A History and A Memory
Reader Contributions To make the Firefall project complete, I am encouraging readers of this history to submit their own remembrances, contributions, and suggestions. I'd like to make the history a thorough one, and it certainly could not be complete without the contributions of those who have witnessed the Firefall firsthand, or of those who have followed its story and have interesting additions they'd like to share. I hope you enjoy these contributions as much as I have.
Click here if you wish to contribute to the Yosemite Firefall project.
I first posted to this wonderful firefall site back in December of 1999. I had forgotten all about it until today. Contact me if you'd like to see the firefall get started again. -- dsco7545@comcast.net
Dick Scoppettone
Scotts Valley, CA
Aug 6, 2008
I remember seeing the Fire Falls when I was 9 yrs old, this must have been the summer of '58, camping in a tent cabin by the river with my folks. Thank you for putting up this site, as I can now link to it for friends to actually see it. What a thrill it was to click on this link and see it again with the eyes of a 9 yr old.
Linda D. Hinshaw-Kramm nee Long
Sunol, CA (formerly of Modesto)
Aug 6, 2008
I was blessed with seeing the Firefall several times when I was 3-7 years old. (DOB 1959). Lived in Merced and had Arkie/Okie family all over the valley. We went to camp and fish in Yosemite and Sequoia Natl Parks. Also did a bike marathon in Yosemite 73. Brought my wife to Yosemite in 88, and we left, too commercialized. We made our new camping spot Herring Creek Reservoir, above Strawberry. All primitive, good fishing / hunting, no tourists. Just fellow outdoors people who appreciate being with the same. Visit it, and leave the radios at home.
Ralph
Qualls, Savannah, GA
July 28, 2008
As another kind of fire burns close to Yosemite this week, I look back fondly to the two summers we camped in the meadow in the late 50's and early 60's. What a beautiful place. The firefall was certainly one of the highlights of our visits that we eagerly awaited each evening and like Diane, I too remember the nighly calling for Elmer (does this still happen?) Great memories!
Sally Smith
Atlanta, GA
July 28, 2008
I am now 66 and grew up in Mariposa and saw the Firefall several times. My mom helped push the burning bark over the edge of Glacier Point sometime in the 30's when working in the park.
I always consider the reasoning of removing this tradition because it wasn't a natural event, but man made. I wonder how the Ahwahnee Hotel can survive this thinking, or the lodge, the cables to the top of Half Dome, or the roads, and for that matter, those who wear the patches on their sholders.
Larry
Badger, California
July 28, 2008
I am now 56 years old. We went to Yosemite almost every year since I was a few years old. The firefall remains this day one of the most beautiful and vivid memories of my life. My father, mother,sister and I watched it for many years. We watched it from the top of Glacier as they pushed it off, from the meadow where you saw the full display, to Camp Curry where you heard "Let the fire fall".....A marvelous display that my heart aches for. Back then you also went to the open dump sites at sunset to watch dozens of bears forage for food. Probably not a good thing for them, but where else in the continental United States would you see that many bears in one place?
Wendy Schmidt
Santee, California
July 26, 2008
My first of over 25 visits to Yosemite was as an 11 year old in 1967. We stayed in what was at the time called Campground 9. Today it is called Lower Pines. I was there three days ago sitting in the very same amphitheater in Lower Pines with my 14 year old son, where we watched the nightly display. The trees are taller and the view today would be slightly obscured, but I explained to my son what I witnessed each night for the week of my first stay. Never at the time could I have imagined how fortunate I was to be among the last summer visitors to witness the magic of the Fire Falls. The Fire Falls were the icing on the cake of an already amazingly beautiful and enchanting spot on this little Earth. And somehow seemed to punctuate the experience. I have been to Yosemite many times in my life.(at least 25) With many different groups of people. But never did I feel the absence of an experience that was so important to me as a young man, as what I felt wishing that my son could experience the same wonderment that was instilled in me as I watched the fire fall. In these days of high speed internet, Facebook, Video games and the other distractions of our modern sophisticated society. Why is there no longer room for the little things that that left us with the innocence of memories such as this. I understand the reported reasons for discontinuing the nightly display. But through the years I have told to many, of what they will never witness. I have been many places in my life, seen many things. But the Fire Falls and the calls up and down the mountain to let the fire fall, still give me powerful memories of a time when it was OK just be a kid. My son has been to Yosemite three times now. But at 14 years of age this will I hope, be the first trip of impact. And I know that seeing such a thing would indelibly imprint the experience of the park in him, as it did myself and millions of others. Lets bring the experience back. Bring back the awe, and let the fire fall.
Tim Taylor
Miranda, California
July 12, 2008
In reading the posts the tears started to stream. My first visit was 1950 @ 18 months and every summer til I was 18 was spent there in Camp 7. I first thought of Elmer this evening while hearing children's voices stream accross the meadow behind our house in Lake Tahoe and all my Yosemite memories ran into one another. My Mom, Dad and Brother still alive and young and healthy. But, the memory of all is the Fire Fall as the wonderment of a small child and the curfew as a rebelious teenager...rarely made it back in time...the fun on Stoneman's Bridge was too much to leave. Thank you for this site and the stirring of memories...firefall, Camp Curry, a line from a tree that carried my Dad across the beach at Camp 7 into the icy Merced (all the other's doing it were teenagers...go Dad) and the nick name of Queenie that I still have from calling my Dad to pull my inflatable raft up to the island along the Merced so I could float down to the bridge between housecamping (Camp 13) and Camp 7.
Marilynn Hatfield
South Lake Tahoe, California
June 28, 2008
Fond memories! I was six years old, when I first witnessed Yosemite's, Fire Fall.
Now, I am fifty two. Wish my son and my grandhildren, could today,experience this spectacular event!
When I think of Yosemite, I first remember "Fire Fall". Then it is the smell of the giant sequoia trees, or who remembers the sequoia tree that you could drive your car through?
Awe, this was a more innocent time, that will never come again!
Like Looney Tune Cartoon's, Captain Kangaroo, Engineer Bill, Sheriff John, Ms. Rosemary, on Romper Room, The Erector Set, Lincoln Logs, Cap rifle guns, Mr. Machine, Tiny Tears Doll! Ugh, I am totally dating myself!
These memory's will forever be fondly enshrined, in my heart!
Deb
Wyoming
May 29, 2008
I recall the ballad we sang as employees:
"In the Big Yosemite Mountains
There's a land so fair and bright.
Where the trails are never dusty
for they sprinkle them every day.
Where you can hike fourty miles or more
Your nose don't burn, nor your feet get sore in the Big Yosemite Mountains"
Ah, great memories. My wife and I met there in 1950.
Bill Norin
Claremont, California
May 26, 2008
http://geocities.com/norins
Yosemite has been part of my life since I was a young child and have fantastic memories of the Firefall, even though I was 13 when it ended. It was a great way to end the evening and spend quality time with the family. I worked up in Yosemite for a few years beginning in 1974 and would love to share the firefall with my family now. Unfortunately, children today miss alot of the true adventures we were able to experience as they are limited with all the restrictions. Sure wish it could be reinstated.
Donna McNamee Nelson
San Jose, California
May 22, 2008
Like so many of you I, too, grew up spending my summers in Yosemite... the 50's 60's... to this day I can think of no place I'd rather spend time.
There is a part of me that understands why they decided to stop the Firefall. And yet...
Not all things 'manmade' are an evil. There is the "Birth of Venus" by Boticelli. There is the 9th Symphony by Beethoven. There is the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and Mt Rushmore in the USA...
The Firefall was, at it's essence, a masterpiece of 'art'. Reason the Firefall away with logic and environmental concerns... to some extent I will agree... but that does not negate the fact that one of the most glorious works of art ever created was destroyed.
JamesJM
Tranquility, California
May 12, 2008
Tonight I witnessed and photographed a firefall of a different sort; On the north rim of the valley, just west of North Dome and very near the Royal Arches Cascade, a forest fire provided an impromtu firefall for the first time in 40 years.
I saw the firefalls when I was a little girl, and it was a memory of that slow cascade of sparks falling down the face of Glacier Point that prompted me to return to California from Rhode Island to work in Yosemite National Park.
You can see my images from this evening's spectacle here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambitious_wench/sets/72157604946075767/
Edie Howe
Yosemite, California
May 8, 2008
It was August 1967 and two things I remember well...the Hippies in the park and what I thought was a bunch of men running down the mountain really fast holding torches! I was 9 years old and was witness to one of the last firefalls seasons ever.
Camp Curry, the warm nights in Yosemite, the firefall, the Hippies, 1967...awesome times.
Fast forward to 2008. Just got back from a beautiful weekend in the park. 25 miles of hiking. Sad thing is the number of 500's you see nowadays. Those are the ones that never venture 500 feet from the car. Some elderly and others one can understand why they do not get out and explore...but others...well, I guess there are no electrical outlets on top of Nevada Falls.
If you were one of the lucky ones to "watch the men run down the mountain", that's cool. If not, then enjoy this website that was created to teach us what it was like and to learn some history.
And encourage 500's to take those steps out to nature and explore, learn and enjoy.
Michael Bourgeault
Huntington Beach, California
May 5, 2008
I was at Yosemite to see the last Firefalls Exhibit in 1967. It was spectacular - to say the least!
