California History, Vol. 92, No. 3 (Fall 2015)

Few would consider bureaucracy exciting. And yet, bureaucrats often control the built environment--its appearance, its functions, and its target demographics. After World War II, crowding in Yosemite Valley hit record levels. While NPS officials couldn't move waterfalls or rock monoliths, they sought to change traditional patterns of visitor and employee circulation. This article explores midcentury planning paradigms in California's flagship park. Along the way, it questions some deeply-held beliefs about public lands in relation to the "outside world."

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