| 1863 |
|
| 25 June |
The Mariposa Company is organized in New York with a capital of $10 million. |
| August 10 |
George Opdyke offers Olmsted the Mariposa Company superintendency. |
| August 20 |
The Mariposa Company trustees appoint Olmsted manager of the Mariposa Estate. |
| September 14 |
Departs from New York. |
| September 25 |
Crosses the Isthmus of Panama. |
| October 11 |
Arrives in San Francisco. |
| October 14 |
Reaches the Mariposa Estate. |
| October 17 |
Trading in Mariposa Company stock begins on New York Stock Exchange. |
| October 28 |
Is served with the Brumagim-Garrison claim to ownership of seven-eighths of the Mariposa Estate. |
| November 9–13 |
Makes survey for a proposed canal from the South Fork of the Merced River to the Mariposa Estate. Sees the Mariposa Big Tree Grove for the first time. |
| 1864 |
|
| February 10 |
Completes and sends Manager’s General Report to the Mariposa Company trustees in New York. |
| February 20 |
Legislation to preserve Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove is drafted by Israel Ward Raymond. |
| February 26 |
Invited by Isaac H. Brayton to look at the Mountain View Cemetery site in Oakland and to plan out the grounds. |
[768 ] |
| March 1–5 |
Miners strike on the Mariposa Estate. |
| March 4 |
Thomas Starr King dies in San Francisco. |
| March 11–18 |
Meets his family arriving in San Francisco, stays for a week. Visits the Mountain View Cemetery site for the first time. |
| March 21 |
Returns to the Mariposa Estate. |
| March 28 |
Yosemite bill introduced in U.S. Senate by California senator John Conness. |
| May 30 |
Concludes agreement to buy Sullivan & Co. store in Mariposa. |
| c. June 22 |
The Mariposa Company in New York delivers $100,000 in gold to Cornelius Garrison and promises to pay $200,000 more over four years to settle the Brumagim-Garrison claim. |
| June 30 |
President Lincoln signs the bill deeding Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove to the state of California. |
| July 14–15 |
Travels with his family from Bear Valley to Clark’s Ranch. |
| July 15–31 |
With his family, based at Clark’s, visits the Mariposa and Fresno Big Tree groves. |
| July 20 |
Awarded honorary Master of Arts degree by Harvard University. |
| July 31–c. Aug. 12 |
Returns to Bear Valley for two weeks, then rejoins his family at Clark’s |
| August 14–23 |
With his family, visits Yosemite Valley for the first time. |
| August 23–27 |
Returns to the Mariposa Estate, then rejoins his family in Yosemite. |
| August 28-September 2 |
With William H. Brewer and John Charles Olmsted, explores the High Sierra via Lake Tenaya, Tuolumne Meadows, and Mono Pass. |
| August 31 |
They climb and name Mount Gibbs. |
| September 1 |
New mill at the Mariposa Mine begins operations. |
| September 5 |
Olmsted family leaves Yosemite and returns to the Mariposa Estate. |
| September 7 |
Asked by the Mountain View Cemetery board of directors to layout the cemetery grounds. |
| September 18- |
Visits San Francisco. |
| October 7 |
|
| September 28 |
Appointed a commissioner of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove. Dispatches James T. Gardner and Clarence King to survey boundaries of the grant. |
| October 8-November 12 |
U.S. Cavalry stationed near Bear Valley. |
| November 10–24 |
In San Francisco, examines a manganese mine in the bay area for Ketchum, Son & Company. |
| November 21 |
Meets with Samuel H. Willey, vice-president of the College of California, to discuss plantings for new campus (Berkeley). |
| [769] |
| December 13-January 11, 1865 |
George Opdyke’s libel suit against Thurlow Weed in New York City publicizes weaknesses of the Mariposa Company. |
| December 28-January 2, 1865 |
Mariposa Company stock falls from $30 to $19 per share. |
| 1865 |
|
| January 2 |
Signs contract to pay the Mariposa Company’s debts to the or 3 Bank of California in gold. |
| January 4 |
Isaac H. Brayton of the Mountain View Cemetery Association receives a reports from Olmsted. |
| January 6–8 |
Agents for the Bank of California and Dodge Brothers arrive on the Mariposa Estate to secure debts due them, but postpone legal proceedings until Olmsted goes to San Francisco. Bank refuses to honor Mariposa Company checks. |
| January 8–9 |
