed on the amount and timing of the PWA funding. The old spray field system for distributing treated sewage has been recently replaced with settling ponds. It is unknown how much of the original piping survives.

The Tuolumne Meadows Visitors Center was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a road crew camp mess hall in 1934.  Around 1980,  the National Park Service converted the building to a Visitors Center, replacing an older one in the original "contact station" at Tuolumne Meadows campground. This building is a good example of National Park Service rustic park architecture of the 1930's. It was constructed with native materials to blend with the environment, and reflects hand crafted techniques. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2022, a new Visitors Center is under construction nearby and...

New Deal agencies realigned and reconstructed the Old Tioga road from 1933 to 1943, from Crane Flat to Tuolumne Meadows.  An important element of the road project was the bridge over the Tuolumne River, just east of the Tuolumne Meadows campground. The bridge was constructed in 1933-34. Funding came from the Public Works Administration (PWA); the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) managed construction, using private companies; and the National Park Service (NPS) oversaw all work in the park. The Tuolumne River bridge is a modern design of steel beams and concrete, but is dressed up with stone siding to accord with the...

The Wawona Covered Bridge is one of only 12 covered bridges in California and the only one in Yosemite. It was originally built by Galen Clark as a modified queen post truss without a cover in 1868, making it the oldest surviving bridge in the state. After being sold to the Washburn group of investors, it was covered with Douglas fir cladding in 1878, enclosing the Ponderosa pine structure and its iron tie rods. The adz marks on the beams are still visible. Additions were completed in 1900 when extensions at each end brought the bridge to its current length of 138 feet. The...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a school house at Wawona in 1937. The enrollee work teams came from the nearby Wawona CCC Camp YNP #7. The building is a shingled, rustic wood structure set on a stone foundation, with large windows for good interior lighting. Its appearance is unchanged over the years. A new, large school has replaced the New Deal building sometime around 1970, built in a modern style at odds with the old idea of park rusticity.  The old CCC school was used for many years as a community center, until that, too, was replaced by a new, larger,...

The New Deal made possible the construction of a ranger station in the Wawona area, which was added to Yosemite National Park in 1932.  The present complex includes a ranger station and an interpretation office, as well as two ranger residences, that date back to the New Deal.  The ranger station and interpretation office have different origins, however.  The latter building was the original ranger station at Wawona, built in 1934 or 1935 (Greene), which has been modified over time and repurposed.  The former was moved here from  the former Chinquapin ranger station site, built in 1934, which was eliminated decades ago...

The New Deal made possible the construction of a ranger station in the Wawona area, which was added to Yosemite National Park in 1932.  The ranger station complex includes two ranger residences and accompanying garages.  These buildings still exist, but are now used for different purposes. According to the Superintendent's Monthly Report of December 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided the funding to the National Park Service (NPS) for the ranger station complex (Broesamle 2022). This contradicts the 2012 NPS report on design in the park, which attributes the buildings to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) (see quote below).  The latter...

New Deal agencies played a major role in the transformation of the narrow and dangerous Wawona wagon trail into a safe and comfortable route into Yosemite Valley. The route from the South Entrance to the Valley floor is 27 miles.  It is one of three access roads to Yosemite Valley, along with the El Portal road and Big Oak Flat Road. The National Park Service and the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) signed a Memorandum of Agreement in July 1925, authorizing the planning and construction of new roads within Yosemite National Park. Surveying was begun in 1928 and initial construction was...

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees made many improvements at Yosemite Village and Curry Village at the east end of Yosemite Valley, in the heart of Yosemite National Park. At the time, these were known as the Old Village, New Village and Camp Curry. At Yosemite Village, the CCC teams installed log curbing, laid out new paths, and planted ferns, trees, and shrubs around the administration building, new hospital, residences, and Yosemite Museum. Some of the landscaping was done with native plants transplanted from various places outside the valley.  CCCers placed flagstones around the telescopes in front of the museum. Under the direction of...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) completely reconstructed the public campgrounds at the head of Yosemite Valley, which are today known as the North, Upper and Lower Pines campgrounds. There had long been camping all over Yosemite Valley, but it had been an unrestricted free-for-all with cars driving across meadows and people camping wherever they liked. The damage to the valley's meadows and streams had been extensive before the National Park Service (NPS) brought a halt to the anarchy.   First, the NPS restricted camping to designated campgrounds at the head of the Valley in the late 1920s.  It then implemented a new...