An ancestor’s passion for Yosemite led to the creation of an adventure travel experience unique for its time.
New possibilities. That’s what our immigrant ancestors hoped would be waiting for them in the New World. Most of my ancestors came to this country from the United Kingdom, their ports of entry being either South Carolina or Louisiana. Once in America, most of my ancestors then settled almost exclusively in one of four states: South Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, or Kansas. Between 1860 and 1880, most of my direct ancestors had taken up residence in one of two states: Kansas or Missouri. For the most part, their descendants stayed right in the same area. But there were exceptions. There were entire families who pushed further west in pursuit of new possibilities that they hoped to find in the American frontier.
My 2nd great grand-uncle–William Renwick “Ren” Curry (1836-1911), along with his wife, Mary Kerr Curry (1838-1921), and their four children, moved from Bloomington, Indiana, to Winchester, Jefferson County, Kansas, sometime between 1867 and 1869. Six more children were born to the couple in Kansas. All but one of the nine children who lived to adulthood stayed right in Jefferson County, Kansas, marrying and raising their children there.
The exception was Ren and Mary’s oldest child, David Alexander Curry (1860-1917)–my 1st cousin 3X removed. David was by all accounts an intelligent, industrious, seemingly fearless man who married an equally exceptionally bright, adventurous woman. Together, they left the Midwest and eventually pursued a business endeavor in Yosemite National Park. Doing so allowed them to spend more time in the natural beauty of the park, a shared passion. The successful enterprise also allowed them to share their love of the park with others, many of whom would not have otherwise been able to afford to visit.
David Curry and Jennie Etta “Leona” Foster Curry (1861-1948) were classmates at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Following completion of their degrees, they each took jobs as teachers in the Bloomington area where Jennie was from. They married in 1886, and their first child–son Foster–was born two years later.
The family moved to Ogden, Utah, for teaching opportunities. Two daughters were born there. Four years after their arrival in Utah, the Currys relocated to Palo Alto, California. In 1889, they founded “Camp Curry” in Yosemite National Park.
One of several camp songs composed to promote Camp Curry was “I’m Strong for Camp Curry,” composed by Walter DeLeon (1884-1947) in 1914. This sheet music is from the Merced County Historical Society and Courthouse Museum collection: Singing California: Sheet Music in California History.
The Curry campsite was situated at the base of Glacier Point. The Currys intended the camp to be an alternative to the first-class Sentinel Hotel. Camp Curry presented a new possibility for budget-minded families and those who wanted the experience of camping with a few more amenities, such as secure semi-permanent tent structures and cooked meals.
The Currys’ signature canvas tent cabins are still an option for those camping today at Curry Village, as it is now named. However, updates to the design include the addition of bear-proof lockers outside each tent cabin’s entrance. All food, coffee, toothpaste, shampoo, or any other scented products must be stored in the lockers, and eating or drinking inside the tents or anywhere in the vicinity is strictly prohibited. Violators risk paying heavy fines.
The inaugural season, the campsite consisted of seven canvas “tent cabins,” and the camp employed a cook and a team of college students who worked in exchange for room and board. In spite of limited resources, Camp Curry hosted 292 campers that first season. Shortly thereafter, the invention of the automobile allowed greater access to the park, and in the summer of 1915, Camp Curry hosted 1,000 campers. Over time, Camp Curry expanded to include 500 tents and 200 cabins and bungalows.
Camp Curry was truly a family endeavor, spanning generations. David Curry was famous for calling out greetings to visitors as they arrived and departed, his loud voice echoing through the quiet park, giving him the nickname “The Stentor.” (top); below that is a photo of Jennie Foster Curry, with her daughter Majorie Lucille Curry Williams (1895-1975) and grandson Robert Tatman Williams, Jr. (1918-1994) in 1919. Jennie first managed the camp. Later her son, David “Foster” Curry (1889-1932), served as manager, followed by her daughter Mary Louise Curry Tresidder (1893-1970)—pictured at right—and her husband Dr. Donald Bertrand “Don” Tresidder. Below, David Curry’s children Mary, Marjorie and Foster (at left in photo) and others on horseback.
Campers booking stays at Curry Village, as it is know today, have far more choices. They can stay in the original tent cabin structures with or without heat, sharing bathrooms with other campers. Cabins are also available, offering more privacy—some with private bathrooms, and motel-like lodging is available as well.
