Yosemite National Park Land’s Original Owners Rejoice As It’s Finally Handed Back 175 Years Later

U.S. national parks protect some of the most beautiful lands in the country, from the grasslands of Yellowstone to the temperate rainforests of Washington.

Of course, those lands didn't suddenly become beautiful or valuable when they were designated as national parks. Their cultural, historical, and geological significance predates not only the national park system but the United States itself.

Many of the most famous national park lands were originally part of Native American tribal lands. As tribes were relocated through the Westward Expansion and the Gold Rush era, many of their most sacred sites were lost.

Yosemite National Park in California represents one such area. The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation was displaced when Yosemite National Park was established. Now, nearly 900 acre