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LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON BUNNELL, M.D.. 
 DISCOVERER OF THE YOSEMITE 
 
 By HOWARD A. KELLY, M.D. 
 
 BALTIMORE, MD. 
 
 REPRINTED FROM VOLUME III, NUMBER 2 
 
 ANNALS OF MEDICAL HISTORY 
 
 PUBLISHED BY PAUL B. HOEBER, NEW YORK 
 
 "i 
 
 _T 
 
 r 
 
 r 
 
 PAUL B. HOEBER, 67-7 1 EAST 59TH STREET, NEW YORK 
 
 ^I 
 
 L 
 
LAFAYETTE HOUGHTON BUNNELL, M.D., DISCOVERER 
 
 OF THE YOSEMFFE 
 
 I 
 
 By HOWARD A. KELLY, ALD. 
 
 BALTIMORE, MD. 
 
 ^^'^\^ 
 
 FEW great discoveries have passed 
 into history without the con- 
 troversy of conflicting claims, 
 whether it be the discovery of an 
 America or of a telephone, of antisepsis or a 
 Sims's specukmi, or the operation for fistula. 
 The thoughtful student of history will, I 
 think, conckide that there is often much to 
 be said in justification of many of these 
 forgotten priority disputants, and that 
 almost invariably some meed of credit 
 denied by a careless posterity is their due. 
 The busy working world, dramatic in its 
 impulses, and too pressed to stop to analyze 
 claims to adjudicate varying degrees of 
 merit, gladly seizes a prominent, much 
 advertised name which has caught its fancy 
 and adopts that as the best peg for memory's 
 facts. If, as with Marion Sims in his vesico- 
 vaginal fistula operation, the world learns 
 that he has persisted through years of dis- 
 couraging effort, and through thirty or forty 
 operations on a poor negro wench until at 
 last the success, which had eluded centuries 
 of eflfort, crowns his skill, and if it then sees 
 him quit his plantation home and journey 
 abroad to teach the great surgeons of the 
 world how to operate, and then to cap the 
 climax beholds him bemedalled and honored 
 by kings, queens and potentates, while 
 arousing the jealousy of eminent competi- 
 tors — then the world gives a sigh of satisfac- 
 tion and rests content, and writes that name 
 down on the page of history as the indis- 
 putable claimant. Usually the world is 
 correct in its estimate, but it still remains 
 the grateful task of the student of history 
 to scrutinize more closely the events leading 
 up to the great discovery and to assign vary- 
 ing degrees of merit to forgotten heroes 
 who have toiled to lay the foundation on 
 
 which to erect the monument. I do not note 
 that this subseciuent investigation of the 
 contributing factors with the assigning of a 
 share of credit to others has ever yet hurt 
 the principal claimant; rather is his merit 
 enhanced as he stands thus primus inter 
 pares. 
 
 With these obvious and salutary reflec- 
 tions I would lead up to a matter in which, 
 among other claimants, not too pressing, 
 the true discoverer has been forgotten, and 
 I would here reassert his claim to an im- 
 portant discovery; I refer to Lafayette 
 Houghton Bunnell, ALD., the discoverer 
 of the Yoscmite Valley of California in 
 the year 1 85 1 . The importance of the matter 
 lies in the fact that in all this vast country 
 there exists no such remarkable grandiose 
 scenery as in the Yosemite; we are glad, 
 therefore, to hail a fellow craftsman as the 
 one whose imagination was first fired by the 
 mystery of the park, who kept it in mind 
 and eagerly embraced the first opportunity 
 to enter, and who journeyed in with a 
 juvenile enthusiasm and then and there 
 proposed its name — "Yosemite." 
 
 I will relate how my interest in Bunnell 
 was awakened, and then give his history, 
 and summarize his claims. 
 
 Dr. William Browning, the well-known 
 neurologist and bibliographer, wrote an 
 entertaining paper entitled "Some of our 
 Medical Explorers and Adventurers."' 
 
 In the Medical Record for November 23, 
 191 8, appeared a letter from Dr. H. E. W. 
 Barnes, of Santa Ana, California, in which, 
 after expressing his interest in Dr. Browning's 
 article, he regrets the omission of Dr. Bun- 
 nell's name, cites his achievement in the Yose- 
 mite and states that "he wrote a book on this 
 
 ' Med. Rec, October 26, 1918. 
 
 179 
 
 
i8o 
 
 Annals of Medical History 
 
 discovery that is a frontier classic. To him 
 and his courageous companions forever will 
 remain the honor of first visiting this myster- 
 ious valley and making known to the world 
 the majesty and splendor of its unsurpassed 
 scenic beauty. ... It would be scant 
 justice to the memory and merit of the 
 intrepid Dr. L. H. Bunnell if his name is not 
 inchided in the Hst of Dr. Browning's 
 immortals." 
 
 Inasmuch as there was here clearly a 
 chance to enhance the honor of our profes- 
 sion, I wrote at once to Dr. Barnes, to 
 Dr. Browning, to the publishers of Bunnell's 
 book, to hbraries in localities where the 
 name of Bunnell might be known, or where 
 large collections of books might be found, 
 and to many individuals. Replies were 
 courteous, but for some time absolutely 
 no information was forthcoming; Bunnell 
 seemed to be but a name, almost a myth, 
 although the author of an interesting book. 
 . In time, tiny clues rewarded persistent 
 efforts until gradually from many threads 
 has been woven a complete history of this 
 man who was the means of bringing to 
 notice this wonderful terra incognita. 
 
 Lafayette Houghton Bunnell was born 
 in Rochester, New York, in March, 1824, 
 son of Bradley Bunnell, a physician, and 
 Charlotte Houghton. Bradley Bunnell, the 
 father, was born in New London, Connecti- 
 cut, in 1 78 1 and seems to have lived in 
 different places in New York State. In 
 1828 he had been in Detroit, Michigan, 
 practised medicine, had made friends with 
 many of the early pioneers, and purchased 
 land. His name appears in the Detroit city 
 directory for 1837. 
 
 Lafayette's mother, Charlotte Houghton, 
 came of the family after whom Houghton 
 Square, London, was named. She was 
 born in Windsor, Vermont, daughter of 
 James Houghton and granddaughter of 
 James Houghton, patriot in the American 
 Revolution, who was killed by a Tory in a 
 local affray. Douglas Houghton, dis- 
 
 tinguished naturalist and physician, was 
 a cousin of Charlotte Bunnell's; he was 
 born in Troy, New York, September 21, 
 1 810 and from his youth was interested in 
 nature. He experimented with percussion 
 powder (but lately invented), and bore the 
 marks of an explosion. He graduated at the 
 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and was 
 afterward a member of the faculty. In 
 1 83 1 the Medical Society of Chautauqua 
 County gave him a license to practise, and 
 he went as physician and botanist on the 
 Henry R. Schoolcraft Government Ex- 
 pedition to explore the sources of the Mis- 
 sissippi River. He had an extensive knowl- 
 edge of the flora of the northwest, practised 
 in Detroit from 1832 to 1837, projected the 
 Geological Survey of Michigan and was 
 appointed state geologist. In 1838 he gave 
 scientific lectures at Detroit, and was 
 mayor of Detroit in 1842. While at work 
 on a new government survey he was 
 drowned in a heavy sea in Lake Superior, 
 October 13, 1845. 
 
