The effect of the automobile on the cultural elements of the landscape of Yosemite Valley

Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-142)During the past several decades families in the United States have witnessed substantial increases in their disposable income, leisure time and mobility. One result of those increases has been marked growth in the utilization of protected scenic natural resources such as the Yosemite Valley of California. The privately owned automobile has been the foundation for increased family mobility, and from an early date automobilists banded together to exert political influence in their own behalf. Under pressure from early automobile associations a decision to permit autos to enter Yosemite Valley was made in April, 1913. The effect of that decision, in terms of change in the cultural aspects of the landscape of Yosemite Valley, is the subject of this study. The flood of tourists who entered Yosemite Park in the years following the admission of the automobile found road and settlement patterns already established. Change was inevitable. The auto re??quired modifications to roads, parking areas, fuel and maintenance facilities. The auto-borne tourists required more and more lodgings, food and services of all types. Concessionaires, eager to profit, rushed to fulfill the needs of the ever-increasing tourist population. There was little effective planning or control in regard to human utilization of the valley; old, condemned structures continued to be utilized, automobiles crowded the roads and parking areas and campers pushed into camp grounds already hopelessly overcrowded. During the mid-fifties, with the advent of the Mission 66 Program, some measure of planning came into being and the Park Service and the concessionaires undertook an ambitious building program to update the quality of various structures and facilities. The success of that program is questionable. The decision to admit the automobile into Yosemite Valley brought about change to accommodate both the auto and its passengers. Modifications to the landscape necessary to accommodate the automobile were not nearly as substantial as the changes related to the increased number of tourists