Greg Logian
Canyon Country, California
Apr 24, 2008
Yes it was the SILENCE throughout the valley that one came away AWESTRUCK I was fortunate to have been able to witness it 1945-1969.
It was an UNWRITTEN LAW that everything stopped...at 9pm.Lights dimmed...people were "shhh-ed" if speaking out loud Cars stopped and headlights turned off
The guy down below at Camp Curry would yell up first through his mega phone: HELL....OOO..... GLACIER--RR POINT
A muffled return from up above: HELL....OOO CAMP CURRY....
Down below: LET THE FIRRRE FALL
Then everyone down below strains to hear the classic muffled return call:
THE FIRE IS---SSS FALL----ING
And this can be heard all across the valley floor 3,000 above from Glaicer Point... And for the next 5 to 7 minutes all of us down below, heads are posed UP....
The first push of ambers begins to cascade off the edge...while bits of sparks fly up to the night sky...a steady stream of red fire sparkles flows down the granite wall... for the next 5 to 7 minutes.
Each night the spectacle was JUDGED
Oh too bad it was so windy...pushing the fire to fall side ways...or this guy was PERFECT compared to last night: Must have been the guys first time or something ...
But I NEVER saw a Firefall I didn't like
To live to see this SPECTACLE return would be a grand finale to all my dreams comes true on this earth
Back in '69 they did not have the shuttle service they have in place today The shuttle has elimated the traffic conjestion...So what's the problem?
Hippies are gone or "WE" are all grown up now....I vote:
BRING BACK THE FIREFALL
I would love to see my grandchildren and grandchildren again say:
OH WOW...AWWWW..OHHHHH...THANKS GAM FOR BRINGING US TO YOSEMITE TO SEE THIS
Annie Peterson
Glen Ellen, California
Apr 15, 2008
I was raised in Hanford, CA. and I remember evry year from the age of 5, the week after school was out me, my Mom and middle sister and her 5 kids all heading up to Yosemite, in a big station wagon and a trailer with all out camping equipment, every summer until I was 16. We camped for 2 weeks at a time. We would hike up the road to where the fire fall was done, me being so scared of heights, I was not happy when Mom wanted a picture of me by the edge, which I still have some of those photos I remember the firefalls, and yelling Elmer, Elmer. Not sure. We were told a young boy named Elmer had gotten lost in the park many years earlier, and that was how they were trying to locate him, but never did find him. But as I have read no mention of that story, that we were told as children. I also remember the sing alongs with the bouncing ball, and a story that the oldest living Indian women was found living in a cave in the park ( true or not ? ) It still is all very fresh in my mind.I loved always going there. I have so many wonderful memories. We took our sons there when they were quite young, but the weather did not cooperate with us. I have told my husband the one place that I want to go back to, before I die is Yosemite. I am 62 now, I hope we can get out there before my time comes. But was told that you have to make reservations years in advance, and not sure you can even camp there anymore in a RV. I was told only at the resorts. And it takes hours to get into the park because of all the trafic. That really saddens me to hear that, everyone should have the opertunity to see this beautiful park , but so many people are destructive. I cherish my times there. Thank You for telling us this story.
Fortunata Diana Buntrock (maiden Moya)
Osage, Minnesota
Mar 31, 2008
When I was a young boy, we lived in San Jose -- about 4 hours away by car -- and visited Yosemite several times.
Although I was a small boy of only 8 or 10 years of age when I first witnessed the Firefalls, I still to this day (some 40+ years later) vividly recall the spectacular sight of the Firefalls. I can still see, in my mind's eye, the glowing red, orange, and yellow embers as they spilled over the top of the cliff and flowed so elegantly to the bottom of the mountain.
Each time I think of it, I am held as breathless as the first. The Firefalls are one of my most cherished memories of the awesome granduer that is Yosemite. My only regret is that I could not share that magnificent sight with my daughter when she was young.
Sean McIntyre
Ceres, California
Mar 31, 2008
http://www.seansworld.com
My father, Janvier Lee, helped build and worked at the Oakland Recreation Camp approximately 65 miles above Yosemite before he enlisted in the Army during WWII. When he returned home, married and had two daughters. Due to his fond memories of the Recreation Camp he used to bring us to camp each year for my first 16 years. As a treat we would all pack into his car and drive the windy, narrow roads to Camp Curry and watch the Fire Falls. I was fortunate enough to be in the crowd when the last fires were lit.
Jennifer ringlbauer
Mosier, Oregon
Mar 28, 2008
Our family moved from New York City to southern California in 1956 and every year until my father died in 1963, we camped in Yosemite. How I fondly remember the firefall every night we camped in Camp Curry! What a fabulous experience it was! All the oohs and aahs from the crowd down in the meadow. It is true, I still get all tingly and misty eyed when I remember it.
And I had the honor of working at the Ahwahnee Hotel from 1989 to 1992. I really mean "the honor" because I felt that I was working in Paradise. It was a special time for me and I will never forget it.
Janice Mahon
Riva, Maryland
Mar 3, 2008
My parents would bring my Brother, Sister and Myself to the valley every other weekend and I remember like it was yesterday hearing the faint voice yell out "Hello Camp Curry then reply Hello Glacier point are you ready yes were ready then let the fire fall". I was 11 years old and for days we would talk about how beautiful it was and could not wait for our next trip. My parents have passed, but I know they would agree the fire falls were one of our familys finest memories.
Glen Hinkley
Kingman, Arizona
Feb 15, 2008
The firefall brings back many great memories of Yosemite. In the fifties as a young lad with my brother and Mom and Dad we would spend many summers in the park camping and going on hikes during the day and then at night watching the program at Camp Curry eagerly anticipating the firefall. It was a most beautiful rememberance and one which an old lad in my soon to be 60's will always remember. The call from up above was like hearing a call from heaven and then once the fire came over Glacier Point you could hear a pin drop, it was awe inspiring!
Ken Wiebe
Trabuco Canyon, California
Feb 5, 2008
Hi, My neighbor, Bob Smith, worked for a few years at Yosemite assembling, and then pushing, the firefall off at Glacier Point. I am hosting a surprise 70th birthday party for him this weekend and will include the Firefall poem and photos so he can share his memories at the party. Bob doesn't have a computer, so at a later date I will have him write his memories and I will type them into this site.
I myself first learned of the Firefall in July 1999 through the stories of the sweet Joie Ruth Armstrong, the young naturalist whose life was taken days later. We were one of the last families to attend her nature tour at Yosemite/Curry. I will never forget her animation as she bellowed the words "Let the Fire fall!" in her re-enactment of the Glacier Point/Curry Village spectacle for my children. May she too never be forgotten.
How ironic that I found this site TODAY, the 40th anniversary of the last Firefall!!
Kathleen Ward
Burlingame, California
Jan 25, 2008
I recall seeing these fire-falls (also the ones near Carlsbad Caverns, NM & Needles, CA) when I was a kid, around the late 1960's &/or early 1970's. I also recall seeing the creeping rocks and I'm pretty sure another fire-fall that was, from what I recall, created by chemical reactions from the different properties of rocks (such as in flint and steel.) This one was, I believe, near Needles, near the Amboy crater from what I recall. I've seen pictures of these fire-falls, and I don't recall the others (The chemical falls) being as spectacular visually, but impressive as heck, and I recall that a ranger was not pushing off embers, but rocks from above, which reacted with those on the bumpy cliff on the way down, and they'd spark and light up as they fell.
I'd love to see these again and take my kids and grand kids there, the salt flats (And the HUGE natural arches in the valley there), and Yosemite as well!
Sounds like we need to plan a trip!
I was talking to a friend about these places, as well as places we'd been in Arizona, such as Carlsbad Caverns (and the bat flight, which to me was just as impressive! I hope that's still there!)
I also have been the the Poppy Refuge area near Palmdale/Lancaster, which is also beautiful! One of the car clubs I belong to tries to make a run out there every year, but it seems like we never spend as much time there as I would like!
I also went with a biology class with black lights to see scorpians and such when I was in junior college.
It would be awesome to add more photos of these places online for those who don't live close enough to get there!
I'm NOT a desert person normally, but these places & events are a definite exceptions!
Seems time to plan a road trip!!! :)
Carol Reid
Ojai, California
Jan 20, 2008
In 1938 my family moved from Oklahoma to Yosemite, where jobs awaited my parents. I was 14. An entertainer at the Camp Curry whom I remember was West Virginia Slim and his group. The magnificent firefall was accompanied by a beautiful melody which I learned later was that of a Russian folk song, "Stenka Razin." The firefall and the music made a wonderful, unforgettable combination.
Frank Farr
Jamestown, New Mexico
Jan 19, 2008
frankfarr.com
YOSEMITE FIREFALLS
For years on summer evenings
rangers at Glacier Point would burn
red fir bark into embers, shovel them
over a 3000 foot brink --
a golden ribbon,
sparks like wild birds flying off,
coins from coffers of a molten God.
Twilight framed the splendour.
All day we had climbed the Mist Trail.
Slippery stone steps, moist wildflowers,
Vernal and Nevada falls arcing rainbows;
spray blown like white manes
of galloping horses.