 This man was an inspiration in the life 
 of Lafayette Bunnell, who tells of listening 
 to his stories of adventure, declaring that 
 "these conversations were overheard by an 
 observant child of good memory, and they 
 made him ambitious of adventure, and 
 just a little romantic. They were not the 
 least injurious from a moral point of view, 
 for he thought to emulate Dr. Houghton 
 in usefulness, but alas for boyish imagin- 
 ings. Dr. Houghton's skill as a geologist 
 pointed to millions hidden in the earth, and 
 he was drowned in Lake Superior, a victim 
 to its angry waters, on its rock-bound 
 shores." 
 
 Another kinsman of Mrs. Bunnell's was 
 Edward Houghton "to whom was con- 
 veyed the supposed title of Jonathan Carver 
 to the vast area known as the 'Carver 
 tract.'" 
 
 Dr. Bradley Bunnell (the father) and his 
 wife had twelve children, six of whom died 
 in childhood. In 1832, whenXafayette was 
 
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, M.D., Discoverer of the "\'osemite 
 
 i8i 
 
 eight years old, the family moved to Detroit, 
 then a small French village, mostly depend- 
 ent for its trade upon furs and peltries, and 
 a gradually increasing demand for the white 
 fish caught in the river. Another source of 
 revenue was the lumber — pine and black 
 walnut — cut from the virgin forests. Bun- 
 nell says: "Eastern settlers began to come 
 into the then new territory to occupy a 
 part of the large area of vacant land, and, 
 with their arrival, some money was put in 
 circulation, but there was a good part of 
 trade carried on by means of barter." 
 
 Just before going up to Detroit, Lafayette 
 had Asiatic cholera and remembered "its 
 outbreak among the soldiers of the regular 
 army on their way to take part in the Black 
 Hawk War." General Winfield Scott com- 
 manded the soldiers who were going to 
 Fort Dearborn and several were quaran- 
 tined at Detroit. 
 
 Lafayette went to O'Brien's Catholic 
 school, because "it was the best," although 
 he was not a Roman Catholic. He tells of at- 
 tending the funeral services of the Reverend 
 Gabriel Richard, "Good Father Richard," 
 founder of the Indian Missions of the Lakes 
 (September 13, 1832), and says that Father 
 Baraga, famous for his good inllucncc over 
 the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and 
 Father Richard were looked upon as saints. 
 He recalls the sober Ottawa Indians "con- 
 verted to an honorable religious life, by the 
 Catholic Missionary Fathers," becoming 
 "victims of their appetites for raw whiskey, 
 that they drank not as most white men 
 drink, but poured down their throat until 
 oblivion cast its mantle over all that was 
 human in their actions. At that date . . . 
 and after . . . the Ottawas, and the older 
 Chippewa bands of the upper lake region, 
 assembled at Detroit to receive the annuities 
 given them by our Government, and then, 
 some of the Indians of the same bands 
 would cross over to the Canadian shore of 
 the strait, and there receive the subsidy 
 that the British policy had continued as a 
 
 reward for their services in scalping Ameri- 
 cans, and harassing our frontier during the 
 war of 1 81 2." 
 
 Bunnell was in close sympathy with 
 Indian and mixed-blood boys and French 
 traders, and boasts, "I was vain enough not 
 to allow an Indian (/or / ivas a ichite Ameri- 
 can) to do what I could not. Or if he did, it 
 was not for long, for 1 practised his art of 
 swimming in the swift cool current of the 
 Detroit river, paddled his birchen canoes 
 until I could excel him in speed and endur- 
 ence, and when the ice formed on that 
 treacherous stream, I would skim over 
 the thin ice on skates where his instinct 
 would not allow him to venture. My folly, 
 upon one occasion, met its reward in a 
 very cold bath in the river, during which I 
 was nearly drowned, but the lesson I 
 remembered. The spirit of rivalry soon 
 extended to my French boy companions, 
 and the result was that, by this close asso- 
 ciation, I soon 'picked up' a pretty good 
 knowledge of bad French and some good 
 Indian." 
 
 He knew well the families of the "old 
 French fur traders," particularly Old Daniel 
 Campau and his brother Barnabas. Old 
 Daniel had accompanied General Cass to 
 the sources of the Mississippi in 1820, then 
 became a trader and invested largely in 
 land. "The Cass farm and the Campau 
 lands comprised the greater part of Detroit" 
 at that time. 
 
 John B. Desnoyer was a "fur trader of 
 long experience," whose daughter Matilda 
 married Willard Bradley Bunnell, brother 
 of our Lafayette. She was a splendid type 
 of pioneer woman, refined, domestic and 
 modest, yet brave and ready to meet 
 emergencies. She could converse lluently 
 with the Chippewas, Winnebagoes and 
 Sioux and knew something of other dialects, 
 and the Indians "respected and feared her 
 although only a 'woman.'" 
 
 Family reverses forced young Bunnell to 
 leave school and go to work with Benjamin 
 
i8: 
 
 Annals oj Medical History 
 
 LeBritton, a druggist in Detroit. He was 
 boarding at the American Hotel and, after 
 it was destroyed by fire, at the Wales 
 Hotel erected on its site. Here lived Henry 
 R. Schoolcraft with his invalid wife and her 
 Indian maid. With the maid Bunnell used 
 to talk Chippewa; finding that her dialect 
 differed from his, she explained it by saying 
 that his Chippewa was French Chippewa 
 while hers was real old Chippewa, "and I 
 have never forgotten her distinction nor its 
 usefulness when I hear Indian names lacer- 
 ated. ... I think that the influences that 
 surrounded my boyhood gave me a taste 
 for frontier life, and certainly 'Old MacSob, ' 
 an American Chippewa, as he called him- 
 self, while annually staying with us during 
 payments, gave shape to my determination 
 to visit the upper lake country. . . . The 
 old fellow once taught my father a lesson 
 in hospitality that I have never forgotten. 
 MacSob, who had been fishing through the 
 ice with his little band, and selling his trout 
 to shippers, came down to Detroit on the 
 first boat. On that vessel were some excel- 
 lent Mackinaw trout packed in ice, a large 
 one of which my father bought and had it 
 baked for dinner on the day of old Mac's 
 arrival. Thinking to please the old Indian, 
 after we had left the table he had Phyllis, a 
 mulatto serving woman that had been in 
 the family for years, place a plate for the 
 old warrior, and invited him to partake of 
 the trout. Old MacSob looked at the fish 
 and then at 'Black Meat,' as he always 
 called Phyllis, and cried out, 'Take him 
 away! too much fish! all winter fish, fish, 
 damn the fish ! Black Meat, give me some 
 pork!'" The moral applied by Dr. Bunnell's 
 father was: "Never give a guest what he 
 has been feeding upon at home." 
 
 The elder brother Willard Bunnell, who 
 had been on the Lakes as cabin boy, wheel- 
 man and pilot, gave up this life on the water 
 after his marriage, and went into the fur 
 trade, locating at Little Bay du Noquet, 
 near the "present site of Escanaba;" he 
 
 asked his father to let Lafayette "come up 
 and assist him." 
 
