Tuolomne

The Tuolumne River descends from the high Sierra Nevada through a succession of canyons towards the San Joaquin River. Its upper valley was a summer hunting ground for Miwok people, who spent winters in the foothills and lowlands, and for Paiute visitors from east of the mountains. Hetch Hetchy Valley was a meeting place rich in edible plants and game. In 1806 the Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga recorded the river's name, perhaps after a nearby Indigenous village.