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Yosemite National Park (10)
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Wawona Area
The Wawona area, in the southern section of Yosemite, hosted one of the oldest settlements in the park. Clark's Station, a rest stop, existed there from around 1855 to 1874. The world "wawona" was the one used by the Indians to denote the great sequoias.
Located in the Wawona complex is the intriguing Pioneer History Center. This covered bridge was built by Galen Clark in 1858, was covered by the Washburn brothers in 1875, and was restored by the National Park Service. It leads from the area of the lodging complex to the village.
The Pioneer History Center itself contains an exceptional collection of vintage buildings.
Below, in the Pioneer History Center is the old Wells Fargo Building.
The Wawona area features one of the two major hotel or lodge complexes in Yosemite National Park. The Wawona Hotel was first bilt in 1879. Telephones arrived in 1905, and electricity in 1908. The picture below is of the Wawona Hotel Annex.
The Wawona area was originally accessible via stage road along the route which is now Highway 41. Below there is a picture of Washburn Cottage, part of the Wawona Hotel complex.
The Wawona Hotel was originally built in 1879 and rebuilt in 1917. In some ways, the glory days of the Wawona Hotel were in the 1920's. The grounds featured 6 buidlings where guests stayed, a swimming pool, golf course, 3 fountains, a lake, an airport, and tennis courts. Although those amenities are no longer present, the National Park Service has restored the buildings to their orginal appearance.
The Wawona area is located at 4000 feet, about the same altitude as the Yosemite Valley. The meadow below lacks the spectacular features of Yosemite Valley, but it is nevertheless quite charming.
This are is quite close to the Marisposa grove of giant sequoias, and features a number of other beautiful trees, such as the Ponderosa pine.
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