California Historical Society Diverse Summer Programming and New Exhibition Bring the History and Wonder of Yosemite to San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, July 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Historical Society launches new daytime and evening programs that bring the beauty and history of Yosemite to San Francisco.  Throughout the month of July as part of the ongoing exhibition, Yosemite: A Storied Landscape, the California Historical Society will host special event, presentations, educational programs and family events.

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Yosemite: A Storied Landscape highlights a broad collection of stories told through multiple and varied perspectives. From the Christmas-time hijinks of the photographer Ansel Adams to the summertime patrols of the post-Civil War–era Buffalo Soldiers, these tales link the famous with the unknown, the new with the old.

Along with the exhibition, commemorating the 150^th Anniversary of the Yosemite Grant Act, the month-long programs and events bring the tales of Yosemite to the City and for people of all ages, uncovering a human history of Yosemite that is as complex and diverse as California itself. 

Presentations will include stories from legendary Yosemite rock claimer Glen Denny to the amazing tales of the African American troopers, known as the Buffalo Soldiers that patrolled the Yosemite wilderness and served a crucial role in the stewardship of these lands in and Sequoias Parks in 1899, 1903, and 1904.

More information about upcoming events can be found at californiahistoricalsociety.org and include:

• Thursday, July 10 2014, 6:00 pm: Historian's Talk: The Making of Yosemite 
  Join Historian Jen Huntley in an engaging discussion around the history of the Act and the birth of Yosemite as a National Park.
  
• Saturday, July 12, 2014, 12:00 pm – 4:00 p.m. History for Half Pints: Arts, Crafts, Storytelling
  Come to California Historical Society for fun craft projects and stories related to the Yosemite: A Storied Landscape exhibition. Make a cork raft, enjoy nature sing-alongs and draw your own Keep Animals Wild posters.
  
• Wednesday, July 16, 2014, 5:30 pm: Postcard from Yosemite: Honoring the Buffalo Soldiers
  The U.S. Army dispatched African American troopers, known as the Buffalo Soldiers to Yosemite and Sequoias Parks in 1899, 1903, and 1904. They patrolled the wilderness and served a crucial role in the stewardship of these lands.

Join award winning journalist and MOAD founding board member Belva Davis and Rue Mapp, Founder of Outdoor Afro for a conversation with Outdoor Afro members reporting on a June 2014 trip to retrace the trail of the Buffalo Soldiers the Presidio of San Francisco to Yosemite National Park. This interactive evening will share the oral histories of Outdoor Afro participants in the trip, including first time visitors to Yosemite, historians, and National Park Service rangers. Information about the campaign to establish a National Historic Trail commemorating the Buffalo Soldiers will be shared.  Additional speakers include Anthea Hartig, Executive Director, CHS; Teresa Baker, Founder of African American National Parks; Monica Parker, recording artist and first time visitor to Yosemite; Charlotte Parker, Outdoor enthusiast; and Felicia Goldwire, member, North Bay Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Chapter and re-enactor Cathay Williams, the only documented female buffalo soldier. The program is presented in partnership by Outdoor Afro, National Park Service, Museum of the African Diaspora and the California Historical Society. Proceeds will support efforts to make the Buffalo Soldiers' trail from the Presidio to Yosemite a national landmark.

• Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 6:00 pm: We Are CA – Glen Denny & Yosemite in the Sixties
  Glen Denny scaled the big walls of Yosemite Valley with many of the climbing icons of the 1960s, including Warren Harding, Royal Robbins, Tom Frost, Yvon Chouinard, Chuck Pratt, and Layton Kor. This small group of committed climbers made their home at Camp 4 after dropping out of mainstream society. They perfected their climbing skills and developed a unique social scene that made the sixties a golden age in the Yosemite Valley, an era of first ascents and all-night parties in Camp Four. Camera in hand, Glen captured both the gritty reality and the sunny optimism of those years on film. During this event, Glen Denny shares his insider's view of the classic ascents and colorful characters of this important era through images, stories, and anecdotes.
  
• Thursday, July 24, 2014, 6:00 pm: Ten Lions Talks: Kimi Kodani Hill on the Life and Art of  Chiura Obata   Through artwork and photographs Kimi Kodani Hill will relate the story of her grandfather, Chiura Obata (1885 -1975). Obata stated that his camping trip to Yosemite in 1927 was "the greatest harvest for my whole life and future in painting". Hill edited the book "Topaz Moon: Chiura Obata's Art of the Internment".
  
• Wednesday, July 30, 2014, 6:00 pm: We Are CA – Latino Outdoors Panel Discussion: Stories of Yosemite   Various storytellers from Latino Outdoors will tell stories about their experiences in Yosemite and other National Parks. Learn about this organization and its mission to connect Latinos/as to the outdoors and to National Parks like Yosemite. Jose Gonzalez, founder of Latino Outdoors will moderate the discussion.

Contact:
Kevin Herglotz
HPA Strategic Communications
415-963-2601
Email 

SOURCE California Historical Society