National Treasures

Micah Schwaberow

The 1861 photographs of Carleton E. Watkins and the 1862 paintings of Albert Bierstadt brought the magnificent landscapes of Yosemite to the attention of the populace on the eastern coast. In 1872, Picturesque America was published by D. Appleton and Company of New York and people viewed these as a clarion call for travel and adventure. Awaiting their arrivals were granite peaks, lakes, mountain meadows, and spectacular waterfalls.

On 20 June 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill passed by Congress that set aside Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. The bill stated that the lands be held “…for public use, resort, and recreation…inalienable for all time.” This marked the first time the U.S. government protected land for public enjoyment and it laid the foundation for the establishment of the national and state park systems. Yosemite National Park was designated by an Act of Congress on 1 October 1890, making it the third national park in the United States, after Yellowstone and Sequoia. Yosemite National Park encompasses 747,956 acres in the central Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California. Approximately 95% percent of the park is federally designated wilderness. Yosemite National Park was declared a World Heritage Site on 31 October 1984.

In his woodcut National Treasures, Micah Schwaberow placed his subject against the backdrop of the granite monoliths of Yosemite National Park. Carl W. Sharsmith worked as a ranger at Yosemite National Park from 1931 to 1993. In 1989, he was the oldest living park ranger working in the United States National Park system. He was granted a National Park Service Meritorious Service Award in 1956 and the Yosemite Award in 1990. In addition to his work as a summer interpreter for visitors to the park, he performed herbarium research, which would later be compiled for the Carl W. Sharsmith Herbarium at San Jose State University, where he taught between 1950 to 1973. Peak 12002 in Yosemite is informally known as Sharsmith Peak.