From a sampling of hundreds of modern-day reviews available online, it seems like many people enjoy the “roughing it” aspect of the original tent cabins with a few caveats. Difficulty finding seating in the dining hall is one. (Keep in mind that campers are prohibited from eating in or around the tent area.) Others complain about lack of privacy due to the close proximity of the tent cabins. A common issue for other National Parks, adequate parking is also a complaint.
As I read these reviews, I thought of how vastly different the Currys’ original campsite must have been from what it is today. For instance, with the original seven-cabin structure, I doubt that noise and privacy complaints were as common. Ditto the complaints about parking.
I also thought about how much the travel industry itself has changed since Camp Curry came into existence. At the time it opened, I doubt there were similar establishments. My guess is that it was a truly unique experience for its time with little if any competition. I can easily envision its appeal to budget-minded travelers interested in having an outdoor adventure experience with a few added creature comforts.
Today, there are so many more possibilities for travelers in general, but particularly for adventure travelers. Lodging options now range from campsites with restrooms and showers to five-star accommodations with many of the latter employing world-class chefs and offering fine dining. Tour operators may consist of a small crew or an entire culinary staff, recreation leaders and guides, transport operators, and other support staff.
There also seem to be endless possibilities for access as well. One can be transported by van, bus, train, boat, or cruise ship, affording the traveler greater proximity to natural wonders. From helicopters or small aircraft, one can fly over canyons, volcanoes, and glaciers. Specialty tours also abound. Whale-watching cruises, scuba outings allowing one to swim with sharks, yoga with alpacas, and soon commercial space travel are just some of myriad possibilities for today’s adventure tourist.
Not only are there more options in terms of transport, but trips can now be tailored to a traveler’s physical limitations or comfort level participating in activities considered risky or frightening. Possibilities abound for the consumer with regard to group size—from solo travel to groups large and small. In many cases, for a fee, one can even engage a personal guide.
The “personalization” of the travel “experience” today is unprecedented. Possibilities are seemingly limited only by one’s spirit of adventure. And budget, of course. I know this first-hand.
As much as I might want to stay at Camp Curry because of my genealogical connections to the founders of the site, I doubt that will ever happen. I am definitely not a “roughing it” kind of person. I am precisely the demographic to which the glamping industry caters.
In pursuit of seeing the Aurora Borealis—a Bucket List item—I spent four winter nights–prime Aurora-sighting time—in Iceland. I stayed in a large luxury suite—with jacuzzi(!)—in a small privately-owned top-rated lodge with the best in fine dining. I sat in my darkened suite in warm comfort, sipping hot cocoa, gazing north from the large window, waiting for the Northern Lights to appear. When I got tired, I got into bed and slept comfortably, knowing that if the Lights did make an appearance, I would receive my requested Aurora “wake up” call from the staff and would, therefore, not miss the opportunity to see them. Unfortunately, there was cloud cover all four nights, preventing me from seeing any activity had there even been any.
A few years later, I flew to Fairbanks, Alaska, in the middle of winter in pursuit of the evasive Lights. I spent one night being driven two hours outside of the city—far from light pollution—by our guide. The guide I had chosen, Michael Schultz of Face the Outdoors, gives Northern Lights Tours and is a professional photographer who also conducts nature/landscape photography workshops around the globe.
He is an Alaska native possessing first-rate knowledge about the Lights and a keen ability to decipher the go-to app for predicting Aurora activity and atmospheric conditions: SpaceWeatherLive. In fact, because the app indicated a very low probability of seeing the Lights on the day of our scheduled tour (which proved correct), he graciously offered to switch our tour to the following night. He also happens to be the only tour operator in the vicinity who offers a “Plan B”: if the Lights are not visible at his cabin on any given night but might be visible elsewhere, he loads up his van and takes his guests to the activity.
Despite Michael’s wisdom and shrewd prognostication and the fact that we had a cloudless night, there was zero solar activity. That meant my husband and I had sat in the dark for hours with a complete stranger, waiting, and all we saw were stars.
But—we were warm and comfortable and had a great view of those stars through the cabin’s floor-to-ceiling north-facing windows. We had plenty of warm cocoa and snacks. I had been given the option of renting, for a small fee, a far better camera/lens combo than my own that was better suited for the shooting situation. I took the offer, conveniently eliminating the need to pack and transport such bulky items. And when we ventured outside, we walked on groomed, packed snow, plowed in advance of our arrival by our guide.
