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Making of Yosemite : James Mason Hutchings and the Origin of America's Most Popular Park by Jen A. Huntley (2011, Hardcover)
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About this product
Product Identifiers
PublisherUniversity Press of Kansas
ISBN-100700618058
ISBN-139780700618057
eBay Product ID (ePID)109118834
Product Key Features
Book TitleMaking of Yosemite : James Mason Hutchings and the Origin of America's Most Popular Park
Number of Pages336 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year2011
TopicUnited States / State & Local / West (Ak, CA, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, WY), Environmental Conservation & Protection, Environmentalists & Naturalists, Parks & Campgrounds
IllustratorYes
GenreNature, Travel, Biography & Autobiography, History
AuthorJen A. Huntley
FormatHardcover
Dimensions
Item Height1 in
Item Weight17.6 Oz
Item Length9.2 in
Item Width6.3 in
Additional Product Features
LCCN2011-031526
ReviewsHutchings's career, Huntley argues in her persuasive new book, 'illustrates the way that the Yosemite Grant [later park] and the environmental conservation movement it launched were integrally connected to and interdependent upon the consumer tourism that would be his bread and butter.' Hutchings' actions on the ground and in print made it possible for such well-heeled visitors as Alice Van Schaack to revel in this remote playground; and, ever since, for millions of others to hike its trails, scale Half Dome, or bed down in Camp Curry. . . . So why is Hutchings so little known today? Why is Huntley's penetrating examination of his life and career the first full-length treatment of an individual who did so much to bring Yosemite to light? Now you can thank John Muir.-- Char Miller in The Back Forty,on KCET.org A remarkable, exciting, and thought-provoking study that reinterprets the history of Yosemite National Park specifically and the history of the national parks and conservation generally. It is packed with stunning insights, revelations, and arguments that Huntley presents with great intellectual sophistication and in clear, vigorous, and in places lyrical prose. It will compel scholars to revise how they think, teach, and write about national parks, conservation, and land policy, and will be especially useful for undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental and Western history.-- Mark Fiege , author of Irrigated Eden: The Making of an Agricultural Landscape in the American West, "Ambitiously tying East to West, The Making of Yosemite is among the more significant of recent books examining the overlapping histories of the American West and the Civil War. . . .[the] powerful merit of this book is Huntley's suggestive finding that the object of Hutching's eye and mind, if not western nature writ large, might be redemptive and rejuvenating in the processes of post-Civil War national healing."- Pacific Historical Review, "Ambitiously tying East to West, The Making of Yosemite is among the more significant of recent books examining the overlapping histories of the American West and the Civil War. . . .[the] powerful merit of this book is Huntley's suggestive finding that the object of Hutching's eye and mind, if not western nature writ large, might be redemptive and rejuvenating in the processes of post-Civil War national healing."-- Pacific Historical Review Huntley concludes the book with a brief, yet poignant discussion of the complex historical relationship between entrepreneurs and the creation of sacred places such as Yosemite. By restoring Hutchings's place in Yosemites creation, Huntley argues the modern environmental understandings of nature too often obscure the role of boosters, and more broadly capitalism, in the production of landscape. In this manner, The Making of Yosemite joins a growing number of works underlining the complex connections between wilderness preservation and consumerism in American history, and perhaps, as she suggests, offers a more complete understanding of our relationship with Yosemite today.-- Environmental History Huntley has written a provocative work. She has taken on the myth that Yosemite Valley was set aside by noble 'gentlemen' and administered by selfless commissioners who opposed selfishness, greed, and exploitation of the environment. She has proven that it was not that simple.-- Oregon Historical Quarterly An important examination of the role Hutchings played in not only the promotion but also the establishment and preservation of Yosemite National Park.-- Historian A worthwhile biography of the late nineteenth-century publisher, hotelier, and businessman James Mason Hutchings and his contribution to the early history of Yosemite National Park. Huntley situates her task as moving beyond the traditional image of Hutchings as 'the selfish, narrow-sighted businessman' that attempted to hamper the public preservation of Yosemite with his private land claims. She instead reveals a complicated individual who strove to combine the promotion of nature with its preservation. . . . Throughout the book, Huntley does well to promote Yosemite . . . She shows how Yosemite became a next stage for the Golden State following the gold rush--a new cultural symbol for San Francisco and later a beacon for the nation as a whole. . . . The Making of Yosemite provides great insight into early promotions of California and the fashioning of park imagery. Huntley successfully recasts Hutchings in the historical narrative, revealing interesting inconsistencies in the historical record as well as challenging conventional notions of binaries (such as nature versus culture, business versus environment.) The book is beautifully written, reflective, and nuanced. While some may take issue with the closing comments that business and environment can sit comfortably together . . . a valuable addition to California history.