The Road to Historic Designation Time Line

The Early Years: 1874 - 1915

1874	California legislature makes it illegal to damage Big Trees over 16 ft. in diameter.
1879	George Stewart, Visalia Weekly Delta, begins movement to make Fresno/Tulare Grove (Grant Grove) into a National Park. Road completed into the Mineral King Valley; first town plat surveyed.
1880	Fresno/Tulare Grove withdrawn from public entry for land sale.
1881	Kaweah Colony attempt to secure Giant Forest lands under Timber and Stone Act.  First congressional bill for creation of a "public park and forest reservation" from Tehipite Canyon on Kings River to Tule River and from western pine forests eastward to summit of the Sierra Nevada.
1883	J.W.A .Wright, W.B. Wallace and F.H. Wales publish recommendation for creation of a 400 Sq. mile national park around Mt. Whitney.
1889	San Joaquin Valley citizens petition Secretary of Interior to create a permanent reserve of the entire forest area from Yosemite Valley to southeast of Bakersfield and eastward to the Sierra summit.
1890	Sequoia National Park and General Grant National Parks created.
1891	Act withdrawing lands from entry on creation of Forest Reservations. Area with-drawn from Yosemite to Kern County.  Sequoia Park Superintendent Dorst occupies Mineral King for park activities. Suggests park be extended to include area in petition of 1889, including the valley of Mineral King.
1893	Sierra Forest Reservation created by President Harrison. Embraces practically the same area as that recommended in the petition of 1889, including the valley of Mineral King.
1895	Arthur Crowley "Guardian of the Sequoia National Park Petition".
1900	Department of Interior issues first set of "Rules and Regulations Governing the Forest Reserves".
1904	Sierra Forest Reserve Superintendent Harrison White records Crowley abuse of the Empire Mill Site as a resort.
1905	Bureau of Forestry transferred from the Department of Interior to the Department ofAgriculture.   Forest Reserves put under its control. Superintendent Harrison White reports Empire Mill Site abuse to the new agency. Files a complaint.
1906	Final action on Crowley patent of mill site denied. Lawsuit filed by Crowley.  Antiquities Act Passed.
1907	Forest Reserves renamed U.S. National Forests.
1908	President Roosevelt creates Sequoia National Forest out of Sierra National Forest.
1910	Permits required in Sequoia National Forest for any commercial activity.
1911	Sierra Club begins 15 year effort to enlarge Sequoia National Park, including theMineral King valley.
1915	Term Occupancy Act passed regulating summer home permits on all National Forests.   Sequoia National Park lobbies Mineral King residents to back having the valley taken into the park. Offers Crowley park purchase of his mill site land. Crowley refuses.

The Middle Years: 1916 - 1939

1916	National Park Service created.
1917	Cherokee Mill Site claim of Arthur Crowley, W.B. Wallace and J.W. Crowley declared null and void.
1918	All National Parks directed not to issue any more summer home permits.
1920	Congressional bill introduced for extending boundaries of Sequoia National Park.
1921	Second enlargement bill introduced.
1924	Forest Service land survey creates new cabin building lots in Mineral King.
1926	Sequoia National Park enlarged by 350 square miles. Mineral King excluded but made a National Game Refuge.
1928	Forest Service requires Mineral King to be "cleaned-up". Cabins all painted. Arthur Crowley sells his resort property to a "local" group of investors.
1935	Historic Sites Act passed declaring national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings and objects of national significance.
1939	Elsie and Alice Crowley make a new application for claim to the old Cherokee Mill Site.

