The
Yosemite Valley Rail Road ran through here for the first half of
the twentieth century. (See http://www.yosemitevalleyrailroad.com.)
Here we see several factors that helped to shape the area's economy
in that time to the present. Of course the railroad itself brought
passengers to and from Yosemite National Park, but it also carried
freight, notably lumber and logs as well as limestone. During that
same period a great dredge overturned the riverbed of the Merced
River in quest of gold. The piles of rocks throughout this region,
called tailings, remain as testimony to this mining activity.
Meanwhile, agriculture has thrived, and since the dredging, the
tailings are good for raising a few cattle. Hence, the Oxbow Ranch.
Highway 59 runs along the old rail bed up to this point where the
mound of the rail bed is visible going straight on and disappearing
among the tailings. The highway turns west. Visit the photo
gallery.