 Lafayette Bunnell was seventeen years old 
 but, as he says, he "had been one of the 
 original drummers and collectors for the 
 drug house I was with, and for my age was 
 a pretty good student of human nature; so 
 that after some considerable delay my 
 father gave his consent to my going." 
 When he reached the point of meeting, his 
 brother had departed and it was spring 
 before he reached him. Willard was con- 
 cerned about his health, fearing he would 
 have "the family's hereditary disease, con- 
 sumption of the lungs," and wished to 
 move to the drier climate of the upper 
 Mississippi. They were undecided as to the 
 exact location for settling; Alexander Grig- 
 non, a trader, urged the mouth of the river 
 and "actually pictured to us, in graphic 
 language, the lumber trade that would 
 spring up, and the cities that would arise 
 . . . but we were too obtuse to see things 
 from his point of view." The choice finally 
 lay between Trempealeau and Prairie La 
 Crosse and Bunnell tells of Willard's "pick- 
 ing up a chip and spitting on it, after the 
 fashion of school-boy days, he said: 'Wet 
 or dry — wet up, we go up; wet down, we 
 go down.' It came down wet up, and that 
 being my choice, we started up the river. 
 By just such absurd and unreasonable 
 incidents are our lives sometimes directed." 
 
 They reached LaCrosse in June, 1842; 
 passing "Catlin's Rocks" where Bunnell 
 plainly saw the name of the artist, George 
 Catlin (1796- 1 872), painted in red on the 
 rocks (Catlin had painted Indian portraits 
 in 1835). They moved on to Trempealeaus 
 east of the river, and settled there. Later 
 they settled at Holmes's Landing, where the 
 winter of 1842- 1843 was spent. Bunnell', 
 chief comment of this period is that "the 
 comet stayed with us all winter." W'hen the 
 ice left the river they returned to the cabin 
 at Trempealeau, which began to take on a 
 homelike aspect, aided by a fine garden. 
 
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, M.D., Discoverer of the Yosemite 183 
 
 Bunnell says that his brother taught tlic 
 secret of success by "never allowing a weed 
 or blade of grass to grow in his garden." 
 
 Bunnell was quick to learn the sign 
 language and had a gift of making friends 
 with the Indians; his Winnebago name was 
 "Woon-gua-shu-shig-gar." He was then a 
 child of the West in her pioneer days, an 
 intrepid, restless, aggressive spirit, with 
 but an ordinary school education, a keen 
 observer with a retentive memory and 
 powers of observation of h)calitics and 
 natural events equal to an Indian. His 
 large experience on the frontier made him 
 a natural leader in coping with the raw 
 energies of nature. In due time he expressed 
 himself in writing freely and well, though 
 with little polish. "Winona," wTitten in his 
 later years, is a storehouse of precious facts 
 relating to early days in the Middle West, 
 especially along the upper Mississippi; here 
 in retrospect we sit by the cradle of a great 
 empire. One of the most interesting episodes 
 is an account of an adventurous trading 
 trip with a companion through Lake Pepin. 
 Before starting, Bunnell had banked wood 
 near LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and sold it. 
 There was a scarcity of pilots and he was 
 offered a position. He says: "I declined the 
 oiler, but my taste and passion for beautiful 
 scenery led me to study the river whenever 
 I was travelling upon it." At times he took 
 the pilot's place without compensation, and 
 later he received pay for running steam- 
 boat spars to St. Louis or hardwood logs 
 for furniture to other places. Curiously 
 enough, although a good marksman, he was 
 not, like many similarly placed, a good 
 hunter. 
 
 In the autumn of 1843 he decided upon a 
 claim at LaCrosse and plowed a furrow \\ith 
 six yoke of cattle around 160 acres, taking 
 in the greater part of the lower section of 
 the present city. 
 
 In 1844 he went after some lumber at 
 Beef Slough, and worked the scheme with 
 success; put some money into a lumber 
 
 camp on the Chippewa, then started to 
 bring his father and the family to occupy the 
 claim at LaCrosse. His father had consented 
 to migrate, hoping the change would im- 
 prove the condition of three members of his 
 family (a daughter, son, and grandson) who 
 had consumption. These three died at La- 
 Crosse in the spring of 1845. During the 
 summer of 1845 ^ messenger came to 
 Bunnell's logging camp, seven or eight 
 miles below the mouth of the Eau Claire 
 River, with news of his mother's death 
 from heart disease. His father had now 
 only a young daughter to live with, and w'as 
 lonely and discontented, longing for his old 
 home in Detroit and declaring that the 
 younger Bunnell was wasting his life in a 
 wilderness that would not be settled in 
 fifty years. Bunnell says: 
 
 He spoke of the howling, drunken Indians 
 and the not much less brutal white men who 
 made them drunk, and taken as he delivered 
 it, it was a strong plea for my return with him 
 to Detroit. I then had no thought of yielding 
 to his persuasions, but told him of my prospects 
 of realizing a goodly sum from my venture on 
 the Chippewa, and ended by giving him ample 
 funds, which I had saved, to return with my 
 young sister to Detroit, where she had associa- 
 tions that were dear to her, and I went back to 
 my business on the Chippewa, and also to fill a 
 contract I had in St. Louis for spars of large size 
 for the lower ri\er trade. 
 
 His father remained in LaCrosse until 
 the next spring, then went to Detroit. 
 Later, while Bunnell was in California, he 
 returned to live in the "howling wilder- 
 ness," and died of strangulated hernia, at 
 Homer in 1856. 
 
 Willard Bunnell and his family crossed 
 the river from Trempealeau and settled 
 at a place first known as Bunnell's Landing 
 which later received its present name 
 of Homer, in honor of the birthplace 
 of Willard Bunnell, Homer, New York. 
 Lafayette Bunnell helped to build the first 
 "permanent house" at Homer, Minnesota, 
 
1 84 
 
 Annals of Medical History 
 
 and after his many adventures returned 
 there and spent his last days in this house 
 erected in 1844. 
 
 He served in the Mexican War in 1847, 
 and in 1849 it was inevitable, with his 
 character and training, that he should seek 
 gold in Cahfornia. His experiences in Cali- 
 fornia form interesting reading in his own 
 words, in his book "Discovery of the Yose- 
 mite" (1880). He says in the beginning of 
 his book: 
 
 Autographed portrait of Lafayette Houghton Bunnell. 
 
 During the winter of 1849-50, while ascending 
 the old Bear Valley trail from Ridley's ferry, 
 on the Merced river, my attention was attracted 
 to the stupendous rocky peaks of the Sierra 
 Nevadas. In the distance an immense cliff 
 loomed, apparently to the summit of th 
 mountains. Although familiar with nature 
 in her wildest moods, I looked upon this awe- 
 inspiring column with wonder and admiration. 
 While vainly endeavoring to realize its peculiar 
 prominence and vast proportions, I turned 
 from it with reluctance to resume the search 
 for coveted gold; but the impressions of that 
 scene were indelibly fixed in my memory. 
 Whenever an opportunity afforded, I made 
 inquiries concerning the scenery of that locality. 
 But few of the miners had noticed any of 
 its special peculiarities. On a second visit 
 
 to Ridley's, not long after, that towering 
 mountain, which had so profoundly interested 
 me was invisible, an intervening haze obscuring 
 it from view. A year or more passed before the 
 mysteries of this wonderful land were satis- 
 factorily solved. 
 
