New Yosemite History Title Full of Insight

by Guy Keeler
Fresno Bee - September 28, 2004

"The Ahwahnee: Yosemite's Grand Hotel," by Keith S. Walklet, Yosemite Association, $19.95 at stores in Yosemite National Park, online at www.yosemitestore.com or by calling (209) 379-2648.

Author and photographer Keith Walklet traces the history of the Ahwahnee Hotel from its site as a Miwok Indian village in ages past to its present status as a world-class vacation destination.

The hotel's story, told from conception to completion, unfolds through historical photographs that show Yosemite in its early years and capture the 77-year-old building under construction.

Walklet also devotes chapters to the building's interior design, its landscape, winter traditions, celebrity guests and its World War II years, when the U.S. Navy used it as a convalescent hospital.

But the book's color photographs -- by Walklet, Ansel Adams and others -- leave the most lasting impressions. Exterior scenes display the hotel's natural beauty from season to season, while interior shots celebrate the warmth of its decor and its emphasis on American Indian art.

If you've been to The Ahwahnee, Walklet has produced the perfect coffee table book for reliving your visit or sharing the experience with others.