 Concerned by the effects of commercial interests , prominent citizens including Galen Clark and Senator John Conness advocated for protection of the area . A park bill was prepared with the assistance of the General Land Office in the Interior Department . The bill passed both houses of the 38th United States Congress , and was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30 , 1864 , creating the Yosemite Grant . This is the first instance of park land being set aside specifically for preservation and public use by action of the U.S. federal government , and set a precedent for the 1872 creation of Yellowstone as the first national park . Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove were ceded to California as a state park , and a board of commissioners was proclaimed two years later . 
