History of the Yosemite area the Yosemite area in 1863. Pressure from Starr King and Olmsted, photographs by Carleton Watkins, and geological data from the 1863 Geological Survey of California prompted legislators to take action. Senator John Conness of California introduced a park bill in 1864 to the United States Senate to cede Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees to California. The bill easily passed both houses of the United States Congress, and was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864. The Yosemite Grant, as it was called, was given to California as a state park for "public use, resort
Yosemite Transportation Company Office a decorative pattern. After 1927 the importance of stage services declined with the completion of a paved automobile road into the valley, and the YTC Office became a clearinghouse for accommodations in the Yosemite Valley. In the late 1930s the building was converted to a residence. The National Park Service management plan for the Yosemite Valley planned for the removal of buildings considered intrusive in the Old Yosemite Village area. The YTC building was designated for demolition during the Mission 66 program, but was instead moved to the Pioneer Yosemite History Center at Wawona in Yosemite National Park for preservation,