Chinquapin, California

Chinquapin (also, Chincapin and Chinkapin) is a former settlement in Mariposa County, California. It was located 8.5 miles (14 km) north-northwest of Wawona. It is located within Yosemite National Park, adjacent to the community of Yosemite West . Chinquapin is the midway point between Yosemite Valley and Wawona, a community inside the park.

Chinquapin was built as a junction of the Old Glacier Point Road, which was built in 1882.

Previously it was a bridle trail to Glacier Point (the current Glacier Point Road, which starts immediately north of the old road was built in 1940). On an 1896 U.S. Cavalry map it is marked as "Chinquapin Station"

It was named Chinquapin after Chinquapin Creek, which is immediately northwest of Chinquapin. Chinquapin Creek is today called Indian Creek. Chinquapin Creek (and therefore Chinquipin) was named for the Sierra Chinquapin (Chrysolepis sempervirens) brush that grows in the area (with spiny seeds).

Chinquapin was the second ski area in Yosemite. This second ski area at Chinquapin was opened after the Wawona Tunnel was built (allowing Winter access). Before that, people skied on the glacial moraine in Yosemite Valley that is just east of the horse stables by the Pines Campgrounds. Later, the ski area moved from Chinquapin to Badger Pass on the Old Glacier Point Road. Today the ski area is in Simpson Meadow (below Badger Pass).

Chinquapin used to have a Gas Station up to the 1990s. Before that, the Gas Station was a small ski lodge (what some refer to as a "lunch room") that opened in 1933. The Gas Station was cleaned up as a toxic site by the park concessionaire (Delaware North) as a condition of their winning the Park concession in 1993 from the previous concessionaire (MCA Corporation).

As referenced in the Yosemite Environmental Education Center, Final EIS report, "The Chinquapin Developed Area Cultural Landscape encompasses not only the features of the Chinquapin Historic District, but also includes the whole intersection as well as an associated water tank located approximately 600 feet from the Comfort Station (Sandy and DuBarton; 2007). The period of significance for the Chinquapin Developed Area is 1933 to 1938, during which the buildings and landscape were designed and built. Proposed contributing features include: the Glacier Point Road and Wawona Road intersection, the Ranger Station (1934), Garage / Storage (1934), Comfort Station (1933), and Redwood Water Tank (1936).

...
Wikipedia