El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, CA
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- February 1977
- Location
- Yosemite National Park, California
- License
- This photograph copyright ©1977. All Rights Reserved
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Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for 1890, California, designated wilderness, early national park, El Capitan, fall, Galen Clark, John Muir, national parks, Nevada Falls, sequoia, Vernal Falls, waterfall, wilderness, Yosemite, and Yosemite National Park.
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. El Capitan is a 3,000 foot tall granite monolith. The name “El Capitan” is considered to be a loose Spanish translation of the original Native American name, meaning something close to “chief.” The vertical rock cliff is a popular challenge for rock climbers from around the world.
Yosemite National Park was one of the earliest national parks. Formed in 1890, it was preceded only by Yellowstone and Sequoia National Parks. Its creation was advocated by naturalists such as John Muir and Galen Clark, as well as many other influential figures. Today, it protects and preserves a broad variety of flora, fauna, geography, and Native American heritage. It is famous for its waterfalls, but visitors can also enjoy lush meadows, craggy rock ridges, and mammoth sequoias. 95 percent of the park’s 747,956 acres is designated wilderness.
