The Milwaukee Leader

EXPLAINING A VALLEY

Most of the thousands of tourists who have visited the incomparable valley of the Yosemite must have wondered what forces of nature combined in the origin of its sheer cliffs, its massive rounded domes, its waterfalls rushing over serried hanging gardens and the verdant beauty of its level park-like floor.

They will find in the Geologic History of the Yosemite Valley, recently issued by the United States department of the interior, of particular interest. The history was prepared by Francois E. Matthes after a detailed study of the Sierra Nevada area, begun in 1913 by Mr. Matthes and Frank C. Calkins for the United States geological survey. Although the origin of the valley has been a subject of speculation among scientists since its discovery, this is the first thoroughly authenticated study based on a detailed survey of the area with the aid of recent developments in the newer branches of geological science. The book is profusely illustrated and includes a detailed topographical map.

Mr. Matthes describes in terms understandable by the layman, the volcanic upheavals which caused the Sierra Nevada mountains, a range nearly as extensive as the Swiss, French and Italian Alps combined; the three periods in which the section was glaciated during the ice age, the effects of stream and erosion in the formation of the unusual sculptural features, and other details in the history of its topography.

The Yosemite valley is the principal scenic feature of the Yosemite National park and is distinguished mainly by its great width compared with its depth, its sheer walls and gradeless floor. Due to its sequestered position in the mountains, the valley remained undiscovered by the Spanish settlers and gold prospectors in California. Its discovery was made accidentally in March, 1851, by Maj. James D. Savage and his Mariposa battalion of volunteers when they were searching for a marauding band of Yosemite Indians. -New York Times.