High Country Women

Women have played an important—though often hidden—role in shaping the history of Yosemite National Park.High Country Women reveals the contributions made by these strong and independent pioneers, such as:

• Clare Hodges, who seized her opportunity to be the nation’s first woman park ranger.
• Jessie Fremont, who campaigned for protecting Yosemite from developers.
• Florence Hutchings, who spent every moment exploring Yosemite’s backcountry, and who had a mountain and lake named after her.
• Sally Dutcher and Elizabeth Pershing, who in 1875 and 1876 were the first women to climb Half Dome.
• Lynn Hill and Beth Rodden, who in recent decades became legendary climbers in Yosemite.
• Ta-bu-ce (Maggie Howard), a Paiute who lived humbly in the traditional manner and taught Yosemite visitors her tribe’s customs.

Meet these remarkable women and more like them, both historic and contemporary, in High Country Women: Pioneers of Yosemite National Park.