John muir autobiography

Scottish-American naturalist (1838–1914)

This article is exhibit the Scottish-American naturalist. For other followers with the same name, see Lav Muir (disambiguation).

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

His books, letters and essays describing his adventures in nature, exceptionally in the Sierra Nevada, have antique read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley fairy story Sequoia National Park, and his comments has served as an inspiration practise the preservation of many other rough country areas. The Sierra Club, which subside co-founded, is a prominent American repair organization. In his later life, Naturalist devoted most of his time unexpected his wife and the preservation dominate the Western forests. As part work the campaign to make Yosemite unembellished national park, Muir published two guidepost articles on wilderness preservation in The Century Magazine, "The Treasures of say publicly Yosemite" and "Features of the Tiny Yosemite National Park"; this helped hindmost the push for US Congress pass on to pass a bill in 1890 sanitarium Yosemite National Park.^[5] The spiritual bring out and enthusiasm toward nature expressed person of little consequence his writings has inspired readers, containing presidents and congressmen, to take dawn on to help preserve large nature areas.^[6]

John Muir has been considered "an design to both Scots and Americans".^[7] Muir's biographer, Steven J. Holmes, believes put off Muir has become "one of dignity patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity", both political and recreational. Rightfully a result, his writings are normally discussed in books and journals, presentday he has often been quoted dampen nature photographers such as Ansel Adams.^[8] "Muir has profoundly shaped the truly categories through which Americans understand avoid envision their relationships with the thrilling world", writes Holmes.^[9]

Muir was noted shield being an ecological thinker, political proponent, and environmental advocate, whose writings became a personal guide into nature bring about many people, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental knowingness. According to author William Anderson, Moorland exemplified "the archetype of our identicalness with the earth",^[10] while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his announcement was "saving the American soul devour total surrender to materialism".^[11]: 403 On Apr 21, 2013, the first John Naturalist Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of her majesty birth, paying homage to the environmentalist.

Early life

Boyhood in Scotland

John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland, in unmixed three-story stone building now preserved gorilla a museum. He was the ordinal of eight children of Daniel Fell and Ann Gilrye; their other line were Margaret, Sarah, David, Daniel, Ann and Mary (twins), and the American-born Joanna. His earliest recollections were flawless taking short walks with his elder statesman when he was three.^[12] In wreath autobiography, he described his boyhood pursuits, which included fighting, either by re-enacting romantic battles from the Wars position Scottish Independence or just wrestling depress the playground, and hunting for birds' nests (ostensibly to one-up his members belonging as they compared notes on who knew where the most were located).^{[13]: 25, 37} Author Amy Marquis notes that prohibited began his "love affair" with form while young, and implies that finish may have been in reaction obstacle his strict religious upbringing. "His pop believed that anything that distracted stranger Bible studies was frivolous and punishable." But the young Muir was unembellished "restless spirit" and especially "prone check in lashings".^[14] As a young boy, Moorland became fascinated with the East Lothian landscape, and spent a lot sell like hot cakes time wandering the local coastline other countryside. It was during this intention that he became interested in spiritual leader history and the works of Scots naturalist Alexander Wilson.

Although he all in the majority of his life arrangement America, Muir never forgot his pedigree in Scotland. He held a clear connection with his birthplace and Caledonian identity throughout his life and was frequently heard talking about his schooldays spent amid the East Lothian playing field. He greatly admired the works invoke Thomas Carlyle and poetry of Parliamentarian Burns; he was known to move a collection of poems by Comedian during his travels through the Dweller wilderness. He returned to Scotland load a trip in 1893, where purify met one of his Dunbar schoolmates and visited the places of tiara youth that were etched in fillet memory.^[7] He never lost his Scots accent since he was already 11 years old when he and king family emigrated to America.^[15]

Immigration to America

In 1849, Muir's family immigrated to prestige United States, starting a farm away Portage, Wisconsin, called Fountain Lake Evenness. It has been designated a Internal Historic Landmark.^[16] Stephen Fox recounts divagate Muir's father found the Church waning Scotland insufficiently strict in faith gleam practice, leading to their immigration at an earlier time joining a congregation of the CampbelliteRestoration Movement, called the Disciples of Christ.^[17]: 7 By the age of 11, honourableness young Muir had learned to narrate "by heart and by sore flesh" all of the New Testament allow most of the Old Testament.^[4]: 30 Bargain maturity, while remaining a deeply ecclesiastical man, Muir may have changed rule orthodox beliefs. He wrote, "I not under any condition tried to abandon creeds or law of civilization; they went away short vacation their own accord ... without abandon ship any consciousness of loss." Elsewhere perceive his writings, he described the conservative image of a Creator "as entirely a manufactured article as any hand puppet of a half-penny theater".^{[18]: 95, 115}

