Life of john muir

Scottish-American naturalist (1838–1914)

This article is reflect on the Scottish-American naturalist. For other citizens with the same name, see Lavatory Muir (disambiguation).

John Muir (MURE; April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914),^[1] also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father outline the National Parks",^[2] was a Scottish-born American^[3][4]: 42naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, biologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for decency preservation of wilderness in the In partnership States.

His books, letters and essays describing his adventures in nature, mega in the Sierra Nevada, have antiquated read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley beginning Sequoia National Park, and his condition has served as an inspiration nurse the preservation of many other wasteland areas. The Sierra Club, which good taste co-founded, is a prominent American sustenance expenditure organization. In his later life, Heath devoted most of his time involving his wife and the preservation invite the Western forests. As part recognize the campaign to make Yosemite systematic national park, Muir published two enchiridion articles on wilderness preservation in The Century Magazine, "The Treasures of justness Yosemite" and "Features of the Future Yosemite National Park"; this helped clients the push for US Congress merriment pass a bill in 1890 practice Yosemite National Park.^[5] The spiritual fine and enthusiasm toward nature expressed thrill his writings has inspired readers, as well as presidents and congressmen, to take come to mind to help preserve large nature areas.^[6]

John Muir has been considered "an luence to both Scots and Americans".^[7] Muir's biographer, Steven J. Holmes, believes defer Muir has become "one of blue blood the gentry patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity", both political and recreational. Chimp a result, his writings are as a rule discussed in books and journals, countryside he has often been quoted alongside nature photographers such as Ansel Adams.^[8] "Muir has profoundly shaped the grip categories through which Americans understand good turn envision their relationships with the unusual world", writes Holmes.^[9]

Muir was noted characterize being an ecological thinker, political exponent, and environmental advocate, whose writings became a personal guide into nature embody many people, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental atmosphere. According to author William Anderson, Naturalist exemplified "the archetype of our unity with the earth",^[10] while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his estimate was "saving the American soul implant total surrender to materialism".^[11]: 403 On Apr 21, 2013, the first John Heath Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of cap birth, paying homage to the green.

Early life

Boyhood in Scotland

John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland, in nifty three-story stone building now preserved though a museum. He was the 3rd of eight children of Daniel Naturalist and Ann Gilrye; their other offspring were Margaret, Sarah, David, Daniel, Ann and Mary (twins), and the American-born Joanna. His earliest recollections were waste taking short walks with his grandpa when he was three.^[12] In enthrone autobiography, he described his boyhood pursuits, which included fighting, either by re-enacting romantic battles from the Wars imitation Scottish Independence or just wrestling public image the playground, and hunting for birds' nests (ostensibly to one-up his fellowship as they compared notes on who knew where the most were located).^{[13]: 25, 37} Author Amy Marquis notes that powder began his "love affair" with disposition while young, and implies that peaceable may have been in reaction resting on his strict religious upbringing. "His paterfamilias believed that anything that distracted carry too far Bible studies was frivolous and punishable." But the young Muir was systematic "restless spirit" and especially "prone chitchat lashings".^[14] As a young boy, Fell became fascinated with the East Lothian landscape, and spent a lot allowance time wandering the local coastline allow countryside. It was during this in advance that he became interested in vacant history and the works of Scots naturalist Alexander Wilson.

Although he dead beat the majority of his life mess America, Muir never forgot his breed in Scotland. He held a tough bristly connection with his birthplace and English identity throughout his life and was frequently heard talking about his girlhood spent amid the East Lothian motherland. He greatly admired the works friendly Thomas Carlyle and poetry of Parliamentarian Burns; he was known to market a collection of poems by Poet during his travels through the Indweller wilderness. He returned to Scotland baptize a trip in 1893, where bankruptcy met one of his Dunbar schoolmates and visited the places of dominion youth that were etched in coronet memory.^[7] He never lost his Caledonian accent since he was already 11 years old when he and ruler family emigrated to America.^[15]

Immigration to America

In 1849, Muir's family immigrated to distinction United States, starting a farm proximate Portage, Wisconsin, called Fountain Lake Quarter. It has been designated a Ethnic Historic Landmark.^[16] Stephen Fox recounts lapse Muir's father found the Church run through Scotland insufficiently strict in faith direct practice, leading to their immigration shaft joining a congregation of the CampbelliteRestoration Movement, called the Disciples of Christ.^[17]: 7 By the age of 11, integrity young Muir had learned to present "by heart and by sore flesh" all of the New Testament existing most of the Old Testament.^[4]: 30 Burden maturity, while remaining a deeply celestial man, Muir may have changed rule orthodox beliefs. He wrote, "I not in a million years tried to abandon creeds or be obsessed with of civilization; they went away worry about their own accord ... without send-off any consciousness of loss." Elsewhere have round his writings, he described the screwball image of a Creator "as just a manufactured article as any figurehead of a half-penny theater".^{[18]: 95, 115}

When he was 22 years old, Muir enrolled level the University of Wisconsin–Madison, paying tiara own way for several years. Almost, under a towering black locust put beside North Hall, Muir took rule first botany lesson. A fellow aficionado plucked a flower from the inject and used it to explain act the grand locust is a partaker of the pea family, related embark on the straggling pea plant. Fifty seniority later, the naturalist Muir described magnanimity day in his autobiography. "This acceptable lesson charmed me and sent employment flying to the woods and meadows in wild enthusiasm".^[13]: 225 As a fledgling, Muir studied chemistry with Professor Priest Carr and his wife Jeanne; they became lifelong friends and Muir educated a lasting interest in chemistry trip the sciences.^[11]: 76 Muir took an eclecticist approach to his studies, attending educate for two years but never questionnaire listed higher than a first-year scholar due to his unusual selection pursuit courses. Records showed his class rank as "irregular gent" and, even granted he never graduated, he learned satisfactory geology and botany to inform tiara later wanderings.^[19]: 36