The Modern Era: 1940 - 1979

1940	Crowley application for title to the Cherokee mill site denied again.
1946	Alf Engen, U.S. Olympic Ski Team coach makes a ski potential assessment of Mineral King.
1947	First winter survey of the Mineral King Valley conducted.
1948	Sierra Club backs recreational development of the Mineral King Valley.
1949	Forest Service issues prospectus for a small Mineral King winter sports complex. No qualified bids received.
1953	Congressional public hearing in Visalia concerning development of Mineral King. Only minor opposition registered.
1964	Conservation movement gains strength. The Wilderness Preservation System Act creating public wilderness areas becomes law.
1965	A new Forest Service prospectus issued for a large winter sports complex.  The Mineral King District Association is formed. March: Sierra Club approves a Mineral King recreational development.  May: Sierra Club votes to oppose such development.  December: Walt Disney wins bid for recreational complex.
1966	National Historic Preservation Act passes.  The National Register of Historic Places is initiated to be administered by the National Park Service.
1967	Congressional legislation introduced to transfer Mineral King to Sequoia National Park. The legislation fails.
1969	January: Disney Master Plan for Development of Mineral King presented to the National Forest Service and approved.  Mineral King community granted 10 year permits during proposed construction phase of the resort. Cabins then are to be taken down.  Avalanches destroy the old Mineral King Resort. Its buildings are scrapped and burned.  June: Sierra Club files suit against the resort project. Mineral King District Association backs the lawsuit efforts.
1972	U.S. Supreme Court rules the Sierra Club lacks standing to sue. Resort plans advance.
1976	Final Environmental Impact Statement filed. Resort plans scaled back to a smaller concept.  UNESCO conference on preservation of world-wide historic areas. Wilderness becomes a popular public issue.  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park releases "Statement for Management" of the two parks.
1977	Mineral King cabin leases put on year-to-year terminable basis.  Omnibus Parks Bill formulated to protect nearly 100 areas of environmental concern.
1978	January: President Carter supports inclusion of Mineral King into Sequoia National Park.  February: Bill to include Mineral King in the National Parks and Recreation Act approved. Termination of the Mineral King cabin community outlined.  July: Amendment added denying any future ski development of the Mineral King area.
1979	Alternatives for a Comprehensive Management Plan for Mineral King published by Sequoia National Park. All options permit cabins to remain for the lifetime of the owner of record.

Historic Designation Today: 1980 - Present

1980	Final Comprehensive Management Plan for Mineral King presented. Maintains current level of public use and calls for retention of "traditional character of Mineral King."
1982	Cultural Resources Plan completed. Mineral King not included.
1984	Mineral King Land Protection Plan released.
1986	Mineral King Preservation Society formed. Efforts to achieve historic designation begin.
1988	Mineral King Land Protection Plan updated.
1991	New Resources Management Plan for Sequoia/Kings Canyon released. Includes a new Cultural Resources Management Plan within it.
1994	National Park Service sponsored conference on "Preserving Historical Cultural Landscapes in the West" is held in San Francisco. Focus on historical preservation in the parks.  Mineral King District Association starts efforts to brings about legislation that would change the 1978 law that called for an end to cabin leases.
1995	HR 2528, requiring renewal of leases to heirs of Mineral King permittees is drafted. It is struck from the new Omnibus Parks Bill before the bill's passage.
1997	National Park Service announces a new General Management Plan for Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks to be formulated.
1998	March: Mineral King Preservation Society application for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places sent to the Federal Preservation Office. Response is required within 60 days.  Work on new General Management Plan begun. Public Comment Form distributed. Results show overwhelming public approval for retention of the Mineral King Living Community.  May: Tulare County Board of Supervisors passes resolution supporting the continued existence of the Mineral King Community.  June: National Park Service begins its own "comprehensive evaluation of the historic resources of Mineral King." Determination of Mineral King Preservation Society nomination delayed.  August: Letter sent to the Federal Preservation Office by the California State Historic Preservation Officer requesting determination of the Mineral King Preservation Society application for nomination on its own merits without further delays.  September: National Park Service draft of Determination of Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places completed. It determines three Mineral King area recreational cabin tracts show enough integrity to be contributing features of a proposed National Register of Historic Places historic district.
1999	January: Final Park Service Determination of Eligibility for Mineral King's nomination to the National Register is released.  The Mineral King road corridor including the three cabin tracts of the community are determined to be historically significant and eligible for listing in the National Register.

 

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