Back at our camp,
relaxed after barbecued chicken,
baked potatoes, roasted corn, coffee,
we would gaze high above sugar pines
to Glacier Point, hundreds of campers
melded in expectation, then our communal "Oh!" as the spectacle began.
To
night we Valley campers,
aged past venturesome climbs,
gaze toward that granite wall scarred
charcoal black over the years....
Though molten embers no longer are
pushed over the brink
we still see
fire falling.
© Claire J. Baker
Claire J. Baker
Pinole, California
Jan 16, 2008
I still remember the Firefall. I remember the song, "The fire falls over Glacier Point, Glacier Point. The fire falls over Glacier Point, Glacier Point." there may have been more but that I don't remember. I can still see the fire cascading down the mountain and feel the awe I felt at seeing it. I remember my whole family camping at Yosemite. Mom, Dad and 5 kids. Sometimes with my Grandmother, a pregnant long-haired Dachshund named Goldilocks or my older brother's friends.
Debi Affentranger
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 11, 2008
You have a great site put together here! The 40th anniversary is coming up... I wonder if we could get them the park folks to do a special occasion fire fall?!
I have been sharing your site with many folks who look at my photograph and think that is the original Fire falls!! I keep hearing everyones stories about how they saw this and how wonderful it was. Then they ask how I took a picture since I was born about the time that they stopped!!!! My picture here is what I call Natures' Firefall which is actually Horsetail Falls off El Capitan.
http://www.jharrisonphoto.com/gallery/2747559#226401666
"Natures' Firefall" is a rare occurrence that happens for a possible two weeks in late February at sunset when the sun is at the right angle and if there is water flowing on Horsetail Falls. I tried for 2 nights without any luck to get the perfect picture! Almost as beautiful but I would sure like to see the 'man-made one!
Thanks for your great contributions with your site and keep up the great work and stories! John
John Harrison
Sunnyvale, CA
Dec 31, 2007
www.jharrisonphoto.com
Wow, what a wonderful site!! I just searched for the Firefall, to show someone who never heard of it, and this site came up.
Honestly can't add anything not already said, but we did have one tradition for our many Yosemite trips......donating one flip-flop to the great indian God "Merced".
Ok....ok....here's one....does anyone remember riding the Yosemite bus from the town of Merced, to the park, and hearing the bus scrape the side of the rock wall when another big vehicle came the other way?????
Tim Crump
Then:Felton, CA Now: Las Vegas, NV
Dec 18, 2007
I have seen "The Caine Mutiny" several times but today, 11 Nov, 07, was the first time I had seen the waterfall fire segment of the film. I was compelled to search the internet for a reference to this breathtaking site. I found this site and just wanted to thank you for the history provided and the documentation of this... especially since it is now a part of the history of Yosemite.
Frank
Columbus, MS
Nov 11, 2007
Dear Ms. Estes, I am writing a novel that involves my memories of the firefall, and I would love to be able to use Ms. Highsmith's poem, "Firefall" in it, as it is so beautiful. May I have your permission? I would definitely include your mother's name. Thank you so much.
Lynne Spreen
Hemet, California
Nov 11, 2007
I am 60 years old this past October. I was born in Alabama and when I was 4 months old my parents moved to California. We lived in the Fresno area for the first five years of my life and my two sisters were born there. Every summer we went to Yosemite and camped out for two weeks living in a canvas wall tent. I distinctly remember the fire fall at night. For a little kid it was an awesome sight. After five years we moved back to Tennessee. My mother missed the green hills and mountains of Tennessee. She used to get depressed whenever we had to break camp and go home to the flat, brown valley around Fresno. She would have lived in that tent in Yosemite year round if she could. I haven't been back in 55 years but intend on going back soon. I'm sorry they quit doing the fire fall. I would love to see it again.
Ray Shirley
Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov 3, 2007
The fire atop the granite cliff
Burns brightly;
Silence in the valley.
From peak to peak
A voice is heard
Calling, like a watchman in the night,
"Let the fire fall!"
And from the heights of Glacier Point
The words, "All-l Rii-ight!"
Float down like mists along the shore.
Then pours over the rock
A noiseless cataract
Of golden points of light,
Glowing,
Long and bright
Until it sinks
Into oblivion
Upon the ash-cold stones below.
Winifred Brandon Highsmith, 1937Brandon Reynolds
Saluda, NC
Oct 15, 2007
My mother, now age 90, wrote a poem in 1937 after camping in the Yosemite Valley with her grandfather/artist, John A. Brandon of Sacramento, CA. She remembers the Firefalls vividly and I hope to print your website for her and order some of the famous photos of the event as a Christmas gift. It would thrill her to see her poem on the site.
I will send it immediately after this. Its title is simply, Firefall.
Winifred Brandon Highsmith Estes
Saluda, NC
Oct 15, 2007
My brother James Phillips and I are related to James McCauley who started the Firefalls. I first saw it in 1942. It was such a pleasure for our children to see the Firefalls before it was discontinued. It was such a beautiful event and our children will always remember it. My brother is doing the program for the Southern Tuolumne Historical Society this month on the Firefalls. We are also related to Dan & Donna Carlon who owned Carl Inn resort which operated from 1916 to 1940 In Yosemite National Park off Highway 120.
Jacqujrline Phillips Root
Fair Oaks, California
Oct 4, 2007
First I wish to thank you for posting this site and all of the wonderful nostalgia invoking information. My first trip to Yosemite was 1963, I was 11. Witnessing the firefall was exciting, hooked me on the Valley! My first visit, we stayed at the Ahwanee, it was an awesome man made creation, but nothing near the artistic display of God's hand in carving out the Park itself. So wonderful, I returned, and returned... Miss the firefall...Gosh what a great place. Sorry Walt Disney...my family and I will take Yosemite any day :)
MJ Abrahams
Los Angeles, California
Oct 4, 2007
We moved to Yosemite Valley in 1946. My father worked for the Yosemite Park & Curry Company, Transportation Department (Bob Lamkin) and my mother (Edie Lamkin) taught the first, second & third grades. We lived in Curry Company Housing across the meadow from the Ahwahnee hotel in an area called "cry baby row". The view of the Firefall from our front yard was perfect and we never missed the evening event. The entire neighborhood turned out and we ran and played and when it was over we all yelled "Elmer".
In 1955 I returned as a College student on summer vacation and worked in the Camp Curry Standard Station. Of course nothing had changed, when the Fire fell we stoped pumping gas, changing sparkplugs or fixing a flat tire and watched the Firefall, then yelled Elmer and then listened to the dance hall band play Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White. In 1992 I attended a Yosemite Grammar School Reunion and every conversation included the Firefall and how lucky we were to have lived in the Valley as young people.
Bob Lamkin
Henderson, Nevada
Sep 24, 2007
I was born in Yosemite at Lewis Memorial Hospital in 1948. My dad, Don Christensen was part of the firefall preparation. He was often the man in Camp Curry who yelled up to Glacier Point, "Hello Glacier Point"..... "Let the Fire Fall." He had a wonderful singing voice and would sing "The Indian Love Call" for everyone in Curry village. I was pretty little, but I'll never forget that magic.
Jane Ann Ross
Montgomery, Texas
Sep 18, 2007
A firefall confession.
As 17 year resident of Yosemite. A graduate of Yosemite grammar school.One day in 1956, Larry Morgenson (older brother of Randy, of the book "Tha Last Season" -- Amazon) Richie Ouimet, and I missed the High School Bus to Mariposa. It was May 9th, my sister's birthday Jane Ann (born in Yosemite). Searching for adventure, the three guys Larry, Richie and I, hiked the Ledge Trail, 1 mile straight up to Glacier Point. At the top, we lit a fire -- the prepared dome of bark readied for the evening "Fire Fall". Let it burn for a while! Then at 4:30 pm.......We shoved it off!!!
Scurried down the 4-mile trail to Bridlevail falls parking lot and caught a ride home, never getting caught by Tommy Tucker and the chasing Rangers!!!
Tom Christensen
Merced, California
Sep 12, 2007
I only saw the fire-fall once when I was a small child, maybe 6 or 7 yrs old. Although it left a tremendous impact on my memory, I can't really add much to what others have said on this site. The photo is not as spectacular as the actual falls, photos seldom are. I can't imagine how you could capture the essence of the bright fire falling through the dark night on film. Just as photos of fireworks displays are never as good as the real thing. I guess we have to do with what the photographer could accomplish.
As for the firefalls, being there and feeling it, along with seeing and being a part of a group of family and friends, with everyone totally breathless cannot be caught by any photographer. When silence is so total that nothing moves, except the silent falling embers, throughout the entire valley. No person, nor any animal dare move to break the silence that accompanied the firefall. I guess all that makes it even more spellbinding. Of course, don't forget that this happened around 50 years ago so we have to figure in the awe of a child and the capacity of his brain to remember things as greater than they really were.
Don Grove
North Fork, California
Sep 8, 2007
I saw the Firefall in 1950. Being interested in the film classics, I have always wondered if there was any connection between the Firefall and the film Rose Marie, in which "Indian Love Call" is the theme song.
