Glimpses of America: A Pictorial and Descriptive History of Our Country's Scenic MarvelsBuel, James W. (James William)
History
Glimpses of America: A Pictorial and Descriptive History of Our Country's Scenic Marvels
Buel, James W. (James William)
United States -- Pictorial works
But besides these, as we turn to sweep the other points, we catch views
no less grand, of Ribbon Fall, with its leap of 3,350 feet, Indian
Cañon, Royal Arches, Bridal Veil Fall, Washington’s Tower, Columbia
Rock, and pearl-gray granite walls that rise in places to a vertical
height of 6,000 feet. More beautiful, in some respects, than any of
these, as many believe, are Mirror Lake, which seems to reflect nearly
the whole valley, and Cascade Falls, which are indescribably lovely. The
meadows draw our admiration likewise, for they are so covered with
flowers as to appear like a carpet of the most gorgeous patterns, done
in the liveliest combination of brilliant colors. Other points of great
interest are the Giant’s Thumb, Eagle Peak, Valley Ford, the Gnome of
the Yosemite, Mount Watkins, 4,000 feet high, and Tis-sa-ack (Half
Dome), 5,000 feet in height, which was regarded by the Indians as the
Guardian Angel of the valley, for upon the south side of it are the
distinct outlines of a human face, declared in a legend to be those of
Tu-tock-ah-nu-lah, ancient father of the Yosemites. And there are the
Three Brothers, called by the Indians Pom-pom-pa-sa, which signifies
“three mountains playing leap-frog,” a name no doubt bestowed because of
the popularity of that game with the original natives, and also because
the mountains, from a distance, bear a strong resemblance to three giant
frogs sitting side by side, upon the point of leaping into the valley,
nearly 4,000 feet below.
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[Illustration: UPPER CASCADE OF BRIDAL VEIL FALLS IN WINTER.]
[Illustration: SENTINEL ROCK WRAPPED IN A CLOUD.]
Both of the illustrations on this page belong to Yosemite Park scenery.
The one on the right, representing Sentinel Rock wrapped in a cloud, is
specially beautiful and interesting. Our photographers were fortunate in
having so good an opportunity for reproducing a scene that occurs only
at rare intervals, and they have done the work so well that every one
will be delighted with the results.
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[Illustration: THE TURN, IN CHILNUALNU FALLS, YOSEMITE.]
There are several great falls in this wonderful reservation, which, in
point of beauty, exceed those in any other part of the world. Yosemite
Falls is incomparably the greatest in height, and in the months of May,
June and July, the volume of water which it pours down is second only to
Niagara and Shoshone. Its first vertical leap is 1,500 feet, where it
strikes a series of ledges which break the water into cascades for
another fall of 626 feet, after which it takes a sheer plunge of 400
feet, and flows away into the Merced, making a roaring noise in its
impetuous descent that can be heard for miles.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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