Travels to San Francisco to meet with Darius O. Mills and William Ralston of the Bank of California, who think the Mariposa Company is bankrupt. |
| January 9-April 20 |
Waits in San Francisco for payments or directions from the Mariposa Company trustees in New York. |
| January 9 |
Calvert Vaux reports meeting with the president of the Prospect Park commission in Brooklyn about new boundaries for the park. |
| February 4 |
Goes to Millbrae, the estate of Darius O. Mills on the San Francisco peninsula. |
| February 6 |
Discusses with George Howard the design for the grounds of his San Mateo County ranch. |
| February 8 |
Goes to Sargent Ranch near Gilroy to investigate oil property for William Ralston. |
| February 28 |
Rides over College of California site with Edward C. Miller. |
| March 8–10 |
Investigates oil property on the coast near Santa Cruz for himself, Ashburner, and Ralston. |
| March 18–19 |
Accompanies Ralston to the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society in Sonoma. |
| c. March 28-April 4 |
Joined in San Francisco for a week by Mary; they visit Monterey Bay. |
| March 30 |
Attends a meeting of the Mountain View Cemetery Association board of directors in Oakland; board adopts his recommendations for laying out a portion of the cemetery grounds. |
| April 3 |
Asked by Ralston to write a report on the Buena Vista Vinicultural Society. |
| April 6 |
Reads report to the Mountain View Cemetery Association board of directors. |
| April 9 |
Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox. Olmsted attends thanksgiving service at First Unitarian Church. |
| [770] |
| April 12 |
Debt of the Mariposa Company to the Bank of California is satisfied in full. |
| April 15 |
Abraham Lincoln dies. Riots in San Francisco. |
| April 19 |
Mariposa Company in New York accepts the proposal by Dodge Brothers to cover all the California debts of the Estate and operate the mines to secure repayment. |
| April 20 |
Returns to the Mariposa Estate. |
| April 27 |
Mariposa Estate is leased to Dodge Brothers. |
| June 11–26 |
Travels to Yosemite with Henry Perkins, Maria Whitney, and Mary. |
| June 13 |
Prospect Park commissioners hire Calvert Vaux to make a plan for Prospect Park. |
| July 6 |
Edwin L. Godkin publishes the first issue of the Nation. |
| July 19 |
Central Park commissioners reappoint Olmsted and Vaux as landscape architects. |
| August 7 |
Attends a meeting of the Yosemite Commission at Clark’s Ranch. |
| August 8 |
Hired by the College of California trustees to prepare a survey and map of the college site. |
| August 8–13 |
Visits Yosemite Valley with the Schuyler Colfax party, Yosemite commissioners, and his family. |
| August 9 |
Reads his Yosemite report at a meeting of the Yosemite commissioners. |
| August 17-September 7 |
Visits San Francisco. |
| August 22 |
Receives telegram that he has been chosen general secretary of the American Freedmen’s Aid Union. |
| August 30 |
Learns from Vaux that they have been reappointed land scape architects to the Central Park commission. |
| September 4 |
Meets with Samuel H. Willey and committee on the College of California grounds to explain his plan. |
| October 2 |
With his family, leaves Bear Valley for San Francisco. |
| c. October 4–13 |
In San Francisco, agrees with Mayor Henry P. Coon to prepare suggestions for a park plan for the city. |
| October 13 |
With his family, leaves San Francisco for New York. |
| November 22 |
Arrives in New York. |
| November 28 |
A group of Yosemite commissioners informally agree not to submit Olmsted’s report on Yosemite to the California state legislature. |
| 1866 |
|
| February 26 |
Receives the November 1865 request from San Francisco to prepare a park plan for the city. |
| March 31 |
Completes his Preliminary Report In Regard to a Plan of
Public Pleasure Grounds for the City of San Francisco.
|
| [771] |
| June 29 |
Informed by Mayor Coon that San Francisco cannot afford to carry out his plan. |
| June 28 |
He and Vaux complete Report Upon A Projected Improvement of the Estate of the College of California at Berkeley, near Oakland. |
| July 11 |
Completes his Mountain View Cemetery plan and sends it to California |
| October 23 |
Resigns from the Yosemite Commission |
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