Stewart Coffin
Andover, Massachusetts
Sep 8, 2007
Like many Yosemite became a much looked forward to summer vacation location. Many wonderful memories were obtained there; camping, splashing around in the shallows of Merced River with my two sisters, learning how to respect nature from Dad. And the grand finale of each one or two week's trip, was the firefall. We usually ate dinner somewhere in Curry Village, but one of the last times we were in Yosemite and saw the firefall, we packed a picnic supper. When the time came, right before the shout to let the firefall, a young woman soloist began singing "The Indian Love Call" She was answered by a gentleman singer, some distance from her, which made it sound like he was on the mountain where the firefall would take place. At the close of her song, the yell to let the fire fall was heard, within seconds I got goosebumps all over my arm from the thrill of it. My mom thinking I was chilling made me put my sweater on! She had no idea how deeply that totally beautiful "romantic" memory was etched in my mind. Nor could I explain why I had tears in my eyes, to her. Sometimes you just can't explain feelings of that depth to anyone.
Catelin Hoover
Simi Valley, California
Aug 26, 2007
http://catelinhooverchristianwriter.blogspot.com
Like many of the visitors to this site, I traveled with my family to Yosemite many times in the 1950's and 60's. Sometimes, we took a small camping trailer; other times we stayed in the tent cabins along the river, the circa 1930's versions. Later they replaced these with those cement block abominations but we never stayed in those. Our first trip was around 1954 (when I was 4 years old), and we towed a tear-drop trailer into the park with our 1940 Ford. I still have that car, and after driving it myself over the years, I don't know how it was able to hack the roads into the valley pulling that trailer but it did.
Since the tent cabins (nor the trailers in those days) had refrigerators, we used to tie our package of bacon onto a string and keep it in the cool Merced River. I don't recall ever eating in the cafeteria; my mother always cooked and in the tent cabins, it was over a wood stove. For fuel, we hiked up to the Curry Company store and bought bundles of firewood.
The Fire Falls are well remembered. Actually, what I remember most is looking over the Fire Fall pit at the top of Glacier Point during the day. At that time, there were just two rusty gates near the cliff that were pushed open in the evening, and a long-handled and fire-warped tool for pushing the hot coals on over. The lawyers and safety overlords would have fits over the general "lack of control" over the site and the knackered, rusty gates.
It has been over 20 years since I moved from my original home of Long Beach, Calif. to my present one in western Washington state. When I was a child, after living in the city, Yosemite seemed so lush and green. Now, when I fly over on my way to a visit in southern California, sometimes the plane flies right over Yosemite Valley. After looking at Washington forests for 20 years, the Sierra Nevadas look kind of brown in comparison.
Still, for me my visits to Yosemite were a magic time. I know it's all different now and cannot be replicated.
Gary Schwertley
Edmonds, WA
Aug 24, 2007
I remember going to Yosemite in the early 60's with my parents for a week. Outside of the breathtaking natural beauty, the firefall was seared into my mind - what a site to remember. In hindsite I have to wonder what the logic was if any. "Let's push burning coals off the edge for a colossal effect in the midst of all this natural beauty!" Today with nature on the run, it makes no sense, but at the same time I'm glad to say that I had taken in the event.
I remember a dialog between Camp Curry and the Ranger at the top of the point. It is my recollection that the Ranger at the top of Glacier Point would call to Camp Curry - "Hello Camp Curry" and that a Ranger at Camp Curry would yell back in response " Let the fire fallllll!" If anyone remembers this in the same let me know.
Will Kolbe
Gardnerville, Nevada
Aug 16, 2007
I was surfing Yosemite, (my growing up summer playground), and found the firefall site!!! My parents were both teachers and we had the whole summer to camp!
The valley was my favorite spot! Swimming at the base of Yosemite Falls, jumping off the bridge into the Merced River, rock climbing with my family. The highlight for this nine year old was always dinner at the cafeteria, the ranger talk or slideshow and last but BEST of all The FIREFALL. All grown I'm amazed that I can still hear the call in my memory "Let the Firefallllllll"! I tried to carry on the traditions of the valley with my kids, but to much disappointment. Do not cross paths, stay behind fences, no hiking pass this point, frustrating but understandable. I've come to realize that I was very lucky to have such experiences in the valley and cherish every memory, ESPECIALLY the Firefall!!
Tori Layne
Corona, California
Aug 14, 2007
I was one of the lucky people that got to see the Firefalls. It is so hard to describe the beauty of it. I will never forget it. But I am one of those people who are looking for a photo of it. Is there any way to still buy a photo like the photo in the opening page? Please if anyone can help me in my search, you can e-mail me @ d_c_jacobson@yahoo.com.
Cynthia Jacobson
Mountain View, California
Aug 12, 2007
I was researching on the net for a ficticious novel I am writing and ran across this website re the Yosemite Firefall. My father worked for the Curry Company from the early 30's to 1958. I worked during the summers at the Camp Curry Post Office and lived at the Terrace during the 40's. Back then...after eating in the cafeteria and watching the entertainment and then the spectacular FIREFALL and going to the dance afterward every evening.....your postings brought back so many wonderful memories and we saw some familiar names....(by now) mostly of the children of the people we knew! I printed out all 91 pages and we have been reading them and remembering those wonderful days of the Firefall ,etc.
I married Art Freeman (whose family lived permanently in the Park at the government housing development) in 1948 at the Yosemite Chapel by Reverend Alfred Glass....reception at the Ahwahnee Hotel! My novel will entail some of Yosemite and there are some things I'd like to know. One, who was the band leader whose theme song was "Concerto in A minor by Grieg"?...I can hear it now in my memories after the Firefall...the dance began soon after and one could hear that theme flow through the trees and the sharp cool air of the evening.
If any of you out there have any little tidbits about Yosemite back then, please email me at madbrushpainter@bellsouth.net
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!
Madeline (Holmgren) Freeman
Villa Rica, Georgia
Aug 8, 2007
I posted earlier on this and have since talked to my father who is 94 years young and he recalled that there was no radio communication like today they only responded by hollaring. It was so amazing that they could hear from such a high peak and the sound would vibrate against the cliffs. FIIIREFAAAAAAL. We just went up for the day and the meadows were getting trampled by all of the spectators. I wonder how that compares to today.
Peggy Lake
Sanger, California
Aug 3, 2007
I can still remember when my father took us to Yosemite and I heard the firefall call bouncing off the cliffs. It sounded like ffffiiiiirrrreffffaaaallll.............then slowly the embers fell in a long ribbon.
I am wondering exactly which peak they did it on. anybody?
[Editor] Hi Peggy. The peak was Glacier Point.
Peggy Lake
Sanger, California
Aug 3, 2007
From 1950's an 60's my family would camp for 2 weeks in camp curry. My favorite thoughts of Yosemite was the firefalls, I just loved and miss dearly.
JoAnna King Jacobs
Porterville, California
Aug 1, 2007
During the 1950's Yosemite was a regular summer desination for my extended family which lived in the Los Angeles area. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents from both sides of the family would join my father, mother, sister, and me (total of about 17 or 18 people) in a caravan of a half dozen cars which were packed with camping equipment. Back then there was little trouble finding adjacent camping spots on the valley floor for all of us. We'd take care to time our drive and arrival to allow for more than enough time to set up camp, have dinner, and see the evening's performance of the firefall.
As it became dark we'd arm ourselves with flashlights and make our way either to Camp Curry or a meadow with a good view. The Camp Curry option was done at least once each season to listen to the call to Elmer. The crowd gathered at Curry would be buzzing with expectation before the call was made, and quickly quiet itself when asked to do so. Raising a huge megaphone to his lips (I recently talked to an individual who took on this role as part of his summer job) the Camp Curry caller would shout, "Hello Elmer" at the appointed time. We and it seemed the entire valley would stand in silence straining to hear a reply from above. Very faintly we could hear "Hello Camp Curry" from Elmer which prompted the reply of "Let the fire fall."
After a moment the first glow of the firefall would be visible at the rim of the canyon, during which a collective "Here it comes" could be heard from those standing around us. The ensuing action always seemed too brief but was a wonder that remains to this day a vivid memory. We would stand to the very last ember before turning to return to camp. Comparisons of past firefalls were always a topic of conversation on the way back with comments like "That was a good one" or "Shorter than usual" or "Better than last year" being common. On the way back from Curry or the meadows we were always among other campers and their families who together lit the way with their flashlights and helped each other find the trail.
We'd also make the trip to Glacier Point to watch the firefall pushed over the edge. We'd get back late, but always felt that the drive was worth it. I have photos of the firefall that were taken by my dad both from the valley floor and up at Glacier Point. One I particularly like is of my grandfather (mom's dad) standing next to the burning pile on the point at twilight. I also have a few souveniers from then including a Firefall drinking glass and serving tray.
The Firefall made every night at Yosemite special no matter where you viewed it from. I can remember when the decision was made to stop the firefall, thought the decision ridiculous, and was saddened at its passing. Those who never saw it have no idea what they missed.
Steve
Lake Oswego, Oregon
July 31, 2007
Starting in the early 1950's our family (mom, dad, 5 kids and grandma and the dog) would spend Easter week camping at Yosemite. The fire falls was a nightly, spectacular event that we all looked forward to. I remember one year while I was quite small, I had gone to the bathroom after dinner. Coming out I got turned around and couldn't find my way back to the campsite. After roaming around on the campsite road which seemed like forever, someone asked me if I were lost, and walked with me until we found our camp. I was back with family just as the fire falls came down.