I was unsuccessful in seeing the sought-after natural phenomenon, but I learned a lot about all the atmospheric and solar variables that have to all fall into place for it to occur. I also avoided having to drive in dangerous road conditions with a rental car unfamiliar to me, possibly getting lost, and having to pack my own camera gear, snacks and drinks.
And I crossed off a separate Bucket List item: I saw a family of MOOSE!
On the same trip, I next stayed two nights outside of Fairbanks in a repurposed shipping container–a “Cube”–at Borealis Basecamp. A superb restaurant and “wake-up calls” when the Lights started dancing were again part of the draw as were floor-to-ceiling north-facing windows. Options for day-time activities included walks with reindeer, snowmobiling, dog sledding, and helicopter rides. Alas, the Lights were a no-show each of those nights as well.
Perhaps the third time will be a charm. I have booked four nights in a glass chalet with northerly sight-lines and wake-up calls—this time at a small lodge in White Horse, Yukon Territory, in Canada for February 2027. All meals, made fresh daily by European-trained chefs, are included and are served in a communal dining hall. Massages, snowmobiling, and dog sledding are offered, and snowshoes and winter gear are supplied at no extra cost. A professional photographer is on-hand nightly, sitting by the nightly campfire, making himself available to take photos of campers and the Lights and/or to provide shooting advice for campers wanting to capture their own photos.
Increasing my chances of seeing the Lights–and the trip’s cost–exponentially will be a flight aboard a full-body Boeing 737 on NorthAir: an add-on available only two times each season. The charter is expressly for the roughly thirty campers staying at the facility at that time, guaranteeing each of us a window seat. I will be above any cloud cover as the captain flies us to the Arctic Circle and back, “chasing” the Lights wherever they appear that night.
I’ve told my husband that this is it. Whether I’m successful in seeing the Northern Lights in February or not, this will be our last attempt. My exceedingly patient, indulgent husband certainly deserves that after having accompanied me on what will have been three trips taken during the winter months to places that are even colder than where we live. And paying a pretty penny for the privilege, I might add.
I’m sorry, cousin David. I admire your and your family’s adventurous spirit and dauntless enthusiasm for helping others enjoy the same thrill of communing directly with nature that you had. However, my Curry DNA must lack the intrepid genetic matter contained in your own. Even with the additional amenities Curry Village has added in the 21st century, I’m still quite certain that camping there is decidedly not in my comfort zone, especially at my advanced age.
Instead, living in a time with so many different travel possibilities available to me, I am opting–and paying dearly for–nature experiences that come with warm lodging, a good mattress, excellent culinary options, and exemplary service.
And no bears, thank you very much.
There is a lot of history written about Camp Curry that can be found online. And one can find lots of present-day reviews and advice for prospective campers on TripAdvisor and by independent influencers online for Curry Village--as it is now called--for those traveling there today.
There are several marvelous in-depth histories of David and Jennie Curry as well as of the camp itself to be found online. More detailed information can be found on the camp’s early beginnings to its evolution to present-day Curry Village, the death of David Curry and the subsequent passing of management to surviving family members, the building of additional buildings and modernizations of the site, the expansion of activity offerings, and expansion of stays to beyond the summer season.
Here are some recommendations:
Camping in the Yellowstone: David Curry Camping Co., ©2020 by Robert V. Goss
The Yosemite Curry Village Is An Important Part Of Yosemite's History from Undiscovered Yosemite website.
The Curry Family and Mary Louise Curry Tresidder: Arthur C. Pillsbury Foundation
Cultural Landscape Report—Camp Curry Historic District (2010): National Park Service Electronic Library & Archive
The History of Business Concessions in Yosemite National Park by Homer W. Robinson; Yosemite Nature Notes, Vol. XXVII, No. 6, June 1948
Curry’s Camp Baldy by William Osborne; The Branding Iron, ©1998 by the Westerners Los Angeles Corral
Rare Illness Has Killed 2 Lodgers at Yosemite by Brooks Barnes; ©August 28, 2012; The New York Times
Written for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Week 25: “Possibilities.” PROMPT: There are so many possibilities. That statement could point to limitless potential, or it could reflect a person mired in uncertainty. This week, you could write about an ancestor who had many possibilities to choose from. You could also write about the possible answers to a genealogy problem you’re trying to solve.