-- Journal of American History Fills a hole in the literature about Yosemite and the national parks in general. . . . Reminds us that few characters are unblemished villains or saints: we all live in a complex world, with competing, diverse motives. Hutchings, like Muir, was one such person.-- Montana The Magazine of Western History Environmental historian Huntley puts Yosemite pioneer hosteler James Hutchings in a broad perspective. . . . Recommended. All levels/libraries.-- Choice, "Hutchings's career, Huntley argues in her persuasive new book, 'illustrates the way that the Yosemite Grant [later park] and the environmental conservation movement it launched were integrally connected to and interdependent upon the consumer tourism that would be his bread and butter.' Hutchings' actions on the ground and in print made it possible for such well-heeled visitors as Alice Van Schaack to revel in this remote playground; and, ever since, for millions of others to hike its trails, scale Half Dome, or bed down in Camp Curry. . . . So why is Hutchings so little known today? Why is Huntley's penetrating examination of his life and career the first full-length treatment of an individual who did so much to bring Yosemite to light? Now you can thank John Muir."-- Char Miller in "The Back Forty," on KCET.org "A remarkable, exciting, and thought-provoking study that reinterprets the history of Yosemite National Park specifically and the history of the national parks and conservation generally. It is packed with stunning insights, revelations, and arguments that Huntley presents with great intellectual sophistication and in clear, vigorous, and in places lyrical prose. It will compel scholars to revise how they think, teach, and write about national parks, conservation, and land policy, and will be especially useful for undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental and Western history."-- Mark Fiege , author of Irrigated Eden: The Making of an Agricultural Landscape in the American West, "Ambitiously tying East to West, The Making of Yosemite is among the more significant of recent books examining the overlapping histories of the American West and the Civil War. . . .[the] powerful merit of this book is Huntley's suggestive finding that the object of Hutching's eye and mind, if not western nature writ large, might be redemptive and rejuvenating in the processes of post-Civil War national healing."-- Pacific Historical Review "Huntley concludes the book with a brief, yet poignant discussion of the complex historical relationship between entrepreneurs and the creation of sacred places such as Yosemite. By restoring Hutchings's place in Yosemite's creation, Huntley argues the modern environmental understandings of nature too often obscure the role of boosters, and more broadly capitalism, in the production of landscape. In this manner, The Making of Yosemite joins a growing number of works underlining the complex connections between wilderness preservation and consumerism in American history, and perhaps, as she suggests, offers a more complete understanding of our relationship with Yosemite today."-- Environmental History "Huntley has written a provocative work. She has taken on the myth that Yosemite Valley was set aside by noble 'gentlemen' and administered by selfless commissioners who opposed selfishness, greed, and exploitation of the environment. She has proven that it was not that simple."-- Oregon Historical Quarterly "An important examination of the role Hutchings played in not only the promotion but also the establishment and preservation of Yosemite National Park."-- Historian "A worthwhile biography of the late nineteenth-century publisher, hotelier, and businessman James Mason Hutchings and his contribution to the early history of Yosemite National Park. Huntley successfully recasts Hutchings in the historical narrative, revealing interesting inconsistencies in the historical record as well as challenging conventional notions of binaries (such as nature versus culture, business versus environment.) The book is beautifully written, reflective, and nuanced. While some may take issue with the closing comments that business and environment can sit comfortably together . . . a valuable addition to California history."-- Journal of American History "Fills a hole in the literature about Yosemite and the national parks in general. . . . Reminds us that few characters are unblemished villains or saints: we all live in a complex world, with competing, diverse motives. Hutchings, like Muir, was one such person."-- Montana The Magazine of Western History "Environmental historian Huntley puts Yosemite pioneer hosteler James Hutchings in a broad perspective. . . . Recommended."-- Choice, "Ambitiously tying East to West, The Making of Yosemite is among the more significant of recent books examining the overlapping histories of the American West and the Civil War. . . .