Joan Degenkolb
La Canada Flintridge, California
July 25, 2007
Here is the true story of Elmer.
My maternal grandfather, Elmer Benjamin Clarence Johnson, born in 1898, lived in Turlock, California and married my grandmother, Julia Olive Jerner, sometime before 1920. Elmer and Julia were were both born to Swedish immigrant families, Julia's more conversative than Elmer's.
Elmer and Julia had four daughters, and never seemed to have much money, but loved to camp, and with as many relatives as they could gather would camp in the Summer at Pinecrest, in Yosemite, at Tahoe, Kings Canyon, on the beach in Monterey, wherever it was cheap and there was lots of room for the clan.
Well, Elmer liked to smoke, and liked an occasional cigarette in the early evening. But Julia was sure that smoking was a sure pathway to eternity in Hell. When camping, Elmer had a tendency to wander off around dinner time for a smoke. Julia, of course, would have none of this.
So each evening (we're talking about the 1920s and '30s) Julia would head out of camp, yelling for Elmer. My aunts and uncles (including my great grandfather, Carl Alfred Jerner, who died while fishing the banks of the Clarks Fork of the Stanislaus) would join her, and in the years to come, my mother and her sisters would all join in, all yelling for Elmer. I was born in the 1950s, and my camping memories still ring with the yells for Elmer - Pinecrest, Tahoe, Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Capitola wherever we camped.
Elmer died in 1962 in the V.A. Hospital in Oakland, but his spirit lives on throughout the West as thousands still call his name in the early evening. So does the spirit of Julia Johnson, following the smell of cigarette smoke, going to find Elmer, bring him back, and save him from eternal damnation.
My 11 year old daughter calls for him still from the deck of our Sierra cabin.
Doug Weile
Latrobe, California
July 21, 2007
Thankfully I have the "Fire Falls" as a memory. I was born in 1950 and we lived in Madera, CA. We went to Yosemite every summer at least once. Both my sister and I were very young in the 50's, so mom and dad would come into the tent and wake us up for the excitement of watching the "Fire Fall". We would wake up and watch the beautiful show and we heard the mystical sound of that mystery person yelling Fire Falling. It seemed very surreal. That memory and sound is very vivid for me, along with the brown bears and the rock bridge with the arched undereaves. I am very sorry that it was ended in the 60's, as so many are missing out. It was very special.
Thank you for allowing me to write this memoir.
Karen Rice
League City, Texas
July 20, 2007
I just happened to be watching California's Gold on PBS this evening and the subject of the show was the Yosemite Firefall. It brought back great memories from my childhood of my Firefall viewing back in 1960. Our family went to Badger Pass to ski for a week in the winter, and we stayed in the Yosemite Valley. Every evening, we would watch the Firefalls, thrilled by the spectacle. Only later did I realize that the head of the Ski School, Nick Fiore, was the one who prepared and executed the spectacular event! I would highly recommend that everyone who has enjoyed the Fire Falls view the show California's Gold- "Yosemite Firefall", hosted by Huell Howser.
Brian Boobar Fox
Citrus Heights, CA
July 19, 2007
To David Nahm's "Remember Elmer?" You bet! Seems to me watching the Firefall and looking for Elmer went hand in hand back in the 50s and 60s. I have a 1931 comic style map of Yosemite Valley, and I swear theres a picture of Elmer being chased by his mother in old Camp 14! Evidently she didn't catch him as he was still "lost" during my last visit.
John Stoner
Townsend, MT
July 15, 2007
Viewing the firefall from the meadows was always a great experience, but one night in particular stands out in 1949 when my mom and I viewed the firefall from atop Mt Hoffmann above May Lake...a distance of some nine airline miles or so. If I remembered correctly, it was Ranger/Naturalist Carl Sharsmith who led our group from Tuolumne Meadows to view the firefall from this unusual vantage point.
John Stoner
Townsend, MT
July 15, 2007
In the summer of 1955, my girl friend, a harpist, and I, a cellist, both at the ripe young age of 18, were employed for 6 weeks as "Valley Musicians", by the Yosemite Park and Curry Co. We lived in tent-houses and for 6 evenings a week, played little concerts at various Yosemite Park sites. Often, it was our responsibility to provide a version of "Indian Love Call" as those glowing embers were pushed over the cliff at Glacier Point.
On some those evenings we performed at Camp Curry, which was located directly at the foot of Glacier Point. At the close of the concerts, the audience was always asked to be silent, so that the familiar call, "LET THE FIRE FALL!" could be heard by those tending the embers, some 3000 feet above.
One unforgettable night, the job of "calling" fell to a disgruntled employee who, it was said, had already been fired for some reason, and so, with one final act of defiance, in a pronounced southern drawl, he yelled, "LET THE FAAAR FALL, YOU-ALL!!"
My girlfriend, the harpist, later became my wife, and after 50 years of a beautiful friendship, I lost her when she passed away last year. I have some wonderful pictures of her playing her harp in the magnificant Great Lounge of the Awanhee Hotel, and at other Yosemite sites.
Ken Pinckney
St Louis, MO
July 14, 2007
fragment written after death of my father:
August 28, 2005
Denise Calvetti Michaels
Like Half Dome, I can't write.
Dad died yesterday.
Lines thread
army tent
grommets
strung taut
we pluck,
as children,
before we run to the river
skipping stone
August 29
Firefall
Yosemite--from the banks
Where's Elmer?
Merced River
dusk
Kirkland, Washington
July 6, 2007
When I was in third grade in the 1950's my parents and I would go on regular trips to the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Park. I will always remember the firefall...not only for its breath-taking beauty, but for the music that accompanied it across the valley. The Indian Love Call would be sung in a back-and-forth duet across the valley as the firefall completed its short life down the cliff. I also remembered that the Ahawahnee provided the coldest metal patio chairs. We would come after the sun went down and the cold night replaced the warmth of the afternoon. The metal chairs made a huge impression on my bottom and legs. Only a child would remember this!
victoria mcalister
I had never realised that the firefall even existed until I saw the movie "the Caine Mutiny"..in it there is a scene where Ens Keith and girlfriend are in the meadow when the call goes out "let the fire fall" and then you see the firefall.. wonderfull!!!
David J Berry
Jacksonville, Florida
June 24, 2007
HELLO I JUST RECEIVED THIS SITE FROM A GIRL FRIEND OF MINE AFTER MY MOTHER HAS RECENTLY PASSED... YES I DO REMEMBER "THE GREAT STORIES" THAT WERE TOLD TO ME FROM MY MOTHER...WHO WAS ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADIES AT THE TIME WHO SANG "THE INDIAN LOVE CALL" FOR THE FIRE FALLS....WHAT STORIES SHE COULD TELL US ALL ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS, AND GROWING UP WITH THE AMERICAN INDIANS, AND WORKING WITH ANSEL ADAMS, AND GROWING UP IN A FAMILY OF 12 (10 CHILDREN) AND MOMMA AND HER DADDY IN A HOME MY GRAND FATHER "DOC" PHILLIPS BUILT FOR THEIR FAMILY.... I WOULD LOVE FOR ALL OF THE STORIES TO CONTINUE THEY ARE WELL WORTH HEARING....THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR SITE WITH US. RHONDA GREGORY. (DOTTIE PHILLIPS)("YARBROUGH"~GREGORY'S DAUGHTER)
Rhonda Gregory
Martinez, California
June 1, 2007
It was just on a very minor cerebral ectopic blip that I decided to websearch the firefall. My father was just a guy that came around a few times a year. He really wasn't interested in me or my next oldest brother, but with my oldest brother and sister. I believe that we would have been left at home with my alcoholic mother and uncle who were doing, albeit drunken and overly dramatic, the best that they could to provide for us.
My father would come to visit us in his very old VW bug. When I bought a Karmann Ghia in that early 80's, that VW interior smell sent me back to that time. I learned later that my father would give us Valium so that we would sleep on the long drive up to Yosemite from Southern California. My oldest brother was the only one who was left to stay awake to enjoy the bond that they, and only they shared.
I remembered Yosemite as a fun place to play and swim. As to the subject at hand, I was just taken aback at this website and remember distinctly the holler "let the firefall!!!" I remembered it with the resiliance of a 5 year old in a bad situation who is lucky enough to have a momentary respite in something as simple as the firefall.
Thank you so much. I haven't thought of this in decades.
Thomas Gittelson
San Diego, California
May 29, 2007
In 1947, when I was four years old, our family took a trip to Yosemite. Being the youngest, it was my first trip there. In his diary, my father wrote of my introduction to the firefall, as we watched from Stoneman Meadow. "Her face upturned in the moonlight was a study of astonished rapture and incredulity", he wrote. "She turned to me and said, 'It looks just like blood.'"
The memory came back to me vividly as I read this. My father captured my emotions perfectly. I was astonished and enraptured by the beauty, However, I had no reference point for it except it seemed to me to look like blood flowing freely from a wound--something I was indeed familiar with, as I scraped my knees a lot when I was four.
