A sunset photograph of Half Dome, taken from Olmsted Point on the Tioga Pass Road in Yosemite NP. This photo is one of a series of photographs included in the Native American Historical Novel Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya. This Yosemite Book is available in eBook and paperback.
Half Dome was called Tissa’ack (Tis-sa’ack) by the original people who lived in Yosemite Valley (the Ahwahneechees). However, it was renamed by soldiers during the Mariposa Indian War of 1850/51. During this war, the Ahwahneechees were driven out of their homelands and into Reservations. In essence, this happened during the California Gold Rush. Tissa’ack was the name of a legendary Indian woman whose tears stain the rock face. (Please see the next photo of Half Dome for details of the legend)
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm
Half Dome, Yosemite National Park: Some Facts
Standing at 8,842 feet (2,695 m) above sea level, Half Dome, Yosemite NP, is the famous granite landmark found at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley. It was formed about 65 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period. The remains of a magma chamber, (a pluton), cooled and solidified into granite deep within the Earth. Due to tectonic pressures, it was pushed to the surface. Subsequently, the granite was shaped into a dome as it was uplifted. Eventually, curved layers of rock split and peeled off to reveal their distinctive, current shape.
Glaciers carried away about 20 percent of the formation. Over time, chunks of rocks sheared away from cracks and, as a result, left one side a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round. Thus, giving the appearance of a dome cut in half, although it was never a whole dome.
The crest rises over 4,737 feet (1,444 m) above the Yosemite Valley floor
Read Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya – a historical novel set in Yosemite National Park.
NATIONAL PARK OBSESSED has included this Yosemite Book in their “Best Yosemite Books: 25 Books to Read Before Visiting Yosemite National Park“
It is also #1 in GOODREADS “Books to Read Before Visiting Yosemite“
Hi, I am Paul, photographer, and author of the historical novel “Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya”. This ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ illustrated book is available in eBook and paperback formats through all major online booksellers from $2.99 (e.g. Amazon, Bookshop.org, IndieBound, Apple Books, etc) - details can be found in "Purchasing Options" in the "About the Book" drop-down.