John Muir
One of America’s most noted naturalists was
born in April 1838. A native of Scotland, John Muir went on to become an
influential advocate for preservation of this country’s open spaces.
Raised on a Wisconsin farm when his parents
immigrated to the United States, Muir was familiar with the Midwest which was
then considered the wild west.
He went to seek his fortune as a mechanic and
inventor during the industrial explosion that was sweeping the country.
Unfortunately, he had an accident that left him temporarily blinded and changed
the course of his life.
He decided to take a 1,000-mile walking
tour of the American West. Locations included the Sierra Nevada. Admittedly
encouraged by transcendental thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David
Thoreau, he believed that that wild nature offered a “window opening into
heaven, a mirror reflecting the Creator.”
Muir was committed to keeping the Sierra
Nevada undeveloped and, by 1892, he and other early preservationists formed the
Sierra Club. Their goal was to maintain the importance of wilderness
preservation so that others could be replenished by its splendor on both
spiritual and physical levels.
During his lifetime Muir published over 300 articles and 12 books. His
credits include being known as the “Father of the National Parks.” He was also
a geologist botanist, and writer.
He often called the Sierra Nevada his home, even after
his 1880 marriage at the age of 40 to Louisa Strentzel, daughter of a prominent physician and horticulturist in Martinez, California. He died in 1914 and was the first person honored with a California commemorative day - John Muir Day - which was signed into law in 1988.
Parks and recreation areas named after him include:
Mount Muir
Muir's Peak
Camp Muir (Mount Kilimanjoro)
Muir Beach
Parks and recreation areas named after him include:
Mount Muir
Muir's Peak
Camp Muir (Mount Kilimanjoro)
Muir Beach