A few nights later we drove to Glacier Point and saw the firefall at its origin. All I remember is seeing a mass of swirling hot flames and hearing the call "All Right" loud beside us. Then the fire was pushed over the cliff to fall below.
We returned to Yosemite many times, and although I got over seeing the firefall as flowing blood, and indeed forgot I ever did until I read my father's account of it, I always loved the firefall's awesome glowing beauty, and the whole ritual of hearing the calls go back and forth faintly as the men prepared to push the bonfire over the cliff at Glacier Point.
Robit Utter
Ashland, Oregon
May 25, 2007
I just had the great honor of taking my family to Yosemite for the first time. My husband and three children; 6, 9, and 13 years old. I was pretty calm until we hit "The Tunnel" and I became that little girl from long ago. I had already prepped my family about my own family tradition of rolling down the windows and blaring the horn as we screamed "Elmer" going through the tunnel. When we came through the other side and saw that spectacular view I was in tears. Tears of such great joy as I hadn't been to Yosemite in 10 years. I was so happy to share it with my family. The memories of "Elmer; Jumping off of Stoneman Bridge; Swinging off of a tree into Mirror Lake; Spending an entire day with the Indian Women in the village making acorn meal, acorn tortillas, and crushing manzanita berries; The Big Square Dance in the Village; and of course...The Infamous Fire Falls. I am 43 and I recall the beautiful falls that we all anxiously awaited each night. Oh they were so beautiful! I am very grateful to the photo posted here so that I could show it to my children. Ah, if only it could live on!!!
Denise
Fountain Valley, California
May 21, 2007
My father worked in Yosemite so we spent every summer living in the Park. The Firefalls were our "family outing". Sitting on the car and waiting for the flames to cascade down. It was our own fireworks show. I remember the day J.F. Kennedy came to the Park and the Valley was crowded with people waiting to see the Falls and the President. To me, the Falls were the bigger attraction. When the Falls were discontinued it was like a member of the family was gone.
Jolene Gordo
Sacramento, California
May 21, 2007
I saw the Fire fall when I was very young. I am 48 now. I don't remember the year or even how old I was. I do remember standing amidst a group of people and my father lifting me onto his shoulders so I could see. It was awesome. I also remember walking back to our campsite and finding it flooded by the river and people scrambling to dig dikes around their tents. I was high and dry on my father's shoulders and had a dry bed in our camper but my 2 brothers, who were looking forward to sleeping under the stars, were not happy. They forgave the river the next day though when we hiked to one of the falls. Yosemite is a magical place.
Lora Cook
Colorado Springs, Colorado
May 14, 2007
Although it will be 45 years this July, I remember very well seeing the Yosemite Fire Fall in July of 1962, when my family was on a cross-country trip from Connecticut to California and back. I was nine years old at the time. We were visiting an aunt and uncle in Buena Park, a suburb of Los Angeles and we drove up to Yosemite in a 3-car caravan to camp out in the park. I was in awe of the beauty of the park, and thought that it was even better than Disneyland, which I had visited a few days before the trip to Yosemite. My aunt and uncle had been frequent visitors to Yosemite, so they told the story of the "fire fall" and my brothers and I were very excited to see this natural phenomenon. I particularlly remember my aunt telling about the man who shouts "Let the fire fall!" to get things started. Dusk came and we gathered with other campers to watch, and sure enough, after "let the fire fall" rang out in the piney valley, we saw the glowing red and orange cascade of embers falling from the top of the cliff to the bottom. It was over rather quickly, but it left an endelible image in my mind for my whole life. The other thing I remember is that it got so COLD that night sleeping in a tent, and it was the middle of July!!
Jonathan
Charlottesville, VA
May 14, 2007
Watching the fire fall at Yosemite was one of the highlights of the summer when I was a kid in the early 60's. We often camped at Yosemite in tent-like structures that are no longer in existence. At dusk we would assemble in the meadow and watch the deer eat until it was dark. Then the fire fall would begin. It was always exciting anticipating the moment it would begin. The sight of the fire fall was beyond words in its beauty. It was a sad day when I heard the fire fall had been discontinued. I believe it was a sight that all generations should have a chance to experience. It was totally awesome. A wonderful memory.
Samantha
Clovis, California
May 11, 2007
Grandma loves to tell the story of the fire fall. She spent her summers roaming the Yosemite Valley. She was kind enough to take the time to write about the fun she had during her childhood.
Annette M. Hall
Twain Harte, California
May 4, 2007
http://reliableanswers.com/seasonal/fond_memories_of_yosemite.asp
This is a wonderful website that stimulates many memories that touch me as deeply as others. One of mine is that during my first firefall as a child, I recall standing alone near a tree just as the firefall began and there was a young girl my age standing alone at a nearby tree. Somehow we were drawn together, embraced, and shared a kiss (my first) just as the fire was at its most intense. When it was over, we huged, walked away, and I never saw her again. I'm guessing it was in the 1950s.
Stephen Bruno
Monterey, California
Apr 23, 2007
I first saw the fire fall in 1945. I was 7 years old. I saw it several more times in the next 3 years and always from Camp Curry. I recall that someone always sang the Indian Love Song just before the call "Let the fire fall". The spectacle lasted around 20-30 seconds as I recall. Never long enough for a young child like me.
Gary Hathaway
Sierra Madre, California
Apr 19, 2007
Thank you for creating this site. It is wonderful. My father introduced us to Yosemite in the late 50's. I have since become amazed that most people that visit the park never get up to Glacier Point. We went to the park several times over the next decade but never viewed the firefall. I heard about it, read about it, and when I finally decided that I was going to take the initiative to see the firefall on my own (when I was old enough to drive) they had been discontinued. Those of you that have seen the firefall are lucky, indeed! I have had a lifelong love affair with Yosemite National Park. I have stayed at almost every base camp, hiked on over a hundred miles of trail, and probably seen just about every square mile from some vantage point. To this day I still miss seeing this one event.
Don Swegles
Frisco, Texas
Apr 19, 2007
The memories live on! I just spent this past week camping in Upper Pines and the calls still go out each night at 9 pm. "Elmer! Let the fire fall!" It is a chorus that echos and spreads throughout the campground. Although I am too young to have witnessed the fire falls I have vivid memories of yelling the call each night as my parents shared their memories of the fire falls.
Melissa Hamilton
La Mirada, California
Apr 15, 2007
I was in fourth grade in the mid sixties and camped often at Yosemite with my Dad, sister and a brother who was slowly going blind. I vividly remember camping on the valley floor and looking up at night to see the falling firefall. It was spectacular! I hope my brother remembers these sights as he is now long since been blind. My husband, I and our adult children are going to Yosemite this summer and I will always remember the firefall.
Sheila Skaggs
Fairplay, Colorado
Apr 14, 2007
I started in Chaco Canyon in 1957. Then I was in Yosemite. I was in the family truckster -- I'm pretty sure it was '67 -- when we pulled off to the side or the road to see the last fire fall. Warnock. Valley Chief District Ranger. My dad.
Another thing. My grandfather helped build Ahwahnee Hotel. He was on their hockey team - Warnock - there is a photo in the archives. By the way three of my siblings were born in the valley hospital.
David Warnock
Apr 14, 2007
As an employee of Yosemite Park and Curry Company in 62-63 I witnessed the fire fall often. My younger brother Gerald called the fire fall every night for several summers. He was a bellman there while I was a houseman. We earned a $1.05 an hour.
We both miss the fire fall to this day.
Apr 1, 2007
My stepfather, Chet Hubbard, was the last to call the Firefall in 1968. I have a photo, similar to the one on this site, of a gentleman pushing the cinders over from Glacier Point. If anyone is interested in a copy, let me know. Please put "Firefall" in the subject. Happy memories! (threejsmama@hotmail.com)
Dana Suggs
Mariposa, California
Mar 23, 2007
In the early sixties I was co-ordinator of ski events at Badger Pass setting and running standard races and also teaching skiing. In summer I worked at Wawona hotel and saw the firefall while in the valley. While waiting for the snow to come one fall I hiked the short trail from the valley to glacier point with a day pack and mocassin foot gear. Climbing boots and equipment was at home in Alberta Canada.
All went well until I came to a frozen creek which had to be crossed to reach good rock. After considering the danger of a slip I crossed by allowing the heat of my foot to thaw and freeze the poor footwear to the ice in a dozen steps to safety. More guts then brains!
After hiking over to Sentinel dome I looked for the long trail down but could not find it as darkness was approaching and ended up walking out (with sore feet) to Badger Pass under a full moon and a symphony from the coyotes. Thinking about the firefall kept me warm. It was beautiful!
p.s. Say hi to Nick F. for me - He always called me sonny!
Les Mills
Paoli, Pennsylvania
Mar 20, 2007
Thank you for this site. I had just recently revisited Yosemite with my husband who had never been there. I told him of my memories of the firefall. Wanted to do some more research to be sure I remembered it correctly; it was some 55 years ago. Yosemite is such a special place, and going in the winter is really the best time to avoid the crowds.
