![]() ![]() In July of 1882 the California & Yosemite Short Line Railroad was incorporated with the intended goal of also building a rail line to the Tioga Mining District.īy September of 1883 the Great Sierra Wagon Road had been completed east from the Big Oak Flat Road to the Tioga Mining District. In 1882 the Great Sierra Company authorized a survey for a wagon road and railroad to the mines of Tioga Ridge which was completed by August during said year. The "Great Sierra Wagon Road" was proposed by the Great Sierra Company which had an estimated cost of $17,000 dollars in 1881 to build a road from the Big Oak Flat Road near Crane Flat east to the Tioga Peak mines. The mines at Tioga Ridge were initially accessible by way of trails through Lundy Canyon and Bloody Pass. Tioga Pass can be seen as "McLanes Pass" on the 1868 California Geological Survey Map of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near the vicinity of Yosemite Valley. By 1881 the Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Company ("Great Sierra Company") bought out all the mining claims on Tioga Ridge. By 1880 the mining community of Dana at the site of the Great Sierra Mine had become large enough to warrant Post Office Service. Claims at Tioga Ridge were formally organized in 1878 which led to the establishment of the Tioga Mining District. Brusky wasn't able to obtain a sizeable piece of ore to bring to an assay until 1877. The Sheepherder silver claim was rediscovered in 1875 (1874 according to the Division of Highways) by William Brusky Jr. ![]() The 1860 discovery of silver was not initially exploited and the finding largely fell into obscurity. Tioga Pass first obtained noteworthiness when a mining expedition discovered silver at the Sheepherder Mine on Tioga Ridge during 1860. This is the first time in four years that the park hasn’t required advance booking for summertime day-tripper visits to the valley.Part 1 the history of the Tioga Pass Road But this year’s heavy Sierra snowpack - 244% of normal on April 1 - has rangers reluctant to make any prediction for this summer.Īnother factor for summer travelers to weigh: Yosemite Valley may be unusually crowded this summer, especially on weekends. Tioga Road, snowbound in winter, often opens in May or June after mild winters, June or July after snowy ones. The opening date also remains unknown for the park’s most popular seasonal route, Tioga Road, which connects Yosemite to the Owens Valley near Lee Vining and Mono Lake. Even after reopening, rangers say, 30-minute delays are likely at first. Glacier Point Road was closed all last summer for construction. This is the seasonal route that gives visitors access to the classic view of Half Dome from Glacier Point, about 7,200 feet above sea level and 3,200 feet above the floor of Yosemite Valley. Glacier Point Road is expected to open “no earlier than July, probably later,” Yosemite’s website reports. Meanwhile, road crews are working toward summer openings for Glacier Point Road and Tioga Road, but because of lingering snow and construction, dates remain uncertain. ![]() (The road from the plaza to the trees is open only to shuttle buses and private vehicles with disability placards.) That service takes visitors from Mariposa Grove Welcome Plaza - near the park’s south entrance - to Mariposa Grove, home to more than 500 giant sequoia trees. Today, the park is starting summer shuttle service on Mariposa Grove Road. And it means visitors can follow loop itineraries, entering from the south entrance and returning by way of the west entrance. Though the reopening of Big Oak Flat Road doesn’t change northbound driving directions for most visitors from Southern California - who enter the park by way of Oakhurst and Highway 41 - it is likely to ease traffic circulation in the park. (While Highway 120 has been closed, Bay Area visitors have been reaching the park via Highway 140, a detour of roughly 30 miles.) The cables that climbers use to summit Half Dome, for instance, usually are put in place in May, but that hasn’t happened yet. The snows have forced many changes and delays as the park gears up for summer. ![]()
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