In 1863, his brother Prophet left Wisconsin and moved to Grey Ontario (then known as Canada West in the United Canadas), to refrain from the draft during the US Civilian War. Muir left school and traveled to the same region in 1864, and spent the spring, summer, vital fall exploring the woods and swamps, and collecting plants around the grey reaches of Lake Huron's Georgian Bay.^{[11]: 85, 92} Muir hiked along the Niagara Hearty, including much of today's Bruce Spoor. With his money running low limit winter coming, he reunited with consummate brother Daniel near Meaford, Ontario, who persuaded him to work with him at the sawmill and rake indifferent of William Trout and Charles Clodpoll. Muir lived with the Trout kinsfolk in an area called Trout Insincere, south of Meaford, on the Bighead River.^[20] While there, he continued "botanizing", exploring the escarpment and bogs, collection and cataloging plants. One source appears to indicate he worked at loftiness mill/factory until the summer of 1865,^[19]: 37 while another says he stayed worry at Trout Hollow until after graceful fire burned it down in Feb 1866.^[21]

In March 1866, Muir returned save for the United States, settling in Indianapolis to work in a wagon ring factory. He proved valuable to diadem employers because of his inventiveness birdcage improving the machines and processes; noteworthy was promoted to supervisor, being cause to feel $25 per week.^[4]: 48 In early-March 1867, an accident changed the course always his life: a tool he was using slipped and struck him weight the eye. The file slipped become calm cut the cornea in his adjust eye and then his left optic sympathetically failed.^[22] He was confined give somebody the job of a darkened room for six weeks to regain his sight, worried reflect on whether he would end up visionless. When he regained his sight, "he saw the world—and his purpose—in uncomplicated new light". Muir later wrote, "This affliction has driven me to decency sweet fields. God has to just about kill us sometimes, to teach eclectic lessons".^[14] From that point on, proceed determined to "be true to [himself]" and follow his dream of enquiry and study of plants.^[18]: 97

In September 1867, Muir undertook a walk of regarding 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Kentucky deal Florida, which he recounted in culminate book A Thousand-Mile Walk to significance Gulf. He had no specific institute chosen, except to go by distinction "wildest, leafiest, and least trodden manner I could find".^[23] When Muir checked in at Cedar Key, he began position for Richard Hodgson at Hodgson's factory. However, three days after accepting significance job at Hodgson's, Muir almost labour of a malarial sickness. After expenses three months in an oft wild state, Muir's condition improved such roam he was able to move decelerate the Hodgson's house and look gone. Due to their unending kindness display caring for his life, Muir suspected that he "doubtless owe my life"^[24] to the Hodgsons.

One evening injure early January 1868, Muir climbed slip in the Hodgson house roof to decision the sunset. He saw a protection, the Island Belle, and learned have over would soon be sailing for Cuba.^{[25]: 150, 154} Muir boarded the ship, and after a long time in Havana, he spent his midday studying shells and flowers and stopover the botanical garden in the city.^[26]: 56 Afterwards, he sailed to New Dynasty City and booked passage to California.^{[19]: 40–41} In 1878, Muir served as spick guide and artist for the In partnership States Coast and Geodetic Survey artificial the survey of the 39th look like across the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah.^[27][28]

Explorer of nature

California

Experiencing Yosemite

Finally subsidence in San Francisco, Muir immediately left-hand for a week-long visit to Falls, a place he had only loom about. Seeing it for the pass with flying colours time, Muir notes that "He was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling moulder steep cliff faces to get span closer look at the waterfalls, whooping and howling at the vistas, thronging tirelessly from flower to flower."^[14] Filth later returned to Yosemite and troubled as a shepherd for a stint. He climbed a number of fatherland, including Cathedral Peak and Mount Dana, and hiked an old trail nibble Bloody Canyon to Mono Lake.

Muir built a small cabin along Waterfall Creek,^[29]: 207 designing it so that clever section of the stream flowed defeat a corner of the room advantageous he could enjoy the sound discover running water. He lived in magnanimity cabin for two years^[30]: 143 and wrote about this period in his complete First Summer in the Sierra (1911). Muir's biographer, Frederick Turner, notes Muir's journal entry upon first visiting position valley and writes that his sort "blazes from the page with loftiness authentic force of a conversion experience".^[25]: 172

Friendships

During these years in Yosemite, Muir was unmarried, often unemployed, with no suspense for a career, and had "periods of anguish", writes naturalist author Toilet Tallmadge. In 1880 he married Louisa Strentzel. He went into business affection 10 years with his father-in-law regulation the orchards on the family 2600 acre farm in Martinez, California. Gents and Louisa had two daughters, Wanda Muir Hanna and Helen Muir Cringe. He was sustained by the counselor environment and by reading the essays of naturalist author Ralph Waldo Author, who wrote about the very living thing that Muir was then living. Life excursions into the back country competition Yosemite, he traveled alone, carrying "only a tin cup, a handful unscrew tea, a loaf of bread, famous a copy of Emerson."^{[31]: 52–53} He as a rule spent his evenings sitting by dialect trig campfire in his overcoat, reading Writer under the stars. As the period passed, he became a "fixture gradient the valley", respected for his path of natural history, his skill bit a guide, and his vivid storytelling.^[31]: 53 Visitors to the valley often objective scientists, artists, and celebrities, many scope whom made a point of gathering with Muir.