When he was 22 years old, Muir enrolled give in the University of Wisconsin–Madison, paying top own way for several years. Close to, under a towering black locust implant beside North Hall, Muir took culminate first botany lesson. A fellow follower plucked a flower from the gear and used it to explain agricultural show the grand locust is a partaker of the pea family, related brand the straggling pea plant. Fifty ripen later, the naturalist Muir described representation day in his autobiography. "This slim lesson charmed me and sent demonstrative flying to the woods and meadows in wild enthusiasm".^[13]: 225 As a neophyte, Muir studied chemistry with Professor Book Carr and his wife Jeanne; they became lifelong friends and Muir highlevel a lasting interest in chemistry suffer the sciences.^[11]: 76 Muir took an discriminating approach to his studies, attending inform for two years but never lifetime listed higher than a first-year pupil due to his unusual selection go in for courses. Records showed his class significance as "irregular gent" and, even even if he never graduated, he learned adequacy geology and botany to inform wreath later wanderings.^[19]: 36

In 1863, his brother Magistrate left Wisconsin and moved to Confederate Ontario (then known as Canada West in the United Canadas), to service the draft during the US Urbane War. Muir left school and traveled to the same region in 1864, and spent the spring, summer, topmost 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 Straightforward, including much of today's Bruce Plan. With his money running low post winter coming, he reunited with cap brother Daniel near Meaford, Ontario, who persuaded him to work with him at the sawmill and rake not expensive of William Trout and Charles Gull. Muir lived with the Trout kinfolk in an area called Trout Dip, south of Meaford, on the Bighead River.^[20] While there, he continued "botanizing", exploring the escarpment and bogs, growth and cataloging plants. One source appears to indicate he worked at excellence mill/factory until the summer of 1865,^[19]: 37 while another says he stayed internment at Trout Hollow until after unornamented fire burned it down in Feb 1866.^[21]

In March 1866, Muir returned style the United States, settling in Indianapolis to work in a wagon hoop factory. He proved valuable to realm employers because of his inventiveness tag on improving the machines and processes; be active was promoted to supervisor, being stipendiary $25 per week.^[4]: 48 In early-March 1867, an accident changed the course goods his life: a tool he was using slipped and struck him discern the eye. The file slipped suggest cut the cornea in his notwithstanding eye and then his left visual acuity sympathetically failed.^[22] He was confined enter upon a darkened room for six weeks to regain his sight, worried value whether he would end up dark. When he regained his sight, "he saw the world—and his purpose—in ingenious new light". Muir later wrote, "This affliction has driven me to rectitude sweet fields. God has to almost kill us sometimes, to teach loaded lessons".^[14] From that point on, explicit determined to "be true to [himself]" and follow his dream of study and study of plants.^[18]: 97

In September 1867, Muir undertook a walk of search out 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Kentucky blame on Florida, which he recounted in surmount book A Thousand-Mile Walk to birth Gulf. He had no specific line chosen, except to go by significance "wildest, leafiest, and least trodden blessing I could find".^[23] When Muir alighted at Cedar Key, he began mine for Richard Hodgson at Hodgson's mill. However, three days after accepting significance job at Hodgson's, Muir almost sound of a malarial sickness. After payment three months in an oft berserk state, Muir's condition improved such delay he was able to move disqualify the Hodgson's house and look gone. Due to their unending kindness family unit caring for his life, Muir so-called that he "doubtless owe my life"^[24] to the Hodgsons.

One evening flat early January 1868, Muir climbed take off the Hodgson house roof to ruling the sunset. He saw a get along, the Island Belle, and learned scheduled would soon be sailing for Cuba.^{[25]: 150, 154} Muir boarded the ship, and extent in Havana, he spent his studying shells and flowers and ordeal the botanical garden in the city.^[26]: 56 Afterwards, he sailed to New Royalty City and booked passage to California.^{[19]: 40–41} In 1878, Muir served as dexterous guide and artist for the Coalesced States Coast and Geodetic Survey garbage the survey of the 39th duplicate across the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah.^[27][28]

Explorer of nature

California

Experiencing Yosemite

Finally sinking abatement in San Francisco, Muir immediately nautical port for a week-long visit to Waterfall, a place he had only subject about. Seeing it for the cheeriness time, Muir notes that "He was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling go out of operation steep cliff faces to get first-class closer look at the waterfalls, whooping and howling at the vistas, alive tirelessly from flower to flower."^[14] Take steps later returned to Yosemite and played as a shepherd for a stint. He climbed a number of state, including Cathedral Peak and Mount Dana, and hiked an old trail fasten Bloody Canyon to Mono Lake.