[the] powerful merit of this book is Huntleys suggestive finding that the object of Hutchings eye and mind, if not western nature writ large, might be redemptive and rejuvenating in the processes of post-Civil War national healing."Pacific Historical Review Huntley concludes the book with a brief, yet poignant discussion of the complex historical relationship between entrepreneurs and the creation of sacred places such as Yosemite. By restoring Hutchingss place in Yosemites creation, Huntley argues the modern environmental understandings of nature too often obscure the role of boosters, and more broadly capitalism, in the production of landscape. In this manner, The Making of Yosemite joins a growing number of works underlining the complex connections between wilderness preservation and consumerism in American history, and perhaps, as she suggests, offers a more complete understanding of our relationship with Yosemite today.Environmental History Huntley has written a provocative work. She has taken on the myth that Yosemite Valley was set aside by noble gentlemenand administered by selfless commissioners who opposed selfishness, greed, and exploitation of the environment. She has proven that it was not that simple.Oregon Historical Quarterly An important examination of the role Hutchings played in not only the promotion but also the establishment and preservation of Yosemite National Park.Historian A worthwhile biography of the late nineteenth-century publisher, hotelier, and businessman James Mason Hutchings and his contribution to the early history of Yosemite National Park. Huntley successfully recasts Hutchings in the historical narrative, revealing interesting inconsistencies in the historical record as well as challenging conventional notions of binaries (such as nature versus culture, business versus environment.) The book is beautifully written, reflective, and nuanced. While some may take issue with the closing comments that business and environment can sit comfortably together . . . a valuable addition to California history.Journal of American History Fills a hole in the literature about Yosemite and the national parks in general. . . . Reminds us that few characters are unblemished villains or saints: we all live in a complex world, with competing, diverse motives. Hutchings, like Muir, was one such person.Montana The Magazine of Western History Environmental historian Huntley puts Yosemite pioneer hosteler James Hutchings in a broad perspective. . . . Recommended.Choice, "Hutchings's career, Huntley argues in her persuasive new book, 'illustrates the way that the Yosemite Grant [later park] and the environmental conservation movement it launched were integrally connected to and interdependent upon the consumer tourism that would be his bread and butter.' Hutchings' actions on the ground and in print made it possible for such well-heeled visitors as Alice Van Schaack to revel in this remote playground; and, ever since, for millions of others to hike its trails, scale Half Dome, or bed down in Camp Curry. . . . So why is Hutchings so little known today? Why is Huntley's penetrating examination of his life and career the first full-length treatment of an individual who did so much to bring Yosemite to light? Now you can thank John Muir."- Char Miller in "The Back Forty," on KCET.org "A remarkable, exciting, and thought-provoking study that reinterprets the history of Yosemite National Park specifically and the history of the national parks and conservation generally. It is packed with stunning insights, revelations, and arguments that Huntley presents with great intellectual sophistication and in clear, vigorous, and in places lyrical prose. It will compel scholars to revise how they think, teach, and write about national parks, conservation, and land policy, and will be especially useful for undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental and Western history."- Mark Fiege , author of Irrigated Eden: The Making of an Agricultural Landscape in the American West, Hutchingss career, Huntley argues in her persuasive new book, illustrates the way that the Yosemite Grant [later park] and the environmental conservation movement it launched were integrally connected to and interdependent upon the consumer tourism that would be his bread and butter.Hutchingsactions on the ground and in print made it possible for such well-heeled visitors as Alice Van Schaack to revel in this remote playground; and, ever since, for millions of others to hike its trails, scale Half Dome, or bed down in Camp Curry. . . . So why is Hutchings so little known today? Why is Huntleys penetrating examination of his life and career the first full-length treatment of an individual who did so much to bring Yosemite to light? Now you can thank John Muir.Char Miller in The Back Forty,on KCET.org A remarkable, exciting, and thought-provoking study that reinterprets the history of Yosemite National Park specifically and the history of the national parks and conservation generally. It is packed with stunning insights, revelations, and arguments that Huntley presents with great intellectual sophistication and in clear, vigorous, and in places lyrical prose. It will compel scholars to revise how they think, teach, and write about national parks, conservation, and land policy, and will be especially useful for undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental and Western history.Mark Fiege , author of Irrigated Eden: The Making of an Agricultural Landscape in the American West, "Ambitiously tying East to West, The Making of Yosemite is among the more significant of recent books examining the overlapping histories of the American West and the Civil War. . . .[the] powerful merit of this book is Huntley's suggestive finding that the object of Hutching's eye and mind, if not western nature writ large, might be redemptive and rejuvenating in the processes of post-Civil War national healing."-- Pacific Historical Review "Huntley concludes the book with a brief, yet poignant discussion of the complex historical relationship between entrepreneurs and the creation of sacred places such as Yosemite. By restoring Hutchings's place in Yosemite's creation, Huntley argues the modern environmental understandings of nature too often obscure the role of boosters, and more broadly capitalism, in the production of landscape. In this manner, The Making of Yosemite joins a growing number of works underlining the complex connections between wilderness preservation and consumerism in American history, and perhaps, as she suggests, offers a more complete understanding of our relationship with Yosemite today."