History of the Sierra Nevada

By Francis P. Farquhar

Book Overview

From the time it was sighted by Spanish explorers in the eighteenth century through the creation of the John Muir trail, the building of the Hetch Hetchy Dam, and the founding of the Sierra Club, the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520015517
• ISBN13: 9780520015517
• Release Date: June 1965
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great historical look at the High Sierra's

As the author says in the preface, this book "deals with human experiences in the Sierra Nevada from the time the Spaniards first saw it in the latter part of the eighteenth century to the present, when its economic and recreational uses serve several million people." Chapters are numerous, concise, and specific to event or persons, and include sections on the early Indians, Jedediah Smith, Joseph Walker, Fremont, Yosemite, the giant Sequoias, the coming of the railroad, important surveys, John Muir, and Mount Whitney, to name just a handful of the subjects dealt with. Arranged chronologically, the book is an excellent history of the region. Farquhar has consulted and presented information from original sources, and although chapters are relatively short, they are packed with interesting and important details. The book is also well illustrated and contains some excellent maps. It's a handsome overview of the history of the Sierra Nevadas and is a good starting place for anyone interested in the subject.

Interesting history of the Sierra Nevada of California

This book was written by a mountaineer and editor who knew the Sierras well first hand and even knew some of the people involved in the discovery and preservation of the High Sierra of California. He takes us from the initial European discovery and naming by the Spanish, to the gold miners, early visitors to Yosemite, and Sierra Club and mountaineering explorations around the turn of the 19th century. Highly recommended for those interested in California history and the outdoors.