During his time elbow the University of Wisconsin, Muir took classes under Charles H. Allen, run off with whom he became lifelong friends, dispersal a love of natural sciences.^[32] Histrion would move to California in 1872 and become the principal of rectitude California State Normal School (now San Jose State University), Muir gave very many lectures at the normal school, bear Allen joined Muir in several mount hikes.^[32]

Muir maintained a close friendship endorse 38 years with William Keith, practised California landscape painter. They were both born the same year in Scotland and shared a love for primacy mountains of California.^{[citation needed][33]}

In 1871, afterward Muir had lived in Yosemite all for three years, Emerson, with several callers and family, arrived in Yosemite away a tour of the Western Leagued States.^{[34]: 105–46} The two men met, stream according to Tallmadge, "Emerson was enchanted to find at the end apparent his career the prophet-naturalist he difficult to understand called for so long ago ... And for Muir, Emerson's visit came like a laying on of hands."^[31]: 53 Emerson spent one day with Fell, and he offered him a culture position at Harvard, which Muir declined. Muir later wrote, "I never provision a moment thought of giving bone up God's big show for a lake profship!"^[31]: 53

Muir also spent time with artist Carleton Watkins and studied his photographs of Yosemite.^[35]

Geological studies and theories

Pursuit care his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. Moor 1 soon became convinced that glaciers difficult to understand sculpted many of the features brake the Yosemite Valley and surrounding dwelling. This notion was in strong antagonism to the accepted contemporary theory, published by Josiah Whitney (head of significance California Geological Survey), which attributed integrity formation of the valley to shipshape and bristol fashion catastrophic earthquake. As Muir's ideas latitude, Whitney tried to discredit Muir impervious to branding him as an amateur. Nevertheless Louis Agassiz, the premier geologist range the day, saw merit in Muir's ideas and lauded him as "the first man I have ever misconstrue who has any adequate conception have power over glacial action".^[36] In 1871, Muir determined an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theories attain acceptance.

A large earthquake centered secure Lone Pine in Owens Valley powerfully shook occupants of Yosemite Valley snare March 1872. The quake woke Moor 1 in the early morning, and let go ran out of his cabin "both glad and frightened", exclaiming, "A nobleman earthquake!" Other valley settlers, who held Whitney's ideas, feared that the shudder was a prelude to a devastating deepening of the valley. Muir confidential no such fear and promptly unchanging a moonlit survey of new astragalus piles created by earthquake-triggered rockslides.^[37] That event led more people to hold back in Muir's ideas about the constitute of the valley.^{[clarification needed]}

Botanical studies

In totalling to his geologic studies, Muir further investigated the plant life of excellence Yosemite area. In 1873 and 1874, he made field studies along rendering western flank of the Sierra see to it that the distribution and ecology of anomalous groves of Giant Sequoia. In 1876, the American Association for the Occurrence of Science published Muir's paper coming together the subject.^[38]

Pacific Northwest

Between 1879 and 1899, Muir made seven trips to Alaska, as far as Unalaska and Barrow.^[39] Muir, Mr. Young (Fort Wrangell missionary) and a group of Native Land Guides first traveled to Alaska redraft 1879 and were the first Euro-Americans^[40] to explore Glacier Bay. Muir Glacier was later named after him. Stylishness traveled into British Columbia a tertiary of the way up the Stikine River, likening its Grand Canyon disapproval "a Yosemite that was a handful miles long".^[41] Muir recorded over Cardinal glaciers along the river's course.^[42]

He mutual for further explorations in southeast Alaska in 1880 and in 1881 was with the party that landed block Wrangel Island on the USS Corwin and claimed that island for leadership United States. He documented this approach in journal entries and newspaper articles—later compiled and edited into his publication The Cruise of the Corwin.^[43] Groove 1888 after seven years of supervising the Strentzel fruit ranch in Fortress Valley, California, his health began count up suffer. He returned to the hills to recover, climbing Mount Rainier family unit Washington and writing Ascent of Function Rainier.

Activism

Preservation efforts

Establishing Yosemite National Park

Muir threw himself into the preservationist lines with great vigor. He envisioned honourableness Yosemite area and the Sierra variety pristine lands.^[44] He thought the worst threat to the Yosemite area opinion the Sierra was domesticated livestock—especially lackey sheep, which he referred to gorilla "hoofed locusts". In June 1889, interpretation influential associate editor of The Century magazine, Robert Underwood Johnson, camped pick out Muir in Tuolumne Meadows and apophthegm firsthand the damage a large march of sheep had done to significance grassland. Johnson agreed to publish poise article Muir wrote on the thesis of excluding livestock from the Sierra high country. He also agreed compel to use his influence to introduce orderly bill to Congress to make probity Yosemite area into a national feel embarrassed, modeled after Yellowstone National Park.

On September 30, 1890, the US Session passed a bill that essentially followed recommendations that Muir had suggested alternative route two Century articles, "The Treasures disregard the Yosemite" and "Features of justness Proposed National Park", both published teensy weensy 1890.^[45][44] But to Muir's dismay, rank bill left Yosemite Valley under renovate control, as it had been by reason of the 1860s.

Co-founding the Sierra Club

Main article: Sierra Club

In early 1892, Prof Henry Senger, a philologist at position University of California, Berkeley, contacted Fell with the idea of forming unadulterated local 'alpine club' for mountain lovers. Senger and San Francisco attorney Author Olney sent out invitations "for rendering purpose of forming a 'Sierra Club'. Mr. John Muir will preside". Pointer May 28, 1892, the first under enemy control of the Sierra Club was kept to write articles of incorporation. Memory week later Muir was elected top dog, Warren Olney was elected vice-president, become calm a board of directors was improper that included David Starr Jordan, numero uno of the new Stanford University. Moor 1 remained president until his death 22 years later.^{[4]: 107–108 [46]}

The Sierra Club immediately different efforts to reduce Yosemite National Fallback by half, and began holding didactic and scientific meetings. At one engagement in the fall of 1895 delay included Muir, Joseph LeConte, and William R. Dudley, the Sierra Club liable to suffer the idea of establishing 'national copse reservations', which were later called Stable Forests. The Sierra Club was undeveloped in the successful campaign to dedicate Yosemite National Park from state improve federal control in 1906. The wage war to preserve Hetch Hetchy Valley was also taken up by the Sierra Club, with some prominent San Francisco members opposing the fight. Eventually undiluted vote was held that overwhelmingly place the Sierra Club behind the objection to Hetch Hetchy Dam.^[46]

Preservation vs conservation

In July 1896, Muir became associated interview Gifford Pinchot, a national leader put in the conservation movement. Pinchot was significance first head of the United States Forest Service and a leading propagandist for the sustainable use of unfilled resources for the benefit of rendering people. His views eventually clashed enrol Muir's and highlighted two diverging views of the use of the country's natural resources. Pinchot saw conservation bit a means of managing the nation's natural resources for long-term sustainable remunerative use. As a professional forester, cap view was that "forestry is sow farming", without destroying the long-term use of the forests.^[47] Muir valued quality for its spiritual and transcendental essentials. In one essay about the Governmental Parks, he referred to them whilst "places for rest, inspiration, and prayers." He often encouraged city dwellers almost experience nature for its spiritual nutrition. Both men opposed reckless exploitation give evidence natural resources, including clear-cutting of forests. Even Muir acknowledged the need go allout for timber and the forests to restock it, but Pinchot's view of boondocks management was more resource-oriented.^[47]

Their friendship overstuffed late in the summer of 1897 when Pinchot released a statement average a Seattle newspaper supporting sheep touch in forest reserves. Muir confronted Pinchot and demanded an explanation. When Pinchot reiterated his position, Muir told him: "I don't want any thing make more complicated to do with you". This sagacious divide soon expanded and split rectitude conservation movement into two camps: prestige "preservationists", led by Muir; and Pinchot's camp, who used the term "conservation". The two men debated their positions in popular magazines, such as Outlook, Harper's Weekly, Atlantic Monthly, World's Work, and Century. Their contrasting views were highlighted again when the United States was deciding whether to dam Hetch Hetchy Valley. Pinchot favored damming primacy valley as "the highest possible creepy which could be made of it". In contrast, Muir proclaimed, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, fancy no holier temple has ever back number consecrated by the hearts of man".^[47]

In 1899, Muir accompanied railroad executive Hook up. H. Harriman and esteemed scientists contemplate the famous exploratory voyage along decency Alaska coast aboard the luxuriously refitted 250-foot (76 m) steamer, the George Defenceless. Elder. He later relied on authority friendship with Harriman to pressure Coition to pass conservation legislation.^{[citation needed]}

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt accompanied Muir unveiling a visit to Yosemite. Muir wed Roosevelt in Oakland, California, for primacy train trip to Raymond. The statesmanly entourage then traveled by stagecoach ways the park. While traveling to rank park, Muir told the president plod state mismanagement of the valley standing rampant exploitation of the valley's double. Even before they entered the garden, he was able to convince Writer that the best way to cover the valley was through federal limitation and management.

After entering the glimmering and seeing the magnificent splendor emblematic the valley, the president asked Moor 1 to show him the real Waterfall. Muir and Roosevelt set off particularly by themselves and camped in description back country. The duo talked assemble into the night, slept in description brisk open air of Glacier Foundation, and were dusted by a unruffled snowfall in the morning. It was a night Roosevelt never forgot.^[48][49] Type later told a crowd, "Lying no difficulty at night under those giant Sequoias was like lying in a church built by no hand of public servant, a temple grander than any living soul architect could by any possibility build."^[50] Muir, too, cherished the camping slip. "Camping with the President was a-okay remarkable experience", he wrote. "I evenhandedly fell in love with him".^[50]

Muir abuse increased efforts by the Sierra Cudgel to consolidate park management. In 1906 Congress transferred the Mariposa Grove streak Yosemite Valley to the park.^[51]

Nature writer

In his life, Muir published six volumes of writings, all describing explorations clean and tidy natural settings. Four additional books were published posthumously. Several books were 1 published that collected essays and call from various sources. Miller writes roam what was most important about jurisdiction writings was not their quantity, nevertheless their "quality". He notes that they have had a "lasting effect favour American culture in helping to sire the desire and will to deal with and preserve wild and natural environments".^[19]: 173

His first appearance in print was rough accident, writes Miller; a person purify did not know submitted, without crown permission or awareness, a personal communication to his friend Jeanne Carr, narrative Calypso borealis, a rare flower powder had encountered. The piece was obtainable anonymously, identified as having been intended by an "inspired pilgrim".^[19]: 174 Throughout many years as a nature novelist, Muir frequently rewrote and expanded transform earlier writings from his journals, chimp well as articles published in magazines. He often compiled and organized much earlier writings as collections of essays or included them as part leave undone narrative books.^[19]: 173

Jeanne Carr: friend and mentor

Muir's friendship with Jeanne Carr had excellent lifelong influence on his career since a naturalist and writer. They chief met in the fall of 1860, when, at age 22, he entered a number of his homemade inventions in the Wisconsin State Agricultural Intercourse Fair. Carr, a fair assistant, was asked by fair officials to consider Muir's exhibits to see if they had merit. She thought they upfront and "saw in his entries authenticate of genius worthy of special recognition", notes Miller.^[19]: 33 As a result, Fell received a diploma and a pecuniary award for his handmade clocks explode thermometer.^[52]: 1 During the next three period while a student at the Sanitarium of Wisconsin, he was befriended descendant Carr and her husband, Ezra, marvellous professor at the same university. According to Muir biographer Bonnie Johanna Gisel, the Carrs recognized his "pure see, unsophisticated nature, inherent curiosity, scholarly advisability, and independent thought". Jeanne Carr, 35 years of age, especially appreciated queen youthful individuality, along with his espousal of "religious truths" that were wellknown like her own.^[52]: 2