-- Environmental History "Huntley has written a provocative work. She has taken on the myth that Yosemite Valley was set aside by noble 'gentlemen' and administered by selfless commissioners who opposed selfishness, greed, and exploitation of the environment. She has proven that it was not that simple."-- Oregon Historical Quarterly "An important examination of the role Hutchings played in not only the promotion but also the establishment and preservation of Yosemite National Park."-- Historian "A worthwhile biography of the late nineteenth-century publisher, hotelier, and businessman James Mason Hutchings and his contribution to the early history of Yosemite National Park. Huntley situates her task as moving beyond the traditional image of Hutchings as 'the selfish, narrow-sighted businessman' that attempted to hamper the public preservation of Yosemite with his private land claims. She instead reveals a complicated individual who strove to combine the promotion of nature with its preservation. . . . Throughout the book, Huntley does well to promote Yosemite . . . She shows how Yosemite became a next stage for the Golden State following the gold rush--a new cultural symbol for San Francisco and later a beacon for the nation as a whole. . . . The Making of Yosemite provides great insight into early promotions of California and the fashioning of park imagery. Huntley successfully recasts Hutchings in the historical narrative, revealing interesting inconsistencies in the historical record as well as challenging conventional notions of binaries (such as nature versus culture, business versus environment.) The book is beautifully written, reflective, and nuanced. While some may take issue with the closing comments that business and environment can sit comfortably together . . . a valuable addition to California history."-- Journal of American History "Fills a hole in the literature about Yosemite and the national parks in general. . . . Reminds us that few characters are unblemished villains or saints: we all live in a complex world, with competing, diverse motives. Hutchings, like Muir, was one such person."-- Montana The Magazine of Western History "Environmental historian Huntley puts Yosemite pioneer hosteler James Hutchings in a broad perspective. . . . Recommended. All levels/libraries."-- Choice
TitleLeadingThe
Table Of ContentAcknowledgments Introduction: Yosemite and the Tipping Point in American Environmental Thought Part I: The Mountains of California: Gold, God, and the Quest for Social Order, 1849-1855 1. "To Cheat Ourselves into Forgetfulness of Home": From the Middle of England to the Rim of Civilization 2. "Such Is Change in California": Technology, Violence and Race in Post Gold-Rush California Part II: The Church of California: Yosemite and the Regional Sublime 1855-1860 3. "Opening the Sealed Book": Making Yosemite Known to All 4. Hutchings and Rosenfield in the Print Metropolis Part III: Yosemite and the National Sublime 5 Yosemite and the Crucible of War 6. Yosemite and Modernity Conclusion: Discovering Our Place in Nature Notes Bibliography Index
SynopsisLeader of the first tourist expedition into Yosemite in 1855, James Mason Hutchings became a tireless promoter of the valley--and of himself. Seeking to create an alternative to California's Gold Rush social chaos, Hutchings whetted the public enthusiasm for this unspoiled land by mass producing a lithograph of Yosemite Falls, while his Hutchings' California Magazine beat the drum for tourism. But because of his later legal imbroglios over the park, Hutchings was effectively written out of its history, and today he is largely viewed as an opportunist who made a career out of exploiting Yosemite. Now Jen Huntley removes the tarnish from Hutchings's image. She portrays him instead as a "connector" who brought artists to Yosemite and Yosemite to Americans, and uses his career as a lens through which to view the contests and debates surrounding the creation of Yosemite, and, by extension, America's emerging ethic of land conservation. Blending environmental and cultural history, she tracks Hutchings's professional trajectory amidst significant changes in nineteenth-century America, from technological advances in printing to the growth of tourism, from the birth of modern environmental movements to battles over public lands. Huntley uses Hutchings's legal battles with the government over ownership of land in the Yosemite Valley to analyze larger battles over public land management and national identity. She also explores the role of urban San Francisco in designating Yosemite a public park, shows how the Civil War transformed Yosemite from a regional icon to a national symbol of post-war redemption, and takes a closer look at Hutchings's relationship with John Muir. Making Yosemite sheds light on the role of power, class dynamics, and the late-century ideal of individualism in the shaping of modern America's sacred landscapes. Hutchings emerges here as a visionary communicator who cleverly tapped into midcentury Americans' attitudes toward spectacular scenery to create a sense of place-based identity in the American Far West. Huntley's revisionist approach rediscovers Hutchings as a key player in the histories of American media, tourism, and environmentalism, and suggests new terrain for scholars to consider in writing the histories of our national parks, conservation, and land policy., The career of controversial San Francisco publisher James Mason Hutchings, the tireless promoter whose efforts were essential to establishing Yosemite's place in the American imagination and to its preservation.
LC Classification NumberF868.Y6H897 2011
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