Muir built a small cabin along Falls Creek,^[29]: 207 designing it so that out section of the stream flowed formulate a corner of the room straightfaced he could enjoy the sound conduct operations running water. He lived in prestige cabin for two years^[30]: 143 and wrote about this period in his seamless First Summer in the Sierra (1911). Muir's biographer, Frederick Turner, notes Muir's journal entry upon first visiting loftiness valley and writes that his class "blazes from the page with high-mindedness authentic force of a conversion experience".^[25]: 172

Friendships

During these years in Yosemite, Muir was unmarried, often unemployed, with no insistence for a career, and had "periods of anguish", writes naturalist author Bog Tallmadge. In 1880 he married Louisa Strentzel. He went into business get to 10 years with his father-in-law leadership the orchards on the family 2600 acre farm in Martinez, California. Can and Louisa had two daughters, Wanda Muir Hanna and Helen Muir Fear. He was sustained by the concave environment and by reading the essays of naturalist author Ralph Waldo Writer, who wrote about the very philosophy that Muir was then living. Adjust excursions into the back country flaxen Yosemite, he traveled alone, carrying "only a tin cup, a handful cancel out tea, a loaf of bread, mushroom a copy of Emerson."^{[31]: 52–53} He for the most part spent his evenings sitting by marvellous campfire in his overcoat, reading Writer under the stars. As the time eon passed, he became a "fixture minute the valley", respected for his track of natural history, his skill significance a guide, and his vivid storytelling.^[31]: 53 Visitors to the valley often play a part scientists, artists, and celebrities, many allude to whom made a point of put the finishing touch to with Muir.

During his time main the University of Wisconsin, Muir took classes under Charles H. Allen, appreciate whom he became lifelong friends, distribution a love of natural sciences.^[32] Comedienne would move to California in 1872 and become the principal of greatness California State Normal School (now San Jose State University), Muir gave many lectures at the normal school, extra Allen joined Muir in several deal hikes.^[32]

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

In 1871, rear 1 Muir had lived in Yosemite make a choice three years, Emerson, with several troop and family, arrived in Yosemite as a tour of the Western Pooled States.^{[34]: 105–46} The two men met, instruction according to Tallmadge, "Emerson was 1 to find at the end hold his career the prophet-naturalist he locked away 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 guiding position at Harvard, which Muir declined. Muir later wrote, "I never bolster a moment thought of giving coordination God's big show for a swimming pool profship!"^[31]: 53

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

Geological studies and theories

Pursuit preceding his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. Moor 1 soon became convinced that glaciers confidential sculpted many of the features slap the Yosemite Valley and surrounding division. This notion was in strong divergence to the accepted contemporary theory, spread by Josiah Whitney (head of loftiness California Geological Survey), which attributed ethics formation of the valley to orderly catastrophic earthquake. As Muir's ideas latitude, Whitney tried to discredit Muir timorous branding him as an amateur. Nevertheless Louis Agassiz, the premier geologist confiscate the day, saw merit in Muir's ideas and lauded him as "the first man I have ever line who has any adequate conception training glacial action".^[36] In 1871, Muir ascertained an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theories make off with acceptance.

A large earthquake centered to all intents and purposes Lone Pine in Owens Valley stoutly shook occupants of Yosemite Valley fasten March 1872. The quake woke Fell in the early morning, and fiasco ran out of his cabin "both glad and frightened", exclaiming, "A aristocratic earthquake!" Other valley settlers, who estimated Whitney's ideas, feared that the tremble was a prelude to a calamitous deepening of the valley. Muir difficult no such fear and promptly bound a moonlit survey of new scree piles created by earthquake-triggered rockslides.^[37] That event led more people to think in Muir's ideas about the reconstruct of the valley.^{[clarification needed]}

Botanical studies

In depart from to his geologic studies, Muir very investigated the plant life of influence Yosemite area. In 1873 and 1874, he made field studies along say publicly western flank of the Sierra summit the distribution and ecology of single groves of Giant Sequoia. In 1876, the American Association for the Rise of Science published Muir's paper make known 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 Earth Guides first traveled to Alaska hillock 1879 and were the first Euro-Americans^[40] to explore Glacier Bay. Muir Glacier was later named after him. Good taste traveled into British Columbia a position of the way up the Stikine River, likening its Grand Canyon rescue "a Yosemite that was a reckon miles long".^[41] Muir recorded over Cardinal glaciers along the river's course.^[42]

He correlative for further explorations in southeast Alaska in 1880 and in 1881 was with the party that landed trembling Wrangel Island on the USS Corwin and claimed that island for authority United States. He documented this knowledge in journal entries and newspaper articles—later compiled and edited into his reservation The Cruise of the Corwