(John) Baptiste Lembert - Yosemite Online

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112 YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES Jean (John) Baptiste Lembert . —Fiske Photo. Cover Photo : Grove of Lodgepole Pine, upper Merced Canyon, Yosemite National Park . By Ansel Adams from "Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada," text by John Muir, 64 photographs by Ansel Adams . Reproduction by kind permission of Houghton Mifflin Company .
Yosemite Nature Notes THE MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE YOSEMITE NATURALIST DIVISION AND THE YOSEMITE NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, INC. C. P. Russell, Superintendent D . E. McHenry, Park Naturalist H . C. Parker, Assoc . Park Naturalist R . N. McIntyre, Asst . Park Naturalist VOL. XXVIII SEPTEMBER, 1949 NO. 9 JEAN (JOHN) BAPTISTE LEMBERT — PERSONAL MEMORIES By William E. Colby With two Sierra Club members, E. Lodge. The new arrival was Lem- C. Bonner and Leon Solomons, I had bert, who had built the cabin and started out the last of May, 1894, on who had filed a homestead on the a most ambitious college vacation quarter section, including the Soda in the Sierra. We originally planned Springs . At first he did not seem ento visit Lake Tahoe and thence travel tirely pleased with our camping on down the Sierra as near the crest as his property without permission, but possible, winding up at Mt . Whitney. as we got to know him better, he This proved to be too great an un- became quite friendly. His small dertaking for one summer and, cabin was of very rough log conthough we were in the mountains for struction with a crude fireplace and nearly three months, we did not get chimney of granite rocks. On the south of Mt. Lyell. We had a base east side he had recently added an camp for nearly a month in the Tuo- extension or shed in which he stored lumne Meadows on the Soda dry grass for his donkey and in Springs property, now owned by the which he stabled the beast in rough Sierra Club, and climbed all of the weather . This addition was poorly nearby peaks, visited Mono Lake constructed and already had a deand knapsacked down the then cided cant due to the heavy winter seldom penetrated "Grand Canyon snows. Lembert of the Tuolumne. was " a picturesque char- It was while we were at this base acter about six feet tall with a Rocamp, affording such a wonderful man nose and rather pronounced opportunity for exploration of the features . He had a fairly long greymain nearby points of interest, that white beard and was striking in apwe met Jean Baptiste Lembert. A few pearance. During the month that we days after we had established camp had our base camp on the river beon the river just below the Soda low his cabin, I saw him frequently, Springs we saw a tall individual and oftentimes, in the evening after coming across the meadows accom- dinner, would sit in the doorway of panied by a fine large donkey, his cabin talking with him until packed with supplies. They forded long after dark. He evidently enthe river some little distance below joyed companionship, and as I came the Soda Springs and came on up to know him better, he talked quite to the log cabin which at that time freely about himself and his life . I have no recollection of anything he was located a few feet in front of may have said about his early life, and a little toward the Soda Springs but I do recall some of his accounts from the present Parsons Memorial of his Yosemite experiences .
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(John) Baptiste Lembert - Yosemite Online

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