Sunday, June 21, 2026

Question: In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act protecting which California valley, helping establish the first U.S. effort to preserve a wilderness area for public use?

Answer: Yosemite. In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant Act, setting aside Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove for preservation and public recreation. It marked the first time the U.S. government took the lead on preserving a wilderness area, eight years before Yellowstone became the nation’s first national park.