Mammoth Museum at the Hayden Cabin

The local boys and girls have taken to the ice this week, but Ol' Charlie wanted to remind you that in 1879, Mammoth City's Lake Mary was thought of to be the "Biggest Skating Rink in America - Three Square Miles of Surface That is Like a Polished Mirror".

This is California's 28th Governor Frank Merriam. He is firing a shotgun (instead of using scissors), through an off picture ribbon...to mark the opening of the... new Lone Pine to Death Valley state highway in 1937 in one of the largest events ever held in the Eastern Sierra-the "Wedding of the Waters." A three day affair created, designed and executed by the area's revered Catholic Priest, Father John Crowley...you can read all about it...and dozens of other lesser known tales of Eastern Sierra history in the book, Tales Along El Camino Sierra. Available at bookstores, bakeries, restaurants and other fine retailers throughout Inyo and Mono Counties, as well as at Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B071RXNPW1 See more

Have you ever noticed this 8' wide section of old pavement just west of Hwy 395 (El Camino Sierra) near Big Pine? It was the first section of paved road in Inyo County and a section of the historic El Camino Sierra. You can easily find it if you look today.

Growing up, it was a highlight of my youth to visit Yosemite National Park-often 3 or 4 times every year. And one of the major highlights of my visit..was to se...e the Yosemite Firefall. Looking back, as corny as it was...it was also a moving and emotional experience...and one that I still harbor very strong fond memories of. The Yosemite Firefall was a summer time event that began in 1872 and continued for almost a century, in which burning hot embers were spilled from the top of Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park to the valley 3,000 feet below. From a distance it appeared as a glowing waterfall. The owners of the Glacier Point Hotel first conducted the firefall. History has it that David Curry, founder of Camp Curry (which was located directly below Glacier Point), would stand at the base of the fall, and yell "Let the fire fall," each night as a signal to start pushing the embers over. By the 1960s, enormous crowds (thousands of people) would gather in various locations at the east end of Yosemite Valley, including the fragile meadows, to witness the "un-natural" spectacular. The Firefall ended in January 1968, when George B. Hartzog, then the director of the National Park Service, ordered it to stop because the overwhelming number of visitors were creating numerous challenges, and because it was not a natural event. The NPS wanted to preserve the valley, returning it to its natural state. The Glacier Point Hotel was destroyed by fire 18 months later and was not rebuilt. The Firefall was performed at 9 p.m. seven nights a week as the final act of an evening program at Camp Curry. There is a great California Gold with Huell Howser that was done of the FIrefall several years ago and is a great source to learn more of this unique event. Here is the link to part one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXsA7E21ErQ Please share with us your own memories of this historical Yosemite experience. See more

** Giving Tuesday & Beyond ** Dear Friends and Supporters of The Mammoth Museum - This Tuesday December 1st is "Giving Tuesday". Please invest in your history by investing in your Museum. This year, your annual membership renewal and additional donations have become more important to the Museum’s growth, success, and sustainability than ever. We are your museum, and the part YOU play in our sustainability is critical. Don’t rely on others YOUR contribution is the most i...mportant one to us! Your contribution today will ensure the success of our mission - the sharing of stories best told through exhibits and programs at The Mammoth Museum. As an independent, non-profit organization, the Museum counts on you. Your generous donations ensure our ability to serve local residents, welcome curious visitors, promote Mammoth’s legacy, and explore innovative ways to share these traditions for generations to come. As you know, our yearly operating budget is very tight, and we receive less than 10% of our annual funding from Town contributions so we must rely on YOU to keep us doing what we do. If you are not yet a member, please join us. If you are already a member, please be sure to not only renew your annual membership but also consider stepping up your yearly contribution to a higher membership level. In this, The Season of Giving, please help support the Museum in a larger way this year - by making a separate and generous tax-deductible gift in addition to your membership donation. The Mammoth Museum (SMHS) has made great strides forward in the last few years to create a facility that not only serves the residents of the Town of Mammoth Lakes, but also creates a destination for visitors as well. Despite the large funding deficit that we are forced to contend with each year, your Museum has continued not only to survive, but to grow into a viable and beloved public institution. Much of that can be credited to our current Board of Directors, whose non-paid volunteer support, both financial and hands on work, has allowed the Museum to exist and to thrive. But the largest amount of thanks goes to you our members and supporters. Please also consider us when you do your Estate Planning and Charitable Contributions. Through that, you can make a substantial and ongoing positive impact on the way we record the history of this special place that we all know and love, and on our unique ability to preserve the story of Mammoth for future generations. This is your chance to give generously at a time most needed. The future of The Mammoth Museum is up to you! Sincerely, Robert L. Joki President of the Board Southern Mono Historical Society * Please make your tax-deductible contribution on-line or mail your check to: Southern Mono Historical Society - PO Box 65 - Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

** Giving Tuesday & Beyond ** Dear Friends and Supporters of The Mammoth Museum This Tuesday December 1st is "Giving Tuesday". Please invest in your history by investing in your Museum. This year, your annual membership renewal and additional donations have become more important to the Museum’s growth, success, and sustainability than ever. We are your museum, and the part YOU play in our sustainability is critical. Don’t rely on others YOUR contribution is the most impor...tant one to us! Your contribution today will ensure the success of our mission - the sharing of stories best told through exhibits and programs at The Mammoth Museum. As an independent, non-profit organization, the Museum counts on you. Your generous donations ensure our ability to serve local residents, welcome curious visitors, promote Mammoth’s legacy, and explore innovative ways to share these traditions for generations to come. As you know, our yearly operating budget is very tight, and we receive less than 10% of our annual funding from Town contributions so we must rely on YOU to keep us doing what we do. If you are not yet a member, please join us. If you are already a member, please be sure to not only renew your annual membership but also consider stepping up your yearly contribution to a higher membership level. In this, The Season of Giving, please help support the Museum in a larger way this year - by making a separate and generous tax-deductible gift in addition to your membership donation. The Mammoth Museum (SMHS) has made great strides forward in the last few years to create a facility that not only serves the residents of the Town of Mammoth Lakes, but also creates a destination for visitors as well. Despite the large funding deficit that we are forced to contend with each year, your Museum has continued not only to survive, but to grow into a viable and beloved public institution. Much of that can be credited to our current Board of Directors, whose non-paid volunteer support, both financial and hands on work, has allowed the Museum to exist and to thrive. But the largest amount of thanks goes to you our members and supporters. Please also consider us when you do your Estate Planning and Charitable Contributions. Through that, you can make a substantial and ongoing positive impact on the way we record the history of this special place that we all know and love, and on our unique ability to preserve the story of Mammoth for future generations. This is your chance to give generously at a time most needed. The future of The Mammoth Museum is up to you! Sincerely, Robert L. Joki President of the Board Southern Mono Historical Society * Please make your tax-deductible contribution on-line or mail your check to: Southern Mono Historical Society - PO Box 65 - Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

Our favorite Slovakian Mountain Man and guitar stummer Robert Lukac (Robo), when not working at the Hayden Cabin, is always on some kind of adventure or another in and around Mammoth Lakes. He shares some of that good old fashioned lifestyle with us through this fun and informative new video series he calls "Sk Explorer".