Early Tourism
After leading the first tourist party into Yosemite Valley in 1855, entrepreneur James Hutchings promoted the Valley's "Scenes of Wonder and Curiosity" in his own California Magazine. Not long after, a steadily increasing stream of visitors traveled to the Valley on foot, by horseback, and later by stagecoach. Makeshift hotels were often strained beyond capacity as news of Yosemite's scenic wonders spread.