Customer Reviews:
 A Useful Primer July 2, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
My love for the Sierra Nevada mountains goes back to the days of my youth when we made family trips to Yosemite and Sequoia. Later as a teenager filled with wanderlust, I returned to explore them on my own terms. Despite having made many trips to the Sierras, I never really read much about them until recently when I read several books covering the subject by early explorers of the area like William Brewer and Clarence King. Readers of those books are referred to Farquhar's History of the Sierra Nevada by amazon and others, so I bought this and found it a thoroughly enjoyable read.
If you want a broad overview of the history of the Sierras, particularly the High Sierras, then this is the book I would recommend. Farquhar's history is a very useful primer that touches on all important aspects of exploration of the High Sierra and the progress made from mere exploitation to preservation and recreation. Note that the focus is on the high country as the history of the foothills has been much more extensively surveyed.
The book covers the period from the first tentative Spanish penetrations, to the arrival of trappers and hunters from the east, then on to the settlers and further to the establishment of the National Forests and Parks in the region. Farquhar covers Jedediah Smith, John Fremont, Brewer, King, John Muir, and others who contributed so much to the exploration of the Sierras, the discovery of the important passes, the climbing of the peaks, and the naming of the natural features. He also writes of the subsequent struggle between those who wanted to exploit the mountains for all they were worth and those who felt that posterity had a stake in their partial preservation. Additionally, he discusses the politics of the exploitation/preservation debate and the many political battles in both Sacramento and Washington DC that have made the High Sierra the place we know today. The once dominant mining and logging industries are of small importance compared to the great importance placed on the waters and watershed of the Sierras by most Californians today.
Most thrilling to me are the descriptions of the backcountry and the tales of finding paths through previously uncharted territory. Francis Farquhar's history is well written, extensively footnoted, and relatively fast-paced. His enthusiasm for his subject is evident throughout. Since this is an overview, he doesn't bog you down in the minutiae of the events about which he writes. If you are a lover of the Sierras, but have a hazy knowledge of their history, then I highly recommend reading History of the Sierra Nevada.
Great historical look at the High Sierra's July 8, 2006
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
As the author says in the preface, this book "deals with human experiences in the Sierra Nevada from the time the Spaniards first saw it in the latter part of the eighteenth century to the present, when its economic and recreational uses serve several million people." Chapters are numerous, concise, and specific to event or persons, and include sections on the early Indians, Jedediah Smith, Joseph Walker, Fremont, Yosemite, the giant Sequoias, the coming of the railroad, important surveys, John Muir, and Mount Whitney, to name just a handful of the subjects dealt with. Arranged chronologically, the book is an excellent history of the region. Farquhar has consulted and presented information from original sources, and although chapters are relatively short, they are packed with interesting and important details. The book is also well illustrated and contains some excellent maps. It's a handsome overview of the history of the Sierra Nevadas and is a good starting place for anyone interested in the subject.
Interesting history of the Sierra Nevada of California October 21, 2004
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book was written by a mountaineer and editor who knew the Sierras well first hand and even knew some of the people involved in the discovery and preservation of the High Sierra of California. He takes us from the initial European discovery and naming by the Spanish, to the gold miners, early visitors to Yosemite, and Sierra Club and mountaineering explorations around the turn of the 19th century. Highly recommended for those interested in California history and the outdoors.
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