Yosemite Firefall Fell From Glacier Point The Yosemite Firefall began in 1872 when James McCauley pushed the embers of a campfire over the edge of Glacier Point. The man made fall of fire became a nightly attraction during the summer months. I remember watching these firefalls as a young girl. Let me be your Yosemite guide as to what it was like to witness such a site. At 7 pm a huge fire made from the bark of the red fir trees, was made up on Glacier Point. At 9 pm the flames would die down to the red embers. James McCauley owned and ran a hotel called The Mountain House up at Glacier Point. David Curry would stand in Camp Curry and yell up the 3,000 foot cliff, "is the fire ready?" And when the flames became a glowing ember, James McCauley would yell back, "The fire is ready!" (This is before radios and cell phones!) Mr. Curry would yell back, "Let 'er go!" And someone would push the hot embers over the edge. The glowing fall of red embers would last for one to three minutes, depending on how much red fir bark was collected for the fire. The glowing red fall would light up the cliff for about 1,000 feet and then burn itself out.
This nightly event brought lots of visitors to Yosemite. The crowds would gather in Camp Curry and the surrounding meadows. The meadows were trampled on and some feared that the meadows would never recover. The firefall was seen by millions of people until it was stopped. The firefall was not allowed from 1913-1916 and during World War II. It was decided in 1968 to stop the firefall because the meadows were getting destroyed by all the visitors. It was also decided that a man made firefall was not necessary in this place that has so many natural water falls. The Yosemite Firefall was seen in the movie The Caine Mutiny. Amazingly enough, it was never a fire hazard. For 88 years it burned itself out before reaching Camp Curry below.
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