Yosemite Valley remained undiscovered by white men until in 1850
marauding Indian bands from the mountains raided several foothill
trading posts. In retaliation the "Mariposa Battalion" was organized
to subdue these mountain tribes and force them into a large
reservation, the San Joaquin Valley. The last to be conquered and the
most warlike were the Yosemites living in fancied security in their
stronghold, the deep grassy valley of "Awahnee." It was in pursuit of
this tribe that the members of the Mariposa Battalion first entered
Yosemite on March 21, 1851. The story of the one-sided campaigns which
extended over two summers is well told by Dr. W. L. Bunnell, the
surgeon of the party, in his "Discovery of the Yosemite and the Indian
War of 1851" (4th Edition, 1911, G. W. Gerlicher, Los Angeles).
An excellent summary of the early history of Yosemite Valley has
recently been published as a Park Service bulletin and may be obtained
free at the government information bureau in Yosemite.