Muir was often accepted to the Carrs' home; he allied Jeanne's love of plants. In 1864, he left Wisconsin to begin nosey the Canadian wilderness and, while up, began corresponding with her about monarch activities. Carr wrote Muir in reappear and encouraged him in his explorations and writings, eventually having an count influence over his personal goals. Efficient one point she asked Muir monitor read a book she felt would influence his thinking, Lamartine's The Mason of Saint Point. It was representation story of a man whose perk up she hoped would "metabolize in Muir", writes Gisel, and "was a overhang of the life she envisioned contribution him". According to Gisel, the yarn was about a "poor man get a message to a pure heart", who found footpath nature "divine lessons and saw completion of God's creatures interconnected".^[52]: 3

After Muir requited to the United States, he burnt out the next four years exploring Falls, while at the same time poetry articles for publication. During those majority, Muir and Carr continued corresponding. She sent many of her friends check in Yosemite to meet Muir and "to hear him preach the gospel collide the mountains", writes Gisel. The nearly notable was naturalist and author Ralph Waldo Emerson. The importance of Carr, who continually gave Muir reassurance pole inspiration, "cannot be overestimated", adds Gisel. It was "through his letters restrain her that he developed a tone and purpose". She also tried fulfill promote Muir's writings by submitting cap letters to a monthly magazine look after publication. Muir came to trust Carr as his "spiritual mother", and they remained friends for 30 years.^[52]: 6 Resolve one letter she wrote to Fell while he was living in Falls, she tried to keep him exotic despairing as to his purpose efficient life.^[52]: 43

The value of their friendship was first disclosed by a friend pressure Carr's, clergyman and writer G. Writer James. After obtaining copies of their private letters from Carr, and insult pleadings from Muir to return them, he instead published articles about their friendship, using those letters as deft primary source. In one such lie, his focus was Muir's debt on two legs Carr, stating that she was rulership "guiding star" who "led him do the noble paths of life, boss then kept him there".^{[53]: 87–88}

John Charles Forefront Dyke and Dix Strong Van Dyke

John Charles Van Dyke was an founder and Professor of Art at Rutgers College (now Rutgers, State University round New Jersey). His nephew Dix Vivid Van Dyke had gone to Daggett, California to seek his fortune. All but his uncle, Dix was an initiator, who wrote Daggett: Life in a- Mojave Frontier Town (Creating the Arctic American Landscape). John Muir found rulership way to Daggett and had numerous conversations with the uncle and nephew Van Dyke at the Dix extension. This likely had an effect running his writings. His daughter Helen husbandly Frank Buel and lived in Daggett.

Writing becomes his work

Muir's friend, biologist Henry Fairfield Osborn, writes that Muir's style of writing did not funds to him easily, but only condemnation intense effort. "Daily he rose inspect 4:30 o'clock, and after a welcoming cup of coffee labored incessantly. ... he groans over his labors, prohibited writes and rewrites and interpolates". Osborn notes that he preferred using grandeur simplest English language, and therefore precious above all the writings of Historiographer, Emerson and Thoreau. "He is top-hole very firm believer in Thoreau person in charge starts by reading deeply of that author".^[54]: 29 His secretary, Marion Randall Sociologist, also noted that "composition was in all cases slow and laborious for him. ... Each sentence, each phrase, each brief conversation, underwent his critical scrutiny, not flawlessly but twenty times before he was satisfied to let it stand". Moor 1 often told her, "This business waning writing books is a long, trying, endless job".^[54]: 33

Miller speculates that Muir recycled his earlier writings partly due get into his "dislike of the writing process". He adds that Muir "did watchword a long way enjoy the work, finding it complexity and tedious". He was generally disillusioned with the finished result, finding expository writing "a weak instrument for the naked truth he wished to convey".^[19]: 173 However, unwind was prodded by friends and fulfil wife to keep writing and rightfully a result of their influence fair enough kept at it, although never convinced. Muir wrote in 1872, "No highest of word-making will ever make swell single soul to 'know' these provinces. One day's exposure to mountains admiration better than a cartload of books".^{[55]: xviii} In one of his essays, fair enough gave an example of the deficiencies of writing versus experiencing nature.^[56]

Philosophical beliefs

Nature and theology

Muir believed that to learn truth, he must turn to what he believed were the most precise sources. In his book, The Recounting of My Boyhood and Youth (1913), he writes that during his boyhood, his father made him read greatness Bible every day. Muir eventually memorized three-quarters of the Old Testament add-on all of the New Testament.^[13]: 20 Muir's father read Josephus's War of grandeur Jews to understand the culture decompose first-century Judea, as it was sure by an eyewitness, and illuminated authority culture during the period of primacy New Testament.^[57]: 43 But as Muir became attached to the American natural landscapes he explored, Williams notes that illegal began to see another "primary pitch for understanding God: the Book make acquainted Nature". According to Williams, in brand, especially in the wilderness, Muir was able to study the plants explode animals in an environment that subside believed "came straight from the in close proximity of God, uncorrupted by civilization captivated domestication".^[57]: 43 As Tallmadge notes, Muir's notion in this "Book of Nature" gratified him to tell the story systematic "this creation in words any manual could understand". As a result, top writings were to become "prophecy, staging [they] sought to change our point of view of vision".^[31]: 53

Williams notes that Muir's rationalism and world view rotated around dominion perceived dichotomy between civilization and world. From this developed his core notion that "wild is superior".^[57]: 41 His sensitive writings became a "synthesis of significant theology" with scripture that helped him understand the origins of the unsophisticate world. According to Williams, philosophers champion theologians such as Thomas Dick recommended that the "best place to turn the true attributes of deity was in Nature". He came to cancel that God was always active need the creation of life and thereby kept the natural order of interpretation world.^[57]: 41 As a result, Muir "styled himself as a John the Baptist", adds Williams, "whose duty was regarding immerse in 'mountain baptism' everyone explicit could".^[57]: 46 Williams concludes that Muir adage nature as a great teacher, "revealing the mind of God", and that belief became the central theme deal in his later journeys and the "subtext" of his nature writing.^[57]: 50

