Yosemite National Park is 123 and closed for its birthday

My computer homepage is Google.com and today the Google doodle celebrates the 123rd birthday of Yosemite National Park in California.

10/1/2013 Google doodle celebrates 123rd birthday of Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite National Park was the fourth national park established in the United States of America after Yellowstone (1872), Mackinac National Park 1875 (decommissioned in 1895 when it changed to Mackinac Island State Park), and Sequoia National Park, California (Sep 25, 1890).

Go to the Yosemite National Park website today and this is what you see:

Because of the federal government shutdown, all national parks are closed and National Park Service webpages are not operating. For more information, go to www.doi.gov.

Ken Burns film The National Parks –America’s Best Idea examines the history of Yosemite National Park as the first U.S. public lands set aside in 1864 to be protected in a natural state by Congress and President Lincoln. This was the precedent for establishing natural reserves in the USA, eight years before the founding of Yellowstone National Park as the first National Park in the world.

On May 17, 1864, Senator John Conness of California, acting at the urging of some of his constituents, introduced a bill to Congress that proposed something totally unprecedented in human history: setting aside a large tract of natural scenery for the future enjoyment of everyone. On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act of Congress ceding the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias to the state of California.

The National Parks –America’s Best Idea

Yosemite’s Rim Fire started August 17, 2013 and is still burning at 92% containment. Full containment is expected October 6, 2013. The fire at 257,235 acres is in the record books as the third largest fire in California modern history. The second largest fire was in 2012.

Here is a piece I wrote August 27 about Yosemite National Park with several photos and links to other pieces I have done on Yosemite over the past couple years.

Hopefully the public will have the opportunity to share your natural beauty again soon. California is having some of its best weather of the year these past few weeks and the snows will make Tioga Road across the high country of Yosemite National Park impassable probably sometime in the next month.

Happy 123rd Yosemite.