Yosemite Valley remained undiscovered by white men until in 1850 marauding Indian bands from the mountains raided several foothill trading posts. In retaliation the "Mariposa Battalion" was organized to subdue these mountain tribes and force them into a large reservation, the San Joaquin Valley. The last to be conquered and the most warlike were the Yosemites living in fancied security in their stronghold, the deep grassy valley of "Awahnee." It was in pursuit of this tribe that the members of the Mariposa Battalion first entered Yosemite on March 21, 1851. The story of the one-sided campaigns which extended over two summers is well told by Dr. W. L. Bunnell, the surgeon of the party, in his "Discovery of the Yosemite and the Indian War of 1851" (4th Edition, 1911, G. W. Gerlicher, Los Angeles). An excellent summary of the early history of Yosemite Valley has recently been published as a Park Service bulletin and may be obtained free at the government information bureau in Yosemite. GENERAL FEATURES OF THE VALLEY All points of scenic interest are indicated in the road and trail trips, but the following brief discussion of the major features of the valley may serve to orient the new-comer. In this connection the aeroplane-view frontispiece will be found exceedingly useful. First and most impressive are the great rock masses. The square-cut 3200 foot cliff of El Capitan at the Gates of the Valley is regarded by many as the most awe-inspiring of all great rocks; yet others affirm that Half Dome, a few miles eastward, is just as mighty and far more lovable. The castellated Cathedral Rocks rising half to two-thirds as high as El Capitan on the opposite side of the valley are dwarfed in comparison, but are given an individual personality by their exceptional outline. Just eastward, the marvelously delicate pinnacles of the Cathedral Spires, each towering over 500 feet from its base, stand out from the great south wall. Less interesting but very mighty are the Three Brothers, rising 3800 feet as a great buttress of the north wall. Opposite them the Sentinel Rock, a huge obelisk-like watch tower, guards the south ramparts. At the upper end of the valley the dome formation is dominant. To the north are the rounded summits of North Dome, Basket Dome and Mount Watkins. The granite walls below them have fractured in great concentric arcs, forming the marvelously symmetrical Royal Arches, at the east end of which is the striking vertical promontory of Washington Column. At the edge of the perpendicular cliffs of the south wall is Glacier Point, the finest lookout point in the valley, and a short distance back from the rim are the symmetrical curves of Sentinel Dome.