 The events which led to the discovery 
 are as follows : James D. Savage, a trader, 
 had two stores or trading posts, one on 
 little Mariposa Creek, about 20 miles 
 south of the town of Mariposa, the other 
 on Fresno River, where friendly Indians 
 used to congregate. Savage took an Indian 
 chief, Jose Jerez, to San Francisco to witness 
 the celebration of the admission of Cali- 
 fornia as a state — October 29, 1850. While 
 there the old chief became drunk and 
 quarrelsome and Savage struck him. The 
 Indian upon his return home roused his 
 fellows against Savage and both his stores 
 were attacked. Savage thought that an 
 Indian war was beginning, and commenced 
 to raise a volunteer battalion. He made an 
 appeal for arms to the Governor, John 
 McDougal, when hostilities began. After 
 the "Mariposa Battalion" was formed and 
 assigned to duty by Governor McDougal, 
 there was a "period of preliminaries"; 
 United States Commissioners arrived in 
 camp, about fifteen miles below Mariposa 
 village, and a few Indians came to parley 
 with them; among the visiting Indians were 
 Vow-ches-ter, chief of one of the more 
 peaceful bands, and Russio, a Mission 
 Indian. Vow-ches-ter said the mountain 
 tribes would not make peace. Russio said, 
 "The Indians in the deep rocky valley on 
 the Merced River do not wish for peace, 
 and will not come in to see the chiefs sent 
 by the great father to make treaties. They 
 think the white man cannot find their 
 hiding places and that, therefore, they can- 
 not be driven out." Vow-ches-ter further 
 declared: "In this deep valley spoken of 
 by Russio, one Indian is more than ten 
 white men. The hiding places are many. 
 They will throw rocks down on the white 
 
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, M.D., Disco\erer of the Yosemite 
 
 185 
 
 men, if any should come near them. The 
 other tribes dare not make war upon them, 
 for they are lawless like the grizzlies, and 
 as strong. We are afraid to go to this 
 valley, for there are many witches." 
 
 Bunnell after this talk asked Savage, the 
 interpreter, if he had ever visited the 
 "deep valley" mentioned by the Indians. 
 Savage first said that he had, but in a later 
 conversation with Bunnell said that he was 
 mistaken and explained as follows: 
 
 Last year while I was located at the mouth 
 of the South Fork of the Merced, I was attacked 
 by the \ Osemites, but with the Indian miners 
 I had in my employ, drove them off, and 
 followed some of them up the Merced River into 
 a canon, which I suppose led to their stronghold, 
 as the Indians then with me said it was not a 
 safe place to go into. From the appearance 
 of this rocky gorge I had no difficulty in believ- 
 ing them. Fearing an ambush, I did not follow 
 them. It was on this account that I changed my 
 position to Mariposa Creek. I would like to get 
 into the den of the thieving murderers. If ever 
 I have a chance I will smoke out the Grizzly 
 Bears (the Yosemites) from their holes, where 
 they are thought to be so secure. 
 
 Bunnell says: 
 
 The deliberative action on the part of the 
 commissioners, who were very desirous of 
 having the Indians voluntarily come in to make 
 treaties with them, delayed any active coopera- 
 tion on the part of our battalion until the winter 
 rains had fully set in. Our first extended ex- 
 pedition to the mountains was made during the 
 prevailing storms of the vernal equinox, al- 
 though detachments had previously made 
 excursions into the country bordering upon the 
 Sierras. This region, like parts of Virginia, 
 proved impassable to a mounted force during 
 the wet season, and our operations were conlined 
 to a limited area. It was at last decided that 
 more extended operations were necessary to 
 bring in the mountain tribes. 
 
 Bunnell next describes the starting out: 
 
 Notwithstanding a storm was gathering, our 
 preparations were cheerfully made, and when 
 
 the order to "form into line" was given It w-as 
 obeyed with alacrity. No "bugle call" 
 announced orders to us; the "details" were 
 made quietly, and we as quietly assembled. 
 Promptly as the word of command "mount 
 was given, every saddle was filled. With "for- 
 ward march" we naturally iiled off into the 
 order of march so readily assumed by mounted 
 frontiersmen while traveling on a trail. 
 
 We left our camp as quietly and as orderly as 
 such an undisciplined body could be expected 
 to move, but Major James D. Savage said that 
 we must all learn to be as still as Indians, or we 
 would never find them. 
 
 This battalion was a body of hardy, resolute 
 pioneers. Many of them had seen ser\Ice, 
 and had fought their way against the Indians 
 across the plains; some had served in the 
 war with Mexico and had been under military 
 discipline. . . . 
 
 The temperature was mild and agreeable 
 at our camp near the plain, but we began to 
 encounter storms of cold rain as we reached the 
 more elevated localities. 
 
 Major Savage being aware that rain on the 
 foothills and plain at that season of the year 
 indicated snow higher up, sent forward scouts 
 to Intercept such parties as might attempt to 
 escape, but the storm continued to rage with 
 such violence as to render this order useless, 
 and we found the scouts awaiting us at the foot 
 of a mountain known as the Black Ridge. This 
 ridge Is a spur of the Sierra Nevadas. It sepa- 
 rates the Mariposa, Chowchilla, Fresno and 
 San Joaquin Rivers on the south from the 
 Merced on the north. 
 
 An account is given of the approach to the 
 village of the Yosemites; then Bunnell says: 
 
 We suddenly came in full view of the valley 
 in which was the village, or rather the encamp- 
 ments, of the Yosemites. The immensity of 
 rock I had seen In my vision on the Old Bear 
 trail from Ridley's Ferry was here presented 
 to my astonished gaze. The mystery of that 
 scene was here disclosed. My awe was Increased 
 by this nearer view. The face of the Immense 
 clifT was shadowed by the declining sun; its 
 outlines only had been seen at a distance. This 
 towering mass. 
 
1 86 
 
 Annals of Medical History 
 
 "Fools our fond gaze, and greatest of the 
 
 great 
 Defies at first our Nature's littleness, 
 Till, growingwith (to) its growth, we thusdilate 
 Our spirits to the size of that they contem- 
 plate." 
 
 That stupendous cliff is now known as 
 "El Capitan" (the Captain) and the plateau 
 from which we had our first view of the valley, 
 as Mount Beatitude. 
 
 It has been said that it is not easy to describe 
 in words the precise impressions which great 
 objects make upon us. I cannot describe how 
 completely I realized this truth. None but those 
 who have visited this most wonderful valley 
 can even imagine the feelings with which I 
 looked upon the view that was there presented. 
 The grandeur of the scene was but softened by 
 the haze that hung over the valley — light as 
 gosamer — and by the clouds which partially 
 dimmed the higher cliffs and mountains. This 
 obscurity of vision but increased the awe with 
 which I beheld it, and as I looked, a peculiar 
 exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being, 
 and I found my eyes in tears with emotion. 
 