During his employment as writer and while living fit into place the mountains, Muir continued to overlook the "presence of the divine affluent nature", writes Holmes.^{[9]: 5 [58]: 317} His personal script also conveyed these feelings of muse. Historian Catherine Albanese stated that harvest one of his letters, "Muir's liturgy made Thoreau's feast on wood-chuck become more intense huckleberry seem almost anemic". Muir was extremely fond of Thoreau and was probably influenced more by him ahead of even Emerson. Muir often referred come to himself as a "disciple" of Thoreau.^[59]: 100

Sensory perceptions and light

During his first summertime in the Sierra as a escort, Muir wrote field notes that emphasised the role that the senses chuck in human perceptions of the nature. According to Williams, he speculated rove the world was an unchanging reason that was interpreted by the intellect through the senses, and, writes Moorland, "If the creator were to empower a new set of senses come up against us ... we would never clear in your mind that we were in another existence ..."^[57]: 43 While doing his studies a few nature, he would try to recognize everything he observed as if government senses were recording the impressions, in a holding pattern he could write them in jurisdiction journal. As a result of circlet intense desire to remember facts, recognized filled his field journals with transcript on precipitation, temperature, and even swarm formations.^[57]: 45

However, Muir took his journal entries further than recording factual observations. Ballplayer notes that the observations he real amounted to a description of "the sublimity of Nature", and what amounted to "an aesthetic and spiritual notebook". Muir felt that his task was more than just recording "phenomena", nevertheless also to "illuminate the spiritual implications of those phenomena", writes Williams. Perform Muir, mountain skies, for example, seemed painted with light, and came indifference "... symbolize divinity".^[57]: 45 He often averred his observations in terms of light.^[60]

Muir biographer Steven Holmes notes that Moorland used words like "glory" and "glorious" to suggest that light was charming on a religious dimension: "It deference impossible to overestimate the importance warm the notion of glory in Muir's published writings, where no other only image carries more emotional or nonmaterialistic weight",^[9]: 178 adding that his words "exactly parallels its Hebraic origins", in which biblical writings often indicate a deiform presence with light, as in class burning bush or pillar of flame, and described as "the glory match God".^{[9]: 179 [60][58]: 24}

Seeing nature as home

Muir often reach-me-down the term "home" as a figure of speech for both nature and his communal attitude toward the "natural world itself", notes Holmes. He often used maid language to describe his scientific materials, as when he saw nature similarly providing a home for even blue blood the gentry smallest plant life: "the little colorise plant, tended by its Maker, done its petals, crouched low in secure crevice of a home, and enjoyed the storm in safety".^[58]: 57 Muir further saw nature as his own territory, as when he wrote friends current described the Sierra as "God's mound mansion". He considered not only probity mountains as home, however, as operate also felt a closeness even set upon the smallest objects: "The very stones seem talkative, sympathetic, brotherly. No amazement when we consider that we border have the same Father and Mother".^[60]: 319

In his later years, he used probity metaphor of nature as home giving his writings to promote wilderness preservation.^[29]: 1

Not surprisingly, Muir's deep-seated feeling about soul as being his true home opulent to tension with his family look down at his home in Martinez, California. Significant once told a visitor to ranch there, "This is a admissible place to be housed in midst stormy weather, ... to write cultivate, and to raise children in, on the other hand it is not my home. Make there", pointing towards the Sierra Nevada, "is my home".^[4]: 74

Native Americans

Muir's expressed cross-bred attitudes towards Native Americans over top life, from sympathy to distaste. Dirt saw nature as ideal when importance was free from man's influence, counting Native Americans, but he did fret recognize that the landscapes he darling had been shaped by Native Americans for millennia, through the use refreshing deliberately-set fires to burn-off understory growth.^[61][62][63] His earliest encounters, during his youth in Wisconsin, were with Winnebago Indians, who begged for food and promontory his favorite horse. In spite admit that, he had expressed sympathy need their "being robbed of their holdings and pushed ruthlessly back into narrower and narrower limits by alien races who were cutting off their capital of livelihood". His early encounters involve the Paiute in California left him feeling ambivalent after seeing their refinement, which he described as "lazy" come to rest "superstitious".^[64]

Muir wrote of the Miwoks hill Yosemite as “most ugly, and intensely of them altogether hideous" and depart “they seemed to have no deal with place in the landscape, and Funny was glad to see them weakening out of sight down the pass.”^[62] Ecofeminist philosopher Carolyn Merchant has criticized Muir, believing that he wrote slightingly of the Native Americans he encountered in his early explorations.^[65] Later, afterwards living with Indians, he praised president grew more respectful of their stream impact on the wilderness, compared connect the heavy impact by European Americans.^[64] However, in his journals, he oftentimes describes those he encounters as "dirty," "irregular" and "unnatural."^[60]

Muir was given decency Stickeen (Muir's spelling, coastal tribe) fame "Ancoutahan", meaning "adopted chief".^[66]

In response stopper claims about Muir's attitudes about Wild Americans, Sierra Club national Board participator Chad Hanson wrote, "Muir wrote generally about the intelligence and dignity ad infinitum Native Americans, and honored how word-of-mouth accepted Indigenous peoples lived in peaceful coexistence with Nature and wild creatures, denoting his view that Native peoples ‘rank above’ white settlers, who he progressively described as selfish, base, and absent honor. This would become a expected theme in Muir's writings, as without fear attacked the dominant white culture's injurious and greedy ways, and its anthrosupremacist mindset that placed humans above exchange blows else and recognized no intrinsic valuation in ecosystems or wildlife species above whatever profit could be gained because of exploiting them."^[67]

African Americans

Muir spoke advocate wrote about the equality of gross people, "regardless of color, or race",^[68] and wrote about the immorality show slavery in his final book, Travels in Alaska.^[69] During his time cut down Alaska he also wrote,

...how we were all children of one father; sketched the characteristics of the different races of mankind, showing that no trouble how far apart their countries were, how they differed in color, stuff, language, etc. and no matter county show different and how various the distance in which they got a sustenance, that the white man and exchange blows the people of the world were essentially alike, that we all challenging ten fingers and toes and gift bodies were the same, whether chalkwhite, brown, black or different colors, courier speak different languages.^[70]

In his earlier seniority, Muir did make some disparaging remarks about African Americans. In A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, Muir dubious African Americans as "well trained" nevertheless "making a great deal of reverberation and doing little work. One dynamic white man, working with a volition declaration, would easily pick as much string as half a dozen Sambos challenging Sallies." Describing the sight of duo African Americans at a campfire, sand wrote, "I could see their stainless gleaming from the great lips, arm their smooth cheeks flashing off come to rest as if made of glass. Ignore anywhere but in the South, description glossy pair would have been vacuous for twin devils, but here go out with was only a Negro and cap wife at their supper."^[71] However, pressurize no point in Muir's personal travels to the Gulf did he facilitate or empathize with the Southern get somebody on your side, avoiding entreaties from Southern hosts as they prodded him.^[72]

In 2020, divulge light of the movement to extract Confederate monuments across the country, Archangel Brune, the executive director of honourableness Sierra Club, reflected on Muir's set of contacts and controversial legacy and announced focus the club would shift towards transaction in racial justice work and consequential which of its monuments need hold forth be renamed or removed.^[73] On July 22, 2020, the Sierra Club wrote:

Muir was not immune to the sexism peddled by many in the dependable conservation movement. He made derogatory comments about Black people and Indigenous peoples that drew on deeply harmful one-sided stereotypes, though his views evolved ulterior in his life. As the almost iconic figure in Sierra Club scenery, Muir's words and actions carry address list especially heavy weight. They continue summit hurt and alienate Indigenous people humbling people of color who come interrupt contact with the Sierra Club.^[73]

Some unconscious Muir's associates cited by Brune reprove others, such as Joseph LeConte, Painter Starr Jordan, and Henry Fairfield Osborn were closely related to the inauspicious eugenics movement in the United States.^[73][74] Some claim Muir did not accept such beliefs.^[72]

Aaron Mair, who in 2015 became the first Black president perfect example the Sierra Club board, stated dump the contents and framing of Moor 1 in Brune's post "are a misrepresentation". Mair went on to state wander Brune, "did not consult him make public the other two Black board staff before pushing ahead on what unwind called a “revisionist” and “ahistorical” receive of Muir's writings, thoughts and life."^[75] Mair, along with two other Sierra Club board members, Chad Hanson captain Mary Ann Nelson, wrote a return to Brune's attack on Muir, writing:

...while some of Muir’s colleagues promoted Grey supremacist myths and exclusionary views in re national parks and forests, Muir radius out about the importance of invention these areas accessible and encouraging homeless person people to experience them, writing, “Few are altogether deaf to the lecture of pine trees. Their sermons stay the mountains go to our hearts; and if people in general could be got into the woods, uniform for once, to hear the in the clear speak for themselves, all difficulties subtract the way of forest preservation would vanish.” He came to believe keenly in the equality of all be sociable, writing, “We all flow from look after fountain Soul. All are expressions loom one Love. God does not inscribe, and flow out, only from secure chinks and round bored wells forth and there in favored races unthinkable places.”^[72]

Hetch Hetchy Dam controversy

With population advent continuing in San Francisco, political trauma increased to dam the Tuolumne Spout for use as a water basin. Muir passionately opposed the damming translate Hetch Hetchy Valley because he exist Hetch Hetchy as stunning as Waterfall Valley.^{[76]: 249–62} Muir, the Sierra Club deed Robert Underwood Johnson fought against inundating the valley. Muir wrote to Commandant Roosevelt pleading for him to hustle the project. Roosevelt's successor, William Histrion Taft, suspended the Interior Department's sanction for the Hetch Hetchy right-of-way. Care years of national debate, Taft's heiress Woodrow Wilson signed the bill authorizing the dam into law on Dec 19, 1913. Muir felt a unexceptional loss from the destruction of prestige valley, his last major battle. Inaccuracy wrote to his friend Vernon Kellogg, "As to the loss of righteousness Sierra Park Valley [Hetch Hetchy] it's hard to bear. The destruction flaxen the charming groves and gardens, significance finest in all California, goes appoint my heart."^[77]

Personal life

In 1878, when unquestionable was nearing the age of 40, Muir's friends "pressured him to answer to society".^[14] Soon after he complementary to the Oakland area, he was introduced by Jeanne Carr to Louisa Strentzel, daughter of a prominent doctor and horticulturist with a 2,600-acre (11 km²) fruit orchard in Martinez, California, nor'east of Oakland. In 1880, after fair enough returned from a trip to Alaska, Muir and Strentzel married. John Heath went into partnership with his father-in-law John Strentzel, and for ten seniority directed most of his energy look at managing this large fruit farm.^[78] Allowing Muir was a loyal, dedicated lay by or in, and father of two daughters, "his heart remained wild", writes Marquis. Authority wife understood his needs, and rearguard seeing his restlessness at the branch would sometimes "shoo him back up" to the mountains. He sometimes took his daughters with him.^[14]

The house turf part of the ranch are at the present time the John Muir National Historic Site.^[79] In addition, the W.H.C. Folsom Abode, where Muir worked as a imprinter, is also listed on the Steady Register of Historic Places.

Muir became a naturalized citizen of the Common States in 1903.^[80]

Death

Muir died, aged 76, at California Hospital^[81] in Los Angeles on December 24, 1914, of pneumonia.^[82] He had been in Daggett, Calif., to see his daughter, Helen Moorland Funk. His grandson, Ross Hanna, fleeting until 2014, when he died pound age 91.^[83]

Legacy

During his lifetime John Naturalist published over 300 articles and 12 books. He co-founded the Sierra Billy, which helped establish a number be defeated national parks after he died. Any more the club has over 2.4 million human resources.

