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How Did 1940s-era Visitors View Yosemite National Park? Check Out This Video

Submitted by Kurt Repanshek on May 30, 2009 - 2:59am

The present vs the past. NPS photo.

How did visitors view Yosemite National Park in the 1940s? This grainy video, which runs nearly 13 minutes, gives some insights.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 30, 2009 - 7:46am.

Wow - feeding bears out of the palm of your hand? The landscape hasn't changed - but some of the practices obviously have. (Liked those sled dogs, too!)

Submitted by tahoma on May 30, 2009 - 8:59am.

Thanks for the very interesting old video, Kurt. Near the end of the clip (11:38), the ski sequence caption "The Swift Descent Is On" is followed by about ten seconds of footage from Mt. Rainier. This seems odd and makes me wonder if skier/film maker Otto Lang may have been involved with the Yosemite production?

Submitted by Dog Boy (not verified) on May 30, 2009 - 12:21pm.

The amazing thing wasn't that they were feeding bears, but that they were feeding bear CUBS! Messing with cubs is a sure-fire way to annoy mama bear mightily.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 30, 2009 - 2:28pm.

After having lived in Yosemite National Park (the Valley) ALOT of things have changed. WOW!! That's all I can say!! That would of been REALLY Neat to have seen it then & now; all the wonderful things!! The main stand outs are there, Half Dome, El Cap, etc. BUT all the lodging has changed. Except for a couple!! It's so amazing!!

Submitted by jessstryker on May 30, 2009 - 5:25pm.

I remember people feeding the bears on the side of the road as a child (but I think it was in Yellowstone.) My parents wouldn't let me out of the car to join in, and I was not happy! Sadly, the drive-through tree fell in a winter storm in 1969 (it is so famous that people still send me emails asking where it is almost 40 years later!) That's what happens when you cut big holes in the base of trees. But the ski area at Badger Pass looks almost the same today, there is an addition onto the lodge now, and of course the tow sled has been replaced with modern lifts. It's still my favorite place to ski!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on May 31, 2009 - 9:29am.

Thanks for sharing Kurt. Warm memories and nostalgia at it's best. A simple and less complicated time that blends well for it's era.