Irene
Washington
Mar 15, 2007
In 1950, my mother drove me to Yosemite to celebrate my tenth birthday and introduce me to this extraordinary national park. To say that it left a lasting memory is obvious, for I would not be writing these words if this were not so. As for the Firefall, I am very glad that I captured this weekly occurence on 16mm color film to enjoy seeing. It is a shame that it cannot be viewed by others anymore except on film, for it was thrilling to be outdoors in this beautiful setting--especially at that age--full of excitement and glee in anticipation of this spectacle.
John Wm. Schiffeler
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Mar 7, 2007
I remember as a child in the mid to late 60's visiting Yosemite with my parents and brother. I remember the hot days of the end of summer and the cold nights. I remember sitting in the outdoor stage area to watch the fire fall. What an amazing sight to see. I remember going back about 8 years ago with my small children, sitting in an outdoor stage area only to experience "I've been here before". A very strange feeling. In talking with the ranger who gave a wonderful bat presentation, I realized that I had been there before and that is where I sat with my family to watch the fire fall many years before. I explained in great delight and animation to my children what a wonderful spectacle it was, hopefully they appreciated it although a description can not do justice to such a wonderful part of history.
Linda
Covina, California
Feb 18, 2007
Camping in Yosemite! Growing up in Palo Alto, our parents took us to Yosemite often in the late fifties, the sixties, and seventies. This website brings back so many memories...in fact the earliest memory I have as a child was crawling around under the topographic relief model of Yosemite in the visitor's center while the ranger talked to a group of people standing around it, and seeing all those legs from under the table, I realized that I belonged to the pair of legs in the grey pants, my father.
And I remember the cafeteria at Yosemite Lodge well too, where I first saw Jello in cubes, and I remember when the campgrounds were numbered, not named. I also remember the long drive out to Tenaya Lake for our traditional picnic with chicken from Degnan's deli in the village. And being taught by my cousin David how to climb that big rock along the road to Happy Isles - David showed me where the "handy dandy handhold" was that gave enough grip to get to the top. Years later, I taught my 13 year old daughter how to use the handhold, and she struggled up to the top - so my father bought her a "Go climb a rock" t-shirt that she proudly wore. And smelling the cracks in the bark of the Jeffrey pines - they might smell like butterscotch, they might smell fruity. And my cousin Roger teaching me how to play the card game hearts in the parking lot at Happy Isles (before the bus era). And in my teen years, jumping off the stone bridge into the river with my girlfriend, and that day she lost the sweater that I thought made her look like a turtle. She missed the sweater, I didn't.
When I went away to college the dorm I lived in was Tenaya Hall, at UC San Diego. Even though it was a freshly built concrete fortress, the name (and the name of the neighboring hall, Tioga) was enough to make me daydream about visiting Yosemite again.
I remember seeing the firefall, from both Glacier Point and the valley. I only saw it once from Camp Curry, and I thought the person singing the "Indian Love Call" was silly. Of course, I was at the age where I thought anything to do with love was silly. My parents never really liked the trappings of Camp Curry much, so we usually watched the firefall from someplace else in the valley.
Although it was a beautiful sight, I agree with the Park Service decision to end the firefall. But I really remember it well. Thanks for the website, thanks for the memories.
Steve Herr
Wisconsin
Feb 24, 2007
I was 10 years old (in the 50's) and living in San Jose when our ladylady and her daughter took me to Yosemite camping. It is one of the most wonderful memories that I have including the "Fire Fall" which to the 10 year old me was magical. I can remember a distant voice that almost echoed in the dark saying "Fire Fall...." and the spectacular sight of the red and yellow trail made by the fire as it traveled downward. Such a wonderful experience! The whole experience of camping in Yosemite made me a life long nature lover.
Karen Smith
Greensboro, NC
Feb 18, 2007
I'm so happy that so many other people remember vividly the firefalls the way I do. I just thought about them today for some reason and started looking around on the web for info, possibly a photo. There were many other photos through sites on google, but most were from a helicopter's view. There were several others as well, all bringing back those wonderful childhood memories.
Days in the camp were spent hiking and exploring, smelling the sweet bark of the sugar pine with my nose pressed to the tree. Tiptoeing to the restroom at night so as not to be heard by the bears, listening to the crackle of the fire as we sat together and told stories. Marshmallows were, of course, roasted nightly. Then off to sleep in a tent, not bothered at all by sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. Can't do that anymore!
Fondly I remember watching the firefalls while sitting safe in the lap of daddy, my brothers oohing and ahhing with mom at the spectacular event. The feel of sun-toasted skin and the warmth and aroma of the night air is still fresh in my mind. Those were the days. Mmmmmm
Anonymous
Feb 11, 2007
I too spent nearly every summer in Yosemite valley in the 1950's. My memory of the fire fall was always having a big time opera singer or other famous person come in to sing the "Indian Love Call" during the show. What a great sight and sound to remember!
Shav La Vigne
San Jose, California
Jan 16, 2007
I can't imagine this info is not already in your posession.
One other quite outstanding feature of the Firefall event was that of a soloist, or a duet who would sing The Indian Love Song as the fall progressed over the cllff. It is a memory few people today have witnessed.
The Firefall would be pushed over the cliff to land on a lower ledge and which kept the fire relatively contained and from reaching the valley floor. Maybe a 500 ft. fall?
Richard Youngman
Martinez, California
Jan 11, 2007
I found this Web site quite by accident while doing some personal writing about why I moved back to California.
I only had a few days when I returned for my 45th high school reunion. I landed in Fresno, picked up my rental car, spent my first night in Oakhurst, then headed straight up Hwy. 41 to my favorite place in the world, purchased my lifetime pass (one benefit of becoming a "senior" citizen), and drove to Glacier Point. I had forgotten how unique and uniquely aromatic that drive is, as is the drive to the valley and that first view after the tunnel. Like all the tourists seeing it for the first time, I have never driven past there without stopping!
I was fortunate in many ways: long before I came along, my family fell in love with Yosemite and visited often, whether they were living in L.A. or in Fresno, so I was introduced to it early. My father swore, my mother told me, that when he died, he intended to spend the rest of eternity perched on top of Half Dome. He died when I was only a year old, so I never had an opportunity to enjoy this spectacular place with him, but I still never fail to wave at Half Dome and greet dad when I visit the park.
When I was in high school in Fresno, I was lucky enough to work many weekends in the valley. I'd sneak in before the gates opened on Saturday mornings, then sneak out after they closed on Sunday night. Half way through the summer after I graduated, I was sent as a replacement to work at Glen Aulen Camp in the High Country. What a summer! That was before the road from the valley was paved all the way to the Meadows. Talk about an adventure!! But what bliss, coming around a curve in the road and seeing Tenaya Lake for the first time. On the much safer, but considerably less exciting paved highway, it really isn't quite the same experience now, though it is undisputably safer.
I saw the fire fall many times. It was... what can I say... spendiferous! Magic! Impossibly beautiful. Talk about getting teary-eyed! I feel so privileged to have experienced that, and the valley before one-way roads and traffic jams and gazillions of tourists...
Back in those days, you could still visit Happy Isles without benefit of a formal tour under the guidance of a Park Ranger. As a matter of fact, you could go almost anywhere you wanted to. But at the end of the day, we always ended up at Camp Curry, enjoying the show and waiting with huge anticipation for the climax of the evening... and still awe-struck and never quite ready to leave when it was over.
Regardless of traffic controls, laudable conservation efforts, and the end of sparkling jewels floating from Glacier Point, everything that was ever special and awe-inspiring about Yosemite, still is as magnificent as ever and, now that I've moved back to Fresno, I feel so fortunate to have it all only a short drive from home.
Thank you for this site, and the opportunity to contribute. I searched for information to make sure that I was remembering my 'fire fall' experiences correctly and got much more. By the way, I seem to remember (evidently mistakenly) Glacier calling down: "Curry, are you ready?," answered by "Let the fire fall" from Camp Curry. Seems like I got it backward, but no matter... it was never the words that made it so special. And I'm glad for the instant replays that are always available in my mind's eye.
Sunny Carney
Fresno, California
Dec 31, 2006
Hi all! Though I was not even born yet the year the last Fire Fall was held, I have heard many a story about the nightly event. My Grandfather and Grandmother lived in the valley during the 50's as employees and my Grandfather eventually played music during the nightly Fire Falls. Though I have nothing to add as far as memories, I would like to see if anyone might be able to help me. I am trying to put together a heart felt gift for my Grandfather, William (Bill) Warren, Grandmother's name is Helen Warren. If anyone remembers him and would like to email me a memory or knows of great pictures or anything really I would really appreciate it. My email is brina_harwood@hotmail.com.
It sounds like a great time in American history and wish I could have been there. Thanks!
Brina Harwood
Fresno, California
Nov 30, 2006
Thank you for your work on this site. I recently visited the Gene Autrey Museum with my boyfriend and together we browsed the current Yosemite Exhibit. We didn't have a lot of time so maybe I missed some things but I didn't see anything about the Firefall and was dismayed at that. I have fond such wonderful recollections of it and the Yosemite Valley I enjoyed as a young girl nearly every year. For most all of the 60's you could find my family there every September. I have hiked all of the falls before many of the railings and restrictions were put in place. I must return. It's been years. My father refused to go back once the cars were limited and all of the "political correctness" seemed to take over. While much of it makes sense, there is no substitute for yester-year and the wonderful memories. Thank you again. I loved Yosemite, and the Firefall, and the Ranger talks at the amphitheater, and swimming in icy water (where I nearly drowned once being carried away by swift moving currents) and the hikes where we met some wonderful people on the way up and down and where I left my favorite sweater in the WC at the top of Yosemite Falls and cried when my Dad wouldn't hike half way back up with me to go retrieve it.