 During many subsequent visits to this local- 
 ity, this sensation was never again so fully 
 aroused. It is probable that the shadows fast 
 closing all before me, and the vapory clouds at 
 the head of the valley, leaving the view be- 
 yond still undefined, gave a weirdness to the 
 scene, that made it so impressive; and the con- 
 viction that it was utterly undescribable added 
 strength to the emotion. It is not possible for 
 the same intensity of feeling to be aroused more 
 than once by the same object, although I never 
 looked upon these scenes except with wonder 
 and admiration. 
 
 . . . Our imagination had been misled by 
 the descriptive misrepresentations of savages, 
 whose prime object was to keep us from their 
 safe retreat, until we had expected to see some 
 terrible abyss. The reality so little resembled 
 the picture of imagination, that my astonish- 
 ment was the more overpowering. 
 
 To obtain a more distinct and quiet view, I 
 had left the trail and my horse and wallowed 
 through the snow alone to a projecting granite 
 rock. So interested was I in the scene before me, 
 that I did not observe that my comrades had 
 
 all moved on, and that I would soon be left 
 indeed alone. My situation attracted the atten- 
 tion of Major Savage — who was riding in rear 
 of the column — who hailed me from the trail 
 below with "you had better wake up from that 
 dream up there, or you may lose your hair; I 
 have no faith in Ten-ie-ya's statement that 
 there are no Indians about here. We had better 
 be moving; some of the murdering devils 
 may be lurking along this trail to pick off 
 stragglers." I hurriedly joined the major on the 
 descent, and as other views presented them- 
 selves, I said with some enthusiasm, "If my 
 hair is now required, I can depart in peace, for 
 I have here seen the power and glory of a 
 Supreme Being; the majesty of His handywork 
 is in that 'Testimony of the Rocks'. That mute 
 appeal — pointing to El Capitan — illustrates 
 it, with more convincing eloquence than can the 
 most powerful arguments of surpliced priests." 
 "Hold up. Doc! you are soaring too high for me; 
 and perhaps for yourself. This is rough riding; 
 we had better mind this devilish trail, or we shall 
 go soaring over some of these slippery rocks." 
 We, however, made the descent in safety. 
 
 Bunnell says: 
 
 My devout astonishment at the supreme 
 grandeur of the scenery by which I was sur- 
 rounded continued to engross my mind. . . . 
 
 After supper, guards stationed, and the camp 
 fires plentifully provided for, we gathered 
 around the burning logs of oak and pine, found 
 near our camp. The hearty supper and cheerful 
 blaze created a general good feeling. Social 
 converse and anecdotes — mingled with jokes — 
 were freely exchanged, as we enjoyed the solace 
 of our pipes and warmed ourselves preparatory 
 to seeking further refreshment in sleep. While 
 thus engaged I retained a full consciousness 
 of our locality; for being In close proximity 
 to the huge cliff that had so attracted my 
 attention, my mind was frequently drawn away 
 from my comrades. After the jollity of the camp 
 had somewhat subsided, the valley became the 
 topic of conversation around our camp fire. 
 None of us at the time surmised the extreme 
 vastness of those cliffs; although dark, we had 
 seen El Capitan looking down upon our camp, 
 while the "Bridal Veil" was being wafted in the 
 breeze. Many of us j'elt the mysterious grandeur 
 
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, M.D., Discoverer of the Yosemite 187 
 
 of the scenery, as defined by our limited oppor- 
 tunity to study it. I had- pre\ ious to my descent 
 with the major— observed the toucrin^ height 
 over us of the old "Rock Chief," and noticing 
 the length of the steep descent into the valley, 
 had at least some idea of its solemn immensity. 
 
 It may appear sentimental, but the coarse 
 jokes of the careless, and the indilference of the 
 practical, sensibly jarred my more devout 
 feelings, while this subject was a matter of 
 general conversation; as if a sacred subject had 
 been ruthlessly profaned, or the visible power 
 of Deity disregarded. After relating my observa- 
 tions from the "old Bear Valley Trail," I 
 suggested that this valley should have an 
 appropriate name by which to designate it, 
 and in a tone of pleasantry said to Tunnehill, 
 who was drying his wet clothing by our fire, 
 "You are the first white man that ever received 
 any form of baptism in this valley (Tunnehill 
 with the mule he was riding had during the trail 
 been immersed, unexpectedly taking a plunge 
 bath in the ice-cold waters of the Merced), and 
 you should be the proper person to give a 
 baptismal name to the valley itself." He replied, 
 "If whiskey can be provided for such a cere- 
 mony, I shall be happy to participate; but if it is 
 to be another cold-water affair, I have no desire 
 to take a hand. I have done enough in that fine 
 for tonight." Timely jokes and ready repartee 
 for a time changed the subject, but in the lull of 
 this exciting pastime, someone remarked, "I 
 like Bunnell's suggestion of giving this valley a 
 name, and tonight is a good time to do it." 
 "All right — if you have got one, show your 
 hand," was the response of another. Differ- 
 ent names were proposed but none were 
 satisfactory to a majority of our circle. Some 
 romantic and foreign were offered, but I 
 observed that a very large number were canon- 
 ical and Scripture names. From this I inferred 
 that I was not the only one in whom religious 
 emotions or thoughts had been aroused by the 
 mysterious power of the surrounding scenery. 
 
 As I did not take a fancy to any of the names 
 proposed, I remarked that "an American name 
 would be the most appropriate;" that "I could 
 not see any necessity for going to a foreign 
 country for American scenery — the grandest 
 that had ever yet been looked upon. That it 
 
 would be better to give it an Indian name than 
 to import a strange and inxepress\e one; that 
 the name of the tribe who had occupied it 
 wovild be more appropriate than any I had 
 heard suggested." I then proposed that we 
 give the name of ^'o-sem-i-ty, as it was sugges- 
 tive, euphonious, and certainly American; 
 that by so doing, the name of the tribe of 
 Indians which we met leaving their homes in 
 this valley, perhaps never to return, would be 
 perpetuated." I was here interrupted by Mr. 
 Tunnehill, who impatiently' exclaimed: "Devil 
 take the Indians and their names! Why should 
 we honor these vagabond murderers by per- 
 petuating their names?" Another said: "I agree 
 with Tunnehill — the Indians and their names. 
 Mad Anthony's plan for me! Let's call this 
 Happy Valley." In reply I said to the last 
 speaker: "Still, for a young man with such 
 religious teridencies they would be good objects 
 on which to develop your Christianity." Unex- 
 pectedly a hearty laugh was raised, which 
 broke up further discussion, and before oppor- 
 tunity was given for any others to object to the 
 name, John O'Neil, a rollicking Texan of 
 Captain Boling's Company, vociferously an- 
 nounced to the whole camp the subject of our 
 discussion, by saying, "Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear 
 ye! A vote will now be taken to decide what 
 name shall be given to this valley." The question 
 of gi\ing it the name of Yo-sem-i-ty was then 
 explained and upon a viva voce vote being taken, 
 it was almost unanimously adopted. The name 
 that was then and thus adopted by us, while 
 seated around our camp fires, on the first visit 
 of a white man to this remarkable locality. Is the 
 name bj' which it Is now know n to the world. 
 
 Bunnell says: "When we sought our 
 repose it was with feelings of quiet satisfac- 
 tion that I wrapped myself in my blankets, 
 and soundly slept." 
 
 The signification of the name, "a grizzly 
 bear," was not at that time generally 
 known to the Battalion, Bunnell says, and 
 the pronunciation was not uniform. Bunnell 
 considered Major Savage the best author- 
 ity for the correct pronunciation, and he 
 said that Ten-ie-ya (the old chief of the 
 tribe) pronounced it Yo-sem-i-ty although 
 
1 88 
 
 Atximls oj Medical History 
 
 some other bands pronounced it 0-soom- 
 i-ty, and said it signified "a full-grown 
 grizzly bear," and was given to Ten-ic-ya's 
 band because of their "lawless and preda- 
 tory character." 
 
 Lieutenant Moore, of the U. S. A., in his 
 report of an expedition to the valley in 1852, 
 substituted e as the terminal letter, in place of 
 y in use by us; no doubt thinking the use of e 
 more scholarly, or perhaps supposing Yosemite 
 to be of Spanish derivation. This orthography 
 has been adopted, and Is in general use, but the 
 proper pronunciation, as a consequence, is not 
 always attainable to the general reader. 
 
 Ten-Ie-ya repudiated the name for the valley, 
 but proudly acknowledged it as the designation 
 of his band, claiming that when he was a young 
 chief, this name had been selected because they 
 occupied the mountains and valleys which were 
 the favorite resort of the Grizzly Bears, and 
 because his people were expert in killing them. 
 That his tribe had adopted the name because 
 those who had bestowed It were afraid of 
 "the Grizzlies" and feared his band. 
 
 "Ah-wah-ne," the Indian name for their 
 valley, was not known to Bunnell until 
 the name "Yosemite" had been gener- 
 ally accepted. In 1855, J. M. Hutchings 
 visited and published an account of the 
 Yosemite, giving the name of Yo-Hamite, 
 but after a long discussion of this point, he 
 wrote, "Had we before known that Doctor 
 Bunnell and his party were the first whites 
 who entered. . .we should long ago have 
 submitted to the name Dr. Bunnell had 
 given it, as the discoverer of the valley."^ 
 
 Hutchings later says, "For early records 
 of the Valley I am mainly indebted to Dr. 
 L. H. Bunnell, who was not only one of 
 its first visitors and discoverers, but its 
 earliest and principal historian."^ He says 
 
 -Hutchings, J. M.: Scenes of Wonder and Curi- 
 osity in Calilornia. New York and San Francisco, 
 1871. 
 
 'Hutchings, J. M.: In the Heart of tlie Sierras; 
 the Yosemite Valley. Yosemite Valley and Oakland, 
 Cal., 1886. 
 
 of Bunnell's book that it is "an invaluable 
 and deeply interesting narrative of personal 
 observation and adventure." 
 
 Dr. Bunnell wrote on the Yosemite, his 
 statement appearing in Hutchings's Cali- 
 Jornia Magazine, signed by himself and 
 ccrtiiied to by two members of the Cali- 
 fornia legislature — James M. Roan and 
 George H. Crenshaw — who were in the 
 expedition. Attention once called to the 
 Yosemite and its discovery, voices for other 
 claimants were heard. The one which seems 
 to be most worthy of consideration was 
 that of Joseph Walker. Mr. Williams says 
 that — "History has done scant justice to 
 Joseph Reddeford Walker. . . He was the 
 first white visitor to the Yosemite region." 
 The claim has been made that he "dis- 
 covered and camped in the Yosemite Val- 
 ley. . .The evidence available hardly seems 
 to sustain this claim in full. . . On his 
 gravestone in Alhambra Cemetery, at Mar- 
 tinez, Cal., is the following: 'Camped at 
 Yosemite, November 13, 1833'. . . We 
 may accept 'Camped at Yosemite,' but are 
 we warranted in assuming that 'at' means 
 'in'?"^ Mr. Williams adds, "Dr. Bunnell's 
 account of it, and of the I ndian war of 1 85 1 , 
 of which it is a part, is a frontier classic, 
 with Tenaya as its hero." 
 
 In 1880 Walker's claim was "set up" 
 in the San Jose Pioneer, and answered by 
 Bunnell in the same paper. Bunnell says, 
 in his book: 
 
 I cheerfully concede the fact. . . that "His 
 were the first white man's eyes that ever looked 
 upon the Yosemite" above the valley, and In 
 that sense, he was certainly the original white 
 discoverer. The topography of the country 
 over which the Mono trail ran, and which was 
 followed by Capt. Walker, did not admit of his 
 seeing the valley proper. The depression indica- 
 ting the valley, and its magnificent surround- 
 ings could alone have been discovered, and In 
 Capt. Walker's conversations with me at 
 
 ■■Williams, J. H.: Yosemite and Its High Sierras. 
 Takoma and San Francisco, 1914. 
 
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, M.D., Discoverer of the Vosemite 189 
 
 various times while encamped between Coulters- 
 ville and the Yosemite, he was manly enough to 
 say so. . . .1 told Capt. Wallver that Ten-ie-ya 
 had said that, "A small party of white men 
 once crossed the mountains on the north side, 
 but were so guided as not to see the valley 
 proper." With a smile the captain said: "That 
 was my party, but I was not deceived, for the 
 lay of the land showed there was a valley below; 
 but we had become nearly barefooted, our 
 animals poor, and ourselves on the verge of 
 star\ation, so we followed down the ridge to 
 Bull Occk, where, killing a deer, we went into 
 camp.". . . I was strongly impressed by the 
 simple and upright character of Captain Walker. 
 . . . All that I have ever claimed for myself 
 is, that I was one of the party of white men 
 who first entered the Yosemite Valley as far 
 as known to the Indians. 
 
 Biiiincll further says that Captain Walker 
 told him that he "once passed quite near 
 the valley on one of his mountain trips; 
 but that his Ute and Mono guides gave 
 such a dismal account of the caiions of both 
 rivers, that he kept his course near to the 
 divide until reaching Bull Creek, when he 
 descended and went into camp, not seeing 
 the valley proper." 
 
 Walker's River, Lake, and Pass were 
 named for Joseph Walker. It is to be noticed 
 that Bunnell's name is nowhere attached to 
 any point connected with the Yosemite, and 
 even the government publications I have 
 seen fail to associate his name with the dis- 
 covery of the Yosemite. On the contrary a 
 statement reads: 
 
 The Yosemite was discovered to the world 
 in 1 85 1 by Captain John Boling, while pursuing 
 hostile Indians, with a detachment of mounted 
 volunteers. 
 
 The Indians called it the heart of the Sky 
 Mountain, or Ahwanee, "the deep grass valley." 
 
 '^ United States Railroad Administratiun. National 
 Park Series. Yosemite National Park, California. 
 
 "General Information Regarding ^'osemite Na- 
 tional Park, 1919. Washington, 191Q, Government 
 Printing Ollice. 
 
