Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful places in America, with towering granite cliffs, roaring waterfalls, Half Dome, El Capitan, and a valley so stunning it helped inspire the entire national park system. But tucked into that landscape is Tenaya Canyon, a dangerous stretch of wilderness sometimes called the “Bermuda Triangle of Yosemite,” where hikers, climbers, park employees, and even John Muir, America’s great wilderness evangelist and the man often called the father of the national parks himself, have been injured, stranded, or killed while exploring this infamous canyon.

In this episode of Cursed...ish, Daniel and Angela investigate the alleged Curse of Tenaya Canyon: the story of Chief Tenaya, the Ahwahneechee people, the Mariposa Battalion, and the violent removal of Indigenous people from Yosemite Valley during the California Gold Rush. From the killing of Chief Tenaya’s son to the renaming of Tenaya Lake, Tenaya Creek, and Tenaya Canyon, we look at how a history of displacement became attached to one of Yosemite’s most dangerous landscapes.

Along the way, we dig into deadly falls, flash floods, Half Dome lightning strikes, strange disappearances, rescue missions, and the unsettling question at the center of the legend: is Tenaya Canyon cursed, or is “the curse” a way of turning stolen land and human tragedy into spooky tourist folklore?

This is a story about Yosemite, wilderness danger, Indigenous history, settler violence, respect for nature, and the uncomfortable line between a supernatural warning and a history that refuses to stay buried.

https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/origin_of_word_yosemite.html

https://npshistory.com/nature_notes/yose/v20n7-1977.pdf

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/56042/56042-h/56042-h.htm#i_236

https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/tenaya-canyon-in-yosemites-cursed-history-18121807.php

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/yosemite-hiking-accidents-kill-two-3136339.php

https://tahoequarterly.com/best-of-tahoe-2017/tempting-curse-chief-tenaya

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/yosemite-hiking-accidents-kill-two-3136339.php

https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/746/Yosemite_rock_fall_database_narratives_1857-2011.pdf

https://mymotherlode.com/news/local/106197/yosemite-officials-believe-body-may-be-that-of-missing-foreign-exchange-student.html

https://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/stranded-hikers-rescued-from-tenaya-canyon.htm

https://www.nps.gov/yose/blogs/lost-and-unprepared-in-tenaya-canyon.htm

Questions, comments, or your own accursed tales to share? Send us a hex at uhoh@cursedish.com.

The hosts of Cursed...ish are not responsible for any misfortunes that may befall you while listening to this podcast. By listening to Cursed...ish, you assume all risk of bad luck, ill omens, and unexplained catastrophes.

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