The Sentinel Hotel, originally known as the Yosemite Falls Hotel, was a hotel located in

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about long a ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the United States. Built in 1876, it was open until the early 1900s. Situated on the banks of the

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...

and across the Sentinel Bridge, the hotel had views of

Half Dome Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three s ...

and

Yosemite Falls Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall. Located in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in t ...

. The hotel, originally established during the stagecoach era, subsequently grew into a favored destination for tourists journeying to Yosemite via

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

and stagecoach. Despite multiple renovations and changes in ownership, the Sentinel Hotel's relevance declined with the advent of modern hospitality services. The entire complex was eventually dismantled between 1938 and 1941.

History

In 1876, Coulter and Murphy, proprietors of the former Hutchings group, built the Sentinel Hotel. Their management period was brief, with the entire property passing to J. K. Barnard in 1877. For seventeen years, Barnard maintained it as the Yosemite Falls Hotel. In 1893, during an economic depression, the Yosemite Grant Commissioners authorized a new lease to hotelier A.B. Glasscock, an associate of the Washburn brothers. Glasscock undertook significant renovations, transforming the hotel into a first-class establishment that mirrored the design of the Washburn's

Wawona Hotel The Wawona Hotel, located in southern Yosemite National Park, California, is a historic late Victorian era, Victorian mountain resort and one of the largest intact hotels of its kind within a national park. Originally established in the 1850s a ...

. The Sentinel Hotel was able to benefit from the economic recovery that followed. As tourism to Yosemite Valley rose in the late 1890s, the Sentinel Hotel underwent remodeling to accommodate more guests. Despite these efforts, the hotel and its cottages could only host two hundred guests, insufficient in light of the Stoneman House's destruction in 1896. In 1915, the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

moved to consolidate Yosemite's concessions. The Desmond Park Service Company acquired the Sentinel Hotel, among other assets. This company, alongside the Curry Company, formed the Yosemite Park and Curry Company, which controlled most park concessions until 1993. Running the hotel was a challenging business. In 1910, the proprietor of the Sentinel Hotel, J.B. Cook, committed suicide. Seven years later, in 1917, high water from the Merced River washed away the back porch of the hotel, resulting in significant damages.

Decline and closure

By 1925, the Sentinel Hotel, though still a first-class establishment, struggled to meet the growing demands of the increasing number of tourists. The opening of the

Ahwahnee Hotel The Ahwahnee is a grand hotel in Yosemite National Park, California, on the floor of Yosemite Valley. It was built by the Yosemite Park and Curry Company and opened for business in 1927. The hotel is constructed of steel, stone, concrete, w ...

in 1927, built by the Yosemite Park and Curry Company, further eclipsed the Sentinel's popularity. The Ahwahnee, along with the Yosemite Lodge, could accommodate winter guests, making the Sentinel less necessary. The establishment of

Camp Curry Camp Curry, now known as Curry Village, was established in 1899 at the base of Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. Developed as an alternative to the first-class Sentinel_Hotel_(Yosemite_Valley), Sentinel Hotel, it offered a more affordabl ...

coincided with a decrease in guests at the Sentinel Hotel, prompting speculations that the hotel would close permanently. Between 1938 and 1941, the entire Sentinel Hotel complex was finally dismantled.

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Sentinel Hotel (Yosemite Valley) Yosemite National Park History of the Sierra Nevada (United States) History of California by region Buildings and structures in Yosemite National Park Demolished hotels in California Buildings and structures in Mariposa County, California National Park lodges 1870s establishments in California Hotels established in 1876 History of Mariposa County, California

History

Decline and closure

See also

References

External links