Hutchings' Tourist Guide to the Yo Semite Valley and the Big Tree Groves for the Summer and Spring of 1877 de Hutchings, J.M. [James Mason] - 1877

San Francisco: A Roman & Co, 1877. First Edition. Very Good. San Francisco: Alta California Print. 12mo [6.5x4.75in]; [ii], [3], 4-102 pp., frontispiece illustration of Yo Semite Valley, folding map of tourist routes to the Sierras; Dark brown cloth covers with gilt lettering, blind rules and patterns on front; Minimal shelf wear, some rubbing and faded areas of front and back covers, rubbing to top of spine, minor offset of frontispiece shadow on title page, typical stain to title page from glue in map, bookseller stamp (C. Beach, San Francisco) and prior owner pencil inscription on front end paper, advertisement for Hutchings' Tourist Agency on lavender paper not present. [Currey & Kruska 173, Kruska 93]. James Mason Hutchings (1820-1902) was one of the many Englishmen that came to California in 1849 for the Gold Rush. He made his fortune in mining and was one of the early promoters of the wonders of Yosemite Valley and the National Park. As a businessman, he established a hotel in the valley floor and, after named as a State Park in 1864, he claimed land under preemption laws. He lost his claim and was banished from the valley in 1875. He settled in San Francisco promoting and operating a tourist agency and leading trips as a Yosemite guide. This travel guide is one of several books that he wrote over the years on Yosemite and the Western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.