Rush Creek, Yosemite NP, is a 27.2 mile-long (43.8km) creek running east of the Sierra Nevada in California, and then heading northeast into Mono Lake. The source is high on Mount Lyell and it is the largest creek in the Mono Basin. The fall colors are spectacular throughout the creek, with wonderful reflections in the waters. The Mono Basin is the traditional homeland of the Mono Paiutes (see below the photo for more information)

Rush Creek, Yosemite NP, and the Mono Paiutes

The Mono Basin was home to the indigenous Mono Paiutes. Paiute is a group of the Great Basin. They comprise Northern Paiute and Southern Paiute. Southern Paiute homelands included lands in north-western Arizona, southern Nevada, and southeastern California.
The Northern Paiutes included lands in north-western Nevada, southern Idaho, eastern Oregon, and north-eastern California. They also included Mono Paiutes, known as Kucadikadi (or Kootzaduka’a and other derivatives).

Kucadikadi live near Mono Lake in California. They have lived in and around the Mono and Yosemite region for many millennia. They were masters of their environment, living in harmony with nature, but their lives were disrupted when white settlers arrived in their homelands during the 19th century.

The Ahwahneechees are a group that lived in Ahwahnee, now known as Yosemite Valley. These groups lived in and around the valley for over 3,000 years.

During the Gold Rush, tens of thousands of people arrived in California. These new settlers took the traditional homelands of the indigenous peoples, driving them into reservations. Inevitably, confrontations between the original inhabitants and new settlers led to fighting and murders. The Governor of the newly formed State of California then authorized the establishment of militias with orders to protect white populations.
One such militia was the Mariposa Battalion. Conflicts had arisen between Ahwahneechees and prospectors and traders in and around Mariposa. Consequently, this Battalion entered Ahwahnee (Yosemite) in March 1851 to drive the Ahwahneechees and their Chief Tenaya (who was born at Mono Lake) into reservations. They were the first white people to encounter the magnificent sights of the valley.

Yosemite National Park Book – A Native American Fiction

The true and courageous, 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐reviewed, story of the Ahwahneechees and their Chief, Tenaya, is re-told in the epic historical novel Great Spirit of Yosemite: The Story of Chief Tenaya. The tale takes place during the Mariposa War of 1850/51, during the Gold Rush. Furthermore, this illustrated book is set in the magnificent surroundings of Yosemite National Park CA, and around the Mono Lake area of California.

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.