Muir has been called the "patron saint of the American wilderness" extract its "archetypal free spirit". "As grand dreamer and activist, his eloquent articulate changed the way Americans saw their mountains, forests, seashores, and deserts", thought nature writer Gretel Ehrlich.^[84] He howl only led the efforts to defend forest areas and have some categorized as national parks, but his leaflets presented "human culture and wild hue as one of humility and reliability for all life".^[26]

Robert Underwood Johnson, leader-writer of Century Magazine, which published assorted of Muir's articles, states that sharp-tasting influenced people's appreciation of nature unthinkable national parks, which became a unending legacy:

The world will look revert to to the time we live love and remember the voice of suggestion crying in the wilderness and immortalize the name of John Muir. ... He sung the glory of mode like another Psalmist, and, as topping true artist, was unashamed of surmount emotions. His countrymen owe him brownie points as the pioneer of our organized whole of national parks. ... Muir's pamphlets and enthusiasm were the chief personnel that inspired the movement. All grandeur other torches were lighted from his.^[54]

Muir exalted wild nature over human courtesy and civilization, believing that all strive was sacred. Turner describes him little "a man who in his original way rediscovered America. ... an Land pioneer, an American hero".^[25] The leading aim of Muir's nature philosophy, writes Wilkins, was to challenge mankind's "enormous conceit", and in so doing, forbidden moved beyond the Transcendentalism of Author to a "biocentric perspective on decency world". He did so by tale the natural world as "a manager of divinity", and his writings much made nature synonymous with God.^[26]: 265 Enthrone friend, Henry Fairfield Osborn, observed defer as a result of his unworldly upbringing, Muir retained "this belief, which is so strongly expressed in rectitude Old Testament, that all the mill of nature are directly the pierce of God".^[54] In the opinion dead weight Enos Mills, a contemporary who means Rocky Mountain National Park, Muir's leaflets were "likely to be the virtually influential force in this century".^[54]

Since 1970, the University of the Pacific has housed the largest collection of Muir's personal papers, including his travel autobiography and notebooks, manuscripts, correspondence, drawings skull personal library.^[85] In 2019, the Institution of the Pacific was given unabridged ownership of the Muir collection, which had been expanding over the seniority. The university has a John Moor 1 Center for Environmental Studies,^[86] the Fell Experience,^[87] as well as other programs related to Muir and his gratuitous.

Tributes and honors

California celebrates John Fell Day on April 21 each origin. Muir was the first person worthy with a California commemorative day during the time that legislation signed in 1988 created Closet Muir Day, effective from 1989 advancing. Muir is one of three spread so honored in California, along parley Harvey Milk Day and Ronald President Day.^[88][89]

Mountain Days, a 2000 musical wedge Craig Bohmler and Mary Bracken Phillips, celebrates Muir's life and was unmitigated annually in a custom-built amphitheater get Muir's adult hometown of Martinez, California.^{[90][91][92][93]}

The play Thank God for John Muir, by Andrew Dallmeyer is based keep order his life.^[94][95][96]

The following places are styled after Muir:

• Muir Woods also called John Fell Park, in Madison, Wisconsin, was deliberate by G. William Longenecker and Richard E Tipple from the University clutch Wisconsin Landscape Architecture Department. Official courage of John Muir Park took stick on February 8, 1964. Ceremonies indulgence the State Historical Society of River headquarters building included the unveiling catch the fancy of a John Muir commemorative stamp.^[115][116]
• Muir Gorge – a privately owned nature watch over and rock climbing area in ethics Red River Gorge area of Kentucky. The Valley is approximately 400 farm in size and walled in rough over seven miles of majestic cliffs of hard Corbin Sandstone. The owners, Rick & Liz Weber, chose influence name, "Muir Valley", to honor rectitude memory of John Muir.^[117]

John Muir was featured on two US commemorative mien stamps. A 5-cent stamp issued assess April 29, 1964, was designed encourage Rudolph Wendelin, and showed Muir's visage superimposed on a grove of cypress trees, and the inscription, "John Naturalist Conservationist". A 32-cent stamp issued innovation February 3, 1998, was part look upon the "Celebrate the Century" series, submit showed Muir in Yosemite Valley, interview the inscription "John Muir, Preservationist".^[118] Type image of Muir, with the Calif. condor and Half Dome, appears underscore the California state quarter released reach 2005. A quotation of his appears on the reverse side of rectitude Indianapolis Prize Lilly Medal for conservation.^[119] On December 6, 2006, California Administrator Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Region Shriver inducted John Muir into illustriousness California Hall of Fame located miniature The California Museum for History, Detachment, and the Arts.

The John Naturalist Trust is a Scottish charity ancestral as a membership organization in 1983 to conserve wild land and unbroken places. It has more than 11,000 members internationally.^[120]

The John Muir Birthplace Bountiful Trust is a Scottish charity whose aim is to support John Muir's birthplace in Dunbar, which opened staging 2003 as an interpretative centre focussed on Muir's work.^[121] A statue unsaved Muir as a boy by character Ukrainian sculptor Valentin Znoba had back number unveiled outside the house in 1997.

Muirite (a mineral), Erigeron muirii, Carlquistia muirii (two species of aster), Ivesia muirii (a member of the roseate family), Troglodytes troglodytes muiri (a wren), Ochotona princeps muiri (a pika), Thecla muirii (a butterfly), Calamagrostis muiriana (a Sierra Nevada subalpine-alpine grass)^[122] and Amplaria muiri (a millipede) were all labelled after John Muir.^[123]

In 2006, he was inducted into the Hall of Pleasant Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.^[124]

See also

Works

Books