Camp Yosemite

Camp Yosemite (1891-1913) - A seasonal U.S. Army Camp established as Camp near Wawona or Detachment at Yosemite National Park in 1891 by Captain Abram E. Wood (Cullum 2424), 4th U.S. Cavalry. The camp was established in Yosemite National Park, Madera County, California, to protect the park. Renamed Camp A.E. Wood in 1901 after the first park superintendent, Captain Wood. Moved and renamed Camp Yosemite in May 1907. Discontinued in 1916. History Established by Captain Abram E. Wood, 4th U.S. Cavalry in 1891 to protect the national park from visitors and ranchers grazing cattle and sheep. The U.S. Army involvement included the administration of the park and the commanding officer of the Camp also functioned as the Park Superintendent. The army provided small detachments at outlying points to assist and control visitors and trespassers. Over the years the U.S. Army also built an infrastructure of camps, roads and trails to support the increasing numbers of visitors and their own operations. Eventually the camp came to be a semipermanent facility. The U.S. Army presence in the park was from May through October each year and in their absence a limited number of civilian rangers patrolled the park. Access to the park from the south was controlled through a check point established at a stagecoach change station that came to be known as Fort Monroe, named for one of the stagecoach drivers. This was not a military post although the checkpoint appears to have been manned by the soldiers from Camp A.E. Wood. In 1905 Camp A.E. Wood was upgraded with several permanent buildings including a kitchen and a mess hall. In 1906 the camp was moved into the Yosemite Valley and later renamed Camp Yosemite in May 1907. The new camp site was a mix of tent and permanent structures that now included a small hospital for both military and civilian use. The seasonal military garrison usually arrived at Yosemite in the first part of May and departed Yosemite at the end of October. The method of travel was usually by march, covering some 20 to 30 miles a day with stops at towns and local ranches along the route. The 1912 march to Yosemite was the last one documented in the post returns and included the following detail: Troops C & D, 1st U.S. Cavalry left the Presidio of San Francisco at 2:00 a.m. April 22, 1912: 1912 March from the Presidio of San Francisco to Camp Yosemite 22 Apr 1912 San Mateo - 22 Miles 23 Apr 1912 Santa Clara - 27 Miles 24 Apr 1912 Marane Hill - 22 Miles 25 Apr 1912 Wilson's Ranch - 19 Miles 26 Apr 1912 San Luis Ranch - 29 Miles 27 Apr 1912 Los Banos - 14 Miles 28 Apr 1912 Dos Palos Ranch - 20 Miles 29 Apr 1912 New Columbia Ranch - 14 Miles 30 Apr 1912 Madera - 20 Miles 2 May 1912 Raymond - 23 Miles 3 May 1912 Ahwahnee - 22 Miles 4 May 1912 Wawona - 22 Miles 5 May 1912 Camp Yosemite - 26 Miles They marched a total of 280 miles to Camp Yosemite arriving 5 May 1912. The garrison departed the post at the end of October 1912 and returned to the Presidio. The Camp Yosemite garrison departed the camp for the last time 10 Jul 1913 per Special Order 173 and the operation was turned over to a civilian manager, Gabriel Sovulewski, and five full time rangers. Camp Yosemite Partial Commanders List (edit list) Assumed Relieved Rank Name Cullum Notes 1891 1893  Capt. Wood, Abram E. 2424 I Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Camp Near Wawona 1894 1894  Capt. Gale, G. H. G. 2769 C Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1895 1895  Capt. Rogers, Alexander N/A K Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1896 1896 •Lt. Col. Young, S.M.B. N/A B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1897 1897  Capt. Rogers, Alexander N/A K Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1898 1898  Capt. Caine, Joseph E. N/A Camp A.E. Wood 1899 1899 Lieutenant McMasters, W.H. N/A 24th U.S. Infantry Camp A.E. Wood 1899 1899 Lieutenant Forse, William N/A 3rd U.S. Artillery Camp A.E. Wood 1899 1899  Capt. Wilcox, Elon F. N/A F Troop, 6th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1900 1900 ”Maj. Rucker, L.H. N/A F Troop, 6th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1901 1901 ”Maj. Craig, Louis A. 2541 H Troop, 15th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1903 1903 •Lt. Col. Garrard, Joseph 2478 K & L Troops, 9th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1904 1904 •Lt. Col. Bigelow, John 2686 C & D Troops, 9th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1905 1906  Capt. Benson, Harry C. 2938 K & M Troops, 4th U.S. Cavalry Camp A.E. Wood 1907 1908 ”Maj. Benson, Harry C. 2938 I & M Troops, 4th U.S. Cavalry Camp Yosemite 1909 1909 ”Maj. Forsyth, William W. 2953 I & M Troops, 14th U.S. Cavalry Camp Yosemite 1910 1910 ”Maj. Forsyth, William W. 2953 D & K Troops, 1st U.S. Cavalry Camp Yosemite 1911 1912 ”Maj. Forsyth, William W. 2953 C & D Troops, 1st U.S. Cavalry Camp Yosemite 1912 1912 ”Maj. Littebrant, William T. 3278 A & B Troops, 1st U.S. Cavalry Camp Yosemite Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Current Status Yosemite National Park near Wawona, Madera County, California. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Yosemite National Park near Wawona, Madera County, California. Map point may not be accurate. Maps & Images Lat: 37.5390137 Long: -119.6557528 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 100 Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 38 Links: North American Camps - Camp Yosemite California Military Museum - Camp Yosemite California Military Museum - Yosemite: The Cavalry Years Visited: No