LeConte Memorial Lodge

The LeConte Memorial Lodge, a National Historic Landmark, was built by the Sierra Club in 1903-04. The unique structure honors eminent University of California geologist Joseph LeConte, an early Director of the Sierra Club who died in the Valley in 1901. The Sierra Club provided the Valley's first public information center, first at a small cottage in the old Yosemite Village, and then at the LeConte Memorial Lodge. The Sierra Club has operated the rough hewn granite and wood Tudor-style as a public Memorial since 1904 presenting and promoting the conservation ethic through public programs, educational displays and a library. Although styled a Lodge by its founders in the traditional meaning of the term as a gathering place (similar to the Elks Lodge or Masonic Lodge), this small stone building has never been used for overnight accommodations, but rather it is a public building used as a library and education center. About 16,000 visitors per year enjoy this important historical structure due to the efforts of the Sierra Club. For over 100 years, a Curator and Sierra Club volunteers have served as summer caretakers providing information to National Park visitors about Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada, and the National Park Idea.