Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:2
As the California Gold Rush began to die down, people began to notice the stunning beauty of the area’s natural mountains and valleys. City-dwelling Americans began visiting in growing numbers, appreciating the state’s cliffs, giant sequoia trees, and local cultures of the Nuchu and Ahwahneechee Tribes. However, as the region garnered more attention, so did its natural resources, and commercial interests began to chop down trees, overgraze the valleys, and damage the natural landscape. President Abraham Lincoln designated Yosemite as a state park, preserving an area exclusively for recreation for the first time in U.S. history. To further preserve the area, Congress turned the state park into Yosemite National Park on this day in 1890, taking another step in stewarding the nation’s land and resources.
As the Lord leads, pray with us…
- For for members of Congress as they deliberate the ways in which public lands should be stewarded.
- That Interior Secretary Haaland and National Parks Director Chuck Sams seek God’s leading as they oversee national resources.
