How Did the Museum Serve as an Educational Model?
The museum plan was designed to encourage visitors to view the exhibits chronologically, beginning with geological exhibits describing the formation of the Valley and proceeding through time to the stage coaches that brought early visitors to the park. The geology room occupied the first exhibit space to the right as visitors entered the foyer. From there, a U-shaped path of travel led visitors through to the natural history exhibits, the life zone room, and the Indian room, then out the back door to the stages and wildflower exhibits that were located on the covered rear porch. While the museum and its exhibits served as a model for other parks to follow, the building also served as an incubator for developing ideas about the role of parks in education. The Yosemite Field School of Natural History, founded by Dr. Harold C. Bryant, was headquartered at the Museum. This Field School embodied the principle of parks as a place for education and study. It was the first such field school fo
The museum plan was designed to encourage visitors to view the exhibits chronologically, beginning with geological exhibits describing the formation of the Valley and proceeding through time to the stage coaches that brought early visitors to the park. The geology room occupied the first exhibit space to the right as visitors entered the foyer. From there, a U-shaped path of travel led visitors through to the natural history exhibits, the life zone room, and the Indian room, then out the back door to the stages and wildflower exhibits that were located on the covered rear porch. While the museum and its exhibits served as a model for other parks to follow, the building also served as an incubator for developing ideas about the role of parks in education. The Yosemite Field School of Natural History, founded by Dr. Harold C. Bryant, was headquartered at the Museum. This Field School embodied the principle of parks as a place for education and study. It was the first such field school fo
