Wawona, California
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| Wawona | |
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| — Unincorporated community — | |
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  Wawona
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| Coordinates: 37°32′13″N 119°39′23″W / 37.53694°N 119.65639°WCoordinates: 37°32′13″N 119°39′23″W / 37.53694°N 119.65639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mariposa County |
| Elevation [1] | 3,999 ft (1,219 m) |
Wawona (formerly, Big Tree Station,[1] Clark's Station,[1] Clarks Station,[1] Wah-wo-nah,[1] and Clark's Ranch[2]) is an unincorporated community in Mariposa County, California.[1] It is located 18 miles (29 km) east of Mariposa,[2] at an elevation of 3999 feet (1219 m).[1]
Wawona is located entirely within Yosemite National Park. It has approximately 160 year-round residents [1], although the number of inhabitants swells considerably during peak tourist seasons, due to the large number of rental cabins in the town. It is located at 37°32′13″N 119°39′23″W / 37.53694°N 119.65639°W.[1]
It was known to Native Americans as Pallachun, which meant "a good place to stay" [2].
Galen Clark occupied the site in 1855 and established a tourist rest in 1856.[2] Clark sold the place to the Washburns in 1874. It was named Wawona by hotel keeper Jean Bruce Washburn in 1883. Wawō'na is the supposed Southern Sierra Miwok word for Big Tree. A variety of sources also suggest Wawona was named after "the local American Indians' word for the hoot of the owl, which they considered the trees' spiritual guardian." [3]
The town is located on the south fork of the Merced River at an elevation of approximately 1300 m (4000 feet). It is on State Route 41, the main highway from Fresno to Yosemite Valley.
Wawona is the location of the historic Wawona Hotel, built in 1876. It is the nearest town to Chilnualna Falls and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia. The principal trailheads into the southern Yosemite wilderness are in Wawona.
The Clark's Station post office opened in 1878, and changed its name to Wawona in 1883.[2]
The ZIP Code is 95389. The community is inside area code 209.
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[edit] Politics
In the state legislature Wawona is located in the 14th Senate District, represented by Republican Dave Cogdill, and in the 25th Assembly District, represented by Republican Tom Berryhill. Federally, Wawona is located in California's 19th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +10[4] and is represented by Republican George Radanovich.
[edit] Attractions
- Wawona Hotel
- Wawona Golf Course
- Camp Wawona
- Chilnualna Falls
- Wawona Stables
- Wawona Campground
- Yosemite Pioneer History Center
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h USGS GNIS: Wawona, California
- ^ a b c d Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Quill Driver Books. p. 844. ISBN 9781884995149.
- ^ Sacramento Bee
- ^ "Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest?". Campaign Legal Center Blog. http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
[edit] External links
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