Debra Lockett
Burbank, California
Nov 20, 2006
I have very fond memories of Yosemite as a child we went there many times. I remember camping, mom and dad sleeping in the back of the 63 Chevy Nova Wagon and my brother and I in the tent with the flaps that attached to the wagon. I remember dad waking us up to get into the car with them because he heard a bear outside. I remember the next morning seeing the damage done by the bear. I remember the meadows and falls and all the glorious sights but the one thing that will forever be etched in my memory is that night at Camp Curry and the amazing spectacle that was the Fire Fall. Thank you for the website it has been a wonderful journey.
Gary Crow
Lake Elsinore, California
Nov 10, 2006
As a 46 year old whos father passed away very early in my life, I have a very fond remembrance of the yosemite firefalls. I remember standing in awe as I would watch the fire pour over the edge. I was truely upset when the park discontinued this event. If anyone knows of any videos of this event please let me know through Email at rharringtonjr@comcast.net.
Richard H
Stockton, California
Nov 8, 2006
I visited Yosemite when I was a kid in the 1950s and one of my outstanding memories, in addition to meeting a grizzly bear on a trail, was the firefall. The valley was wonderful during those years, and we stayed in one of the old tents at Camp Curry. The night of the firefall we sat with a hundred or so people and listened to a woman sing the Indian Love Call. Shortly after the Rangers started calling back and forth until we heard the magic sound of "Let the fiiiirreee faaaaalllll!!" The sight was spectacular and I have an indelible picture of it in my mind.
Peppa Jaa.
San Francisco, California
Oct 3, 2006
I was born and raised in Santa Rosa Ca, along with my two sisters Jane Anne and Sheri Sue. As kids in the 1950's mom and dad took us camping almost every year and Yosemite was an outdoor school for us all. We always would swim in the river until we were purple.
At age seven I learned what an intersection was at Yosemite. Sister sheri droped her purse walking across the swinging bridge one day and so I thought I would ride my bike back to camp to get dad, however when I got lost on the way back I stopped to asked a ranger for directions. I was seven years old at the time. Ranger Rick injected the word intersection in his directions to me. Four hours later I found that intersection close by our campsite. I was very dispointed however when I got there. No one was there to greet me. Instead the whole family was in a panic and were out with all the rangers trying to track me down.
One summer we took Uncle Arts tear drop trailer, you know the one? you need a shoe horn to get in and out of it. So Dad and Mom slept in the 56' station wagon and the three kids in the trailer. So Dad puts one of the fishing poles on top of the trailer for sister jane to reach through the 12"x12" roof air vent to tap on top of the wagon during the night to awake Mom and dad if she had to go pottie. Dad always did this because of the Bears. Well pottie time came and went and so did sister. I can still hear sister beating on top of the car. Dad always said to his dying day he thought it was a Bear outside.
As kids we couldn't get enough of the firefall and one year went to the top of Glacier to view it. This was a disapointment. The best view was always from the valley floor. I can still picture Dad and me floating down the river on an air mattress and him saying we better get out and me saying no, just a little longer Dad. He had to rent a bike to get us back to camp on that trip.
In the summer of 1968 I was fresh out of West More high school and on a coast to coast ride on motorcycles with friends. We were in Yosemite that summer for the last firefall 38 years ago. One of the things I learned that summer was nothing is forever. Thank you for this web site and giving me the chance to go back to my childhood days. And those were the days my friends. Good night Elmer whereever you are. Roy
Roy A Hedlund Jr.
Manchaca, Texas
Sep 28, 2006
I am the grandson of David and Jenny Curry and the son of Foster Curry. I worked in Yosemite summers from 1946 to 1950 and full time from 1951 through 1966. I called the firefall as a bellman and subsiquently as a manager before moving over to the Lodge and then managing The Ahwahnee. The firefall was a wonderful and unique event. It did cause huge traffic jams but I wish the Park Service could find some way to modify the experience rather than giving it up completely.
Let me tell a fun story about a trick Nic Fiore and I would occasionally pull when we would both be at May Lake High Sierra Camp in the mid-fifties. There is a point not far from May Lake where you could see the firefall miles away across several mountain ranges. It was just a speck but Nic would tell those staying at the camp that, because of the thin air at that altitude, voices carried for miles and miles. Shortly before 9:00 I would hike down the trail a ways and Nic would take the group to the vantage point. Just before 9:00 he would call "Hello Glacier" and from down the trail I would softly reply "Hello May Lake" then Nic would call "let the fire fall" and the flaming spec would appear. You can imagine the talk around the campfire afterward.
John Foster Curry
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Sep 20, 2006
Came to this website on a whim.....I had downloaded a wallpaper photo of half-dome, and began wondering if anyone else out there remembered the spectacular, wondrous falls of fire from Glacier Point. As a youngster, I remember making several trips to the valley with my parents and grandparents. Memories of that incomparable redwood smell of the valley on cool, crisp nights and the shared spectacle of the Firefall are thoughts I treasure. Its a warming feeling to know there are others who cherish those long-ago moments of wonder. Sincerely, Grant, Tulsa
Grant "Skip" Cole
Tulsa, OK
Aug 31, 2006
I remember that we would go to Camp Curry during the 1960's, to the little stage area, and watch the evening show. Mom and Dad would sit on the log benches, and we would usually sit just in front of the stage, on the dirt, with all the other kids. Dad would buy us an ice cream cone (mostly to keep us quiet).
The show would start around twilight. There were many singers, mostly, singing humorous folk and camp songs, but a few dancers as well, playing guitars, harmonicas, even violins. They encouraged the audience to sing along. And there was always a dramatic storyteller who would tell the story of Yosemite, climaxing with the firefall tradition. Sometimes you could even smell the smoke from the bonfire on Glacier Point.
Just before the firefall, they would turn out all the lights in Camp Curry, and everyone would "ahh", excited with anticipation. They would flash lights to each other, and then they would do the calling up and down to Glacier Point. "Hello Camp Curry!" The voice seemed so very far away, and you couldn't really tell where it was coming from, because it would travel quite a bit in the Valley, and because everyone was quiet. When the firefall would start, another "ahh" came from the crowd. It would take a long time (about 15 seconds) for the fire to hit the bottom. (I always wondered where all those ashes landed. And remember they did this for 88 years ... that must have been quite a pile!).
The firefall glowed a beautiful red and orange, like a sunset. We saw it, not only from Camp Curry, but sometimes further away from our campsite in the Valley. You could tell that they tried to keep the stream flowing evenly, but sometimes there was bright spot, and sometimes even a small break in the firefall. Some pieces would fall faster than others too. I always thought that they must use a tremendous amount of wood to span the 3,000 foot drop.
What I especially remember was that there would always be some embers that would float way away from the rock face. Some would even land in the meadow. Some would disappear towards Happy Isles. I always wondered how they could let that happen in a forest full of trees. It was amazing that they never started a fire.
At the end, the firefall would become a trickle, and again I would watch how long the final embers took to hit the bottom. In less than two minutes, it was all over. Then the lights would come back on in Camp Curry, and everyone would applaud, some final good nights to the crowd, and everyone would return to their campsites or cabins for the night.
My family saw firefalls over a dozen times, sometimes on consecutive nights, and each time it was different. Sometimes it was very bright, but finished in barely 30 seconds. Other times it was steadier, not quite as intense in color, but lasted longer. It was obvious to me that the rate at which they pushed the embers over the cliff determined the look of the firefall for that night.
While we were there, the weather was always perfect for the firefall, maybe only needing a light jacket. The Camp Curry staff and the campers were so friendly to each other back then; definitely a different time.
I was disappointed when the firefall ended. I had wanted to show my wife and friends what I had experienced as a boy, but I understand why it was discontinued.
Even so, I thank my parents for giving me the fond memories of Yosemite, Camp Curry, and the Firefall.
Ruben Martinez
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Aug 30, 2006
Thank you so much for this site. Yosemite is such a special place for me and my husband. We had both grown up going camping in Yosemite all of our life, so when we married, Yosemite was the natural choice as part of our honeymoon. I remember we had a special dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel. When it came time for the firefall, our meals were covered and taken to warmers and we were led to the terrace to watch the firefall. It was so beautiful and sadly the last time we ever saw it.
On August 10, 2006 we slipped away for a few days and stayed in a tent cabin in Curry. We had heard that the park was so crowded and that you couldn't drive around anymore. We were pleasantly surprised to find the park very much the same and not crowded...even in August! The buses are great, convenient and comfortable. We parked our car and rode the bus all over the park. We still felt the feeling of friendship and awe among the other visitors.
We both looked up at Glacier and fondly remembered the special magic of the firefall.....it lives on in our hearts.
This weekend, we are sending our daughter and our 4 grandchildren to Yosemite to experience the wonder that we have come to know so intimately...I hope they feel the same as we do.