 'Maltlies, F. E.: Sketch of \'osemite National 
 
 Later the name Yo Semite was given to the 
 valley, its meaning being "the great grizzly 
 bear," and subsequently, when the National 
 Park was established, this famous name was 
 retained.^ 
 
 Another publication also says: "The Yose- 
 mite Valley was discovered in 1851 by 
 Captain John Boling," etc.*^ 
 
 Another publication declares that "the 
 valley was discovered in 1851; when a 
 detachment of mounted volunteers, under 
 Capt. John Boling, in an elfort to put an 
 end to the depredations of the Indians that 
 infested the region, pursued them to their 
 mountain stronghold. The tales the soldiers 
 brought back of the marvelous scenery of 
 the valley induced J. M. Hutchings, who 
 was then gathering data on California 
 scenery, to organize in 1855 ^" exploratory 
 expedition to the Yosemite Valley."' 
 
 Galen Clark, who in 1857 discovered the 
 Mariposa Grove of big trees, makes no 
 mention of Bunnell in his book.^ He went to 
 California from New England in 1853, two 
 years after the discovery of the Yosemite. 
 He was made guardian of the Yosemite 
 Valley. 
 
 John Muir gives an excellent and brief 
 account of the discovery of the Yosemite, 
 without, however, paying much attention to 
 Dr. Bunnell. He says "After supper, seated 
 around a big fire, the wonderful Valley 
 became the topic of conversation and Dr. 
 Bunnell suggested giving it a name. Many 
 were proposed, but after a vote had been 
 taken the name 'Yosemite,' proposed by Dr. 
 Bunnell, was adopted almost unanimously 
 to perpetuate the name of the tribe who so 
 long had made their home there. "'* (Muir 
 spells the name "Buncll.") 
 
 Bunnell's book on the discovery a|)peared 
 
 Park and Account of the Origin oi' the ^'osemite 
 and Hetch Metcliy Valleys. Depaitruent of the 
 Interior, Washington, 1912. 
 
 *Clark, Galen.: The Yosemite Valley. Yosemite 
 Valley, Cal., iQii. 
 
 ''Muir J.: The ^Osemite. New ^ ork, 1912. 
 
1 90 
 
 Annals nj Medical History 
 
 in 1880;'° in 1890 a discussion in T/je Century 
 Magazine^^ brought from Dr. Bunnell a 
 response giving a clear and definite account 
 of the event. An abstract is given here: 
 
 I did not fix the day of the month, but 
 remembered that the discovery occurred during 
 a long-continued rain and snow storm at about 
 the time of the vernal equinox. That statement 
 was verified at the time by James M. Roan and 
 George H. Crenshaw, two comrades who, with 
 the writer, were the first white men to enter the 
 vahey, and who were then members of the 
 Cahfornia legislature. . . . Major Savage, our 
 commander, had waited at our camp in the foot- 
 hills knowing that rain below indicated snow 
 in the mountains, and that by marching in and 
 through the storm we would be most hkely to 
 surprise and capture the hostile Indians. 
 
 Bunnell tells of the march, then: 
 
 Fortunately we had provided barley for our 
 animals, and they did not suffer for lack of 
 forage. After an Indian village was captured, 
 Indian runners were dispatched to bring into 
 headquarters the Indians in hiding; but no 
 response was made by the Yosemites. Upon a 
 special envoy being sent Ten-ie-ya, their chief, 
 came alone, and stood in dignified silence before 
 one of the guard until ordered into camp. 
 Ten-ie-ya was immediately recognized and 
 kindly cared for, and after he had been 
 well supplied with food Major Savage in- 
 formed him of the orders of the Indian Com- 
 mission under whom we were acting. The old 
 sachem was very suspicious, but finally agreed 
 to conduct an expedition into his beloved 
 valley. 
 
 Only a few men were required for this service, 
 though all volunteered, notwithstanding it had 
 been represented that horses might not be able 
 to pass along the rocky trail. Finally a foot race 
 was ordered to determine the fleetness, and 
 consequent fitness, of those most anxious to go; 
 some in their anxiety to win the race ran bare- 
 foot in the snow. 
 
 '"Bunnell, L. H.: Discovery of the Yosemite and 
 the Indian War which led to that Event. Chicago, 
 1880. 3rd ed., N. Y., 1892. 4th ed., Los Angeles, 
 191 1, G. W. Gerlicher. 
 
 ^^ Century Magazine, 1890, xl, 795-797. 
 
 Here follows an account of the expedi- 
 tion through snow from three to five feet 
 deep, and in some places deeper; and 
 Bunnell goes on with: 
 
 The trip was looked upon as likely to be only 
 an exploration of some mysterious canon. The 
 importance of recording the date of the dis- 
 covery of the Yosemite did not impress itself 
 upon my mind at the time, for I became 
 completely absorbed in the sublimity of my 
 surroundings. It seemed to me that I had entered 
 God's holiest temple, where were assembled 
 all that was most divine in material creation. 
 For days afterward I could only think of the 
 magnificence, beauty and grace of the water- 
 falls, and of the mountain scenery; and an 
 almost total lack of appreciation of the event 
 on the part of Major Savage caused me to 
 think him utterly void of sentiment. 
 
 Such experiences were not likely to have 
 been soon forgotten, and hence my surprise 
 when I saw in print the statement that the 
 Yosemite Valley was first entered by the Mari- 
 posa Battalion on May 5 or 6, 1851, when the 
 rainy season would have been past. This state- 
 ment is said to have been officially made by our 
 adjutant, and if so, must refer to the date of our 
 second entrance, as our adjutant was not with 
 us on our first entrance or discovery. 
 
 Bunnell says that: 
 
 Adjutant Lewis was a most genial, kind- 
 hearted gentleman, but I never knew any duties 
 he performed in the field. 
 
 As a matter of fact, our Adjutant was not 
 with us when the discovery was made in March, 
 nor were there ever but two companies in the 
 Yosemite at any time, Boling's and part of 
 Dill's. Captain Dill himself was detailed for 
 duty at the Fresno, after the expedition in 
 March, as was also the adjutant. In making out 
 his report, Mr. Lewis must have ignored the 
 first entry of the valley by the few men who 
 discovered it, and made his first entry to appear 
 as the date of the discovery. This may or may 
 not have been done to give importance to the 
 operations of the battalion. I have never seen 
 the report. 
 
 I do not wish to call in question the motives 
 of our officers, but our little squad who first 
 
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, M.D., Discoverer of the Yosemite 191 
 
 entered the \alley should ha\c the tredit of the 
 discovery, let it be what it may. 
 
 Bunnell goes on to say that he saw 
 El Capitan from Mount Bullion as early as 
 1840, but nothing could be learned of it. 
 Tcn-ic-ya and other Yosemites said they 
 were the very first to enter the valley and it 
 could not have been entered without their 
 knowledge. They left after two nights en- 
 campment, a slight lall ot snow making 
 them fearful ol being cut oti from supplies. 
 
