were the cause of intense debates regarding visitor amenities and the impacts upon the fragile ecosystems . As an example , the Valley meadows had been used as pasture for cattle and sheeps were being mowed to promote a ' park-like ' ambiance . One of my saunters during our stay in the Valley will be into the Ahwahnee Meadow where the Evening primrose wildflowers had ' gloriously ' opened into a yellow carpet . The flowers had mostly disappeared because the deer were protected from hunters and also due the heavy handed landscaping activities . ' Glorious ' is a word frequently employed by John Muir as he wrote about the Sierra .
Enid Reeve Michael left a lasting legacy in Yosemite . With the advent of World War II , her seasonal position was eliminated prompting Enid and Charley to return to Pasadena Charley had a heart condition and he was unable to retain his job at the Yosemite Post Office . Charley passed away in 1941 before Pearl Harbor . Enid could not stay away from Yosemite . She served as the curator of the LeConte Lodge for the Sierra Club after the war . Enid penned her last article for Yosemite Nature Notes in 1961 reflecting upon the wildflower garden behind the Yosemite Museum . She passed away in 1966 . Enid will always be remembered as Yosemite ' s ' Flower Ranger '.
Enid Reeve Michael Photo Courtesy of NPS HistoryCollection
ABOVE : Enid Reeve Michael dancing with a bear , circa 1920 ' s . Enid was an accomplished mountaineer , and discovered numerous species of birds and plants never before sightted in Yosemite . BELOW : Enid was determined and steadfast in her beliefs to preserve Yosemite ' s beauty for future generations . That steadfastness got her fired , but the park superintendent brought her back out of respect for her knowledge and character .
After a long courtship , Enid and Charley were married in 1919 . They were offered a small living quarters in the Yosemite ' s Old Village , but they preferred a simple canvas tent along the Merced River to make their home . Enid started volunteering and would soon be asked to create and maintain a native wildflower display . She was so skillful and knowledgeable that she was hired as a seasonal park ranger in 1921 and in 1927 she was promoted to the position of ranger-naturalist . During her career at Yosemite she was a prolific author of natural history essays , she designed the native plant garden in the New Village ( 1927 ), she and Charley were ' first-ascent ' rock climbers scaling several difficult peaks , and Enid served as an instructor for the Yosemite Nature School .
Enid was a very determined and independent individual , and she did not back away from tension that existed within the mostly male cadre of naturalists and rangers . Her immediate supervisor was less than supportive of her efforts , but the visiting public were appreciative of her enthusiasm and breadth of knowledge .
The 1920 ' s in Yosemite were a time of great change as vehicle traffic increased dramatically , and landscape modifications
Enid Reeve Michael Photo Courtesy of Yosemite National Park .
I cannot help but feel that Enid ' s adolescent years in the Gilroy Valley — amongst the orchards , the oak savannas and the Mt . Madonna redwoods — had left an indelible imprint upon her way of looking at the natural world .
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