Yosemite is gorgeous and crowded now, but what was it like way back when?

Click on to see photos of the famous national park from our archives. Click on to see photos of the famous national park from our archives. Image 1 of / 58 Caption Close Yosemite is gorgeous and crowded now, but what was it like way back when? 1 / 58 Back to Gallery

Yosemite is undeniably beautiful and crowded these days — but it's always been that way.

Back in June of 1866, a Chronicle headline read: "Yosemite Getting Popular." According to the story, "There seems to be a mania for visiting the Yosemite this year, and already there has been about as many there as the average of any of the past five seasons."

Fast forward to 2017 and a Google search of "Yosemite crowds" yields articles like, "How crowded is 'crowded'?" and "Yosemite Slammed," not to mention a plethora of articles advising visitors how to avoid the herd. Sound familiar?

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The crowds have remained, and Yosemite's natural splendors — waterfalls, granite cliffs, sequoia groves — haven't changed much either.

We have Galen Clark and John Muir to thank for that. Clark lobbied to protect the valley, leading President Abraham Lincoln to sign the Yosemite Grant in 1864. Muir later spearheaded a movement to protect the surrounding forests and mountains, which laid the groundwork for the U.S. National Park system.

Yosemite celebrated its 125th anniversary as a national park in 2015, and even after seeing millions of visitors over three centuries, it's never lost its magnificence or importance.

As Muir wrote in 1901, "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity."

The unabated crowds are testament to Muir's 115-year-old observation.

See Yosemite National Park through the years in the above gallery.

Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.