 The Mariposa Battalion was mustered out 
 July 25, 1851. The lirst attack on Savage had 
 been in May, 1850; hostilities ceased with 
 the capture of Ten-ie-ya and his band in 
 June, 1 85 1. "Lieutenant Treadwell Moore, 
 U.S.A., caught and executed live Yosemites 
 in 1852, but no war followed." Bunnell 
 continues: 
 
 Comrade Starkcy of our old Battalion was 
 murdered in 1853. His murderers were pursued 
 by Under-Sheriff James M. Rt)an, also a 
 comrade, and when overtaken three of them 
 were killed, and the others put to flight. Mr. 
 Moore was compelled to notice the criticisms of 
 the press, and in doing so, in 1854, became the 
 lirst to draw attention to the scenery. In 1855 
 Mr. Hutchings first visited it, and since that 
 date has done more to bring the valley into 
 public and appreciati\e notice than any other 
 man. 
 
 Alter the Mari|)osa Battalion was 
 mustered out, Bunnell remained in Cali- 
 fornia, trading, mining, and surxcying, as 
 late as 1856. He returned to his early home 
 in the Middle West and on April 18, 1861, 
 at LaCrosse, Wisconsin, enlisted in the 
 United States Army. He was appointed 
 hospital steward July 22, 1861, and dis- 
 charged in May, 1862. 
 
 He enlisted in "Company B, Second 
 Wisconsin Cavalry Volunteers in Novem- 
 ber, 1863, and was discharged March i, 1865, 
 to accept a commission as assistant-surgeon 
 Thirty-sixth Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers. 
 He became surgeon in July, 1865, and was 
 
 mustered out with the regiment the same 
 month and year."'- His war record included 
 service in the Mexican War, the Lidian \\ ar 
 of 1 85 1, and the Ci\ il War. 
 
 "M.D." appears after his name on the 
 title-page of each of his books, but the fact 
 of his medical education has been most 
 
 f 
 
 
 
 ; jb< *** ^'•"sec gxcfc*'*' ^'/fflc. 5: 
 
 EKPTIMIilC 0» TX8C01T8XK. 
 
 ^'yfe r /< y'^f/yA/fil s^t¥flM>,/ _ 
 
 ■y-/ 
 
 &^ 
 
 ,'/.—/ y.(_(^ . 
 
 '-/- 
 
 / 
 
 ■~^f\~ DkIoV of lli( Jrt of iHtiiicInt -J 
 
 ^ti li Via bm wri ti rtnt illir 
 
 i«^ -«■•*"-'/''• is iii»J5tfltrbiral ftollrnr. .'i «?<'>., //rAv,! 
 * • ,-^<--' ■ "—••-■--.-"•.-• V/ -'' ..... , ' 
 
 Diplcirii:i of Lai AVET-rE lIouciiTON Bunnell 
 
 dillicult to establish. The I act that he 
 had a degree, however, has been delinitely 
 settled by the discovery of his medical 
 diploma now In the possession ol the 
 Minnesota Historical Society; a photo- 
 graphic copy has been furnished me through 
 the courtesy of Mr. Solon J. Buck, su|)erin- 
 tendcnt of the Society, who has also given 
 further valuable data concerning Bunnell, 
 prepared by Miss B. L. Heilbron, his 
 assistant. 
 
 At the age ol sixteen Bunnell was taken 
 Into his father's office to study medicine, 
 
 ''Auiicry, .1. .M.: The Thirty-sixth Wisconsin 
 Infantry (Arni^- of the Potomac). 
 
192 
 
 Annals of Medical History 
 
 "much against his will;" and for nearly two 
 years he read, and attended private clinics 
 and demonstrations. After some experi- 
 ences of frontier life he again turned to medi- 
 cine, studying with Dr. Scoville at Detroit, 
 but gave up to enter the Mexican War. 
 While his regiment was quartered at Cor- 
 dova, Mexico, he had charge of the hospital, 
 and was in medical charge of a battalion 
 at the close of the war. 
 
 On October 20, 1864, he received M.D., 
 designated "honorary," from LaCrosse 
 Medical College, which was instituted in 
 
 Sarah Smith Bunnell 
 (Mrs. L. H. Bunnell) 
 
 the autumn of that year. The episode of 
 this college is a brief and ahiiost forgotten 
 chapter of Wisconsin medical history.^' Its 
 charter was granted April 18, 1864, to 
 Dugald D. Cameron, P. S. McArthur, 
 J. B. G. Baxter, WiUiam L. Kennett, Ewen 
 H. McMillan, William T. Wenzell and 
 Augustus Brummel, as charter members." 
 
 ^^ History of LaCrosse County, Wisconsin, 1881. 
 
 Grave of tlie late Dr. Bunnell In Woodlawn Cemetery, 
 Winona, Minnesota. Marked by the G. A. R. emblem. 
 
 As he grew old his chief occupations were 
 reading, writing and gardening. At the age 
 of seventy-three he made the valuable con- 
 tribution to local history referred to, entitled 
 "Winona."^" 
 
 After the Civil War he settled at Homer, 
 Minnesota. He married Sarah Smith, 
 daughter of Joel and Anna Smith, early 
 settlers, and sister of Edward S. Smith, 
 prominent in railroad and other interests. 
 They had no children. Bunnelldied at Homer 
 on July 21, 1903, and was buried at Wood- 
 lawn Cemetery, at Winona. His grave is 
 
 '""Dr. William Snow Miller is in possession of inter- 
 esting facts relating to this ephemeral institution and 
 will doubtless publish tliem. 
 
 '^Winona and Its Environs on the Mississippi in 
 Ancient and Modern Days. Winona, 1897. 
 
Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, M.D., Discoverer of the ^'osemite 
 
 •93 
 
 marked solely by the G. A. R. emblem with 
 the small Has;. He is buried in the family lot 
 of his brother-in-law, E. S. Smith. The large 
 shaft is the Smith family monument.'^ 
 
 The eredit of the discovery belongs to 
 Bunnell, for after seeing the Yosemite Valley 
 at a distance his interest and poetic imagi- 
 nation were whetted by its seeming grand- 
 eur and he kept turning it over in his 
 mind for two years; he alone of the little 
 
 '^Information and photograph through the kind- 
 ness of Judge H. L. Buck, postmaster, Winona, 
 Minn. 
 
 group that entered on a punitory expedition 
 went eager and thrilled with the zest of 
 discovery. He fully appreciated the oppor- 
 tunity, and was filled with a sense of mystery. 
 His companions were impassive and unim- 
 pressed, while he was exulting in the glories 
 that unfolded before them; he became its 
 baptismal sponsor and gave the valley its 
 euphonious name and later wrote about it 
 in a never failing spirit of enthusiasm. 
 
 For these reasons we claim that Dr. 
 Lafayette Houghton Bunnell was the true 
 discoverer, about March 21, 1851. 
 
 A MEMORIAL STONE FOR THE GRAVE OF DR. BUNNELL 
 
 As Dr. Kelly states, the grave of Dr. 
 Bunnell remains unmarked save for the 
 G. A. R. emblem. 
 
 Dr. Kelly asks that those who feel inter- 
 ested in the plan forward such amounts as 
 they may choose to give for the purpose. 
 
 It is to be hoped that such an oppor- 
 
 tunity to honor a real medical pioneer will 
 not be neglected by the members of his 
 profession. One dollar will be gladly re- 
 ceived as a donation. 
 
 Those desiring to contribute should send 
 their contribution to Dr. Howard A. Kelly, 
 1406 Eutaw Place, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 H 73 78 544' 
 
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