A new exhibit entitled “View & Visitors: The Yosemite Experience in the 19
th Century,” will open to the public on June 16, 2010.  The exhibit, in the
Yosemite Valley Museum features paintings, prints, artifacts and ephemera
from Yosemite’s early years.  An exhibit opening reception will be held on
June 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. located in the Yosemite Valley Museum.
There is no cost to attend and food and drink will be served at the
reception.

A highlight of this unique exhibit is a historic hotel register, called
“Grand Register of Yo-Semite Valley,” that was used at the Cosmopolitan
Bathhouse and Saloon, located in Yosemite Valley from 1873 to 1884.  The
register is available for the public to view through an interactive kiosk
featuring entries from visitors to Yosemite Valley as early as 1873.  The
Cosmopolitan Register itself contains over 800 pages of entries and weighs
over 100 pounds.  It was donated to Yosemite National Park by the Yosemite
Fund in 2007.  The book contains more than 18,000 signatures.  Among them
are four U.S. presidents: Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Rutherford
B. Hayes, and James Garfield.

The exhibit also includes antique photographs and paintings of visitors,
historic hotels, and the Yosemite landscape.  Historic photographs will be
exhibited through a digital slideshow, as well as displayed in protective
cases.  Early souvenirs, guidebooks, and other artifacts will also be
featured.

The exhibit was made possible through a grant from The Yosemite
Conservancy, as well as funding from the National Park Service.

The Yosemite Museum is located in Yosemite Valley next to the Visitor
Center.  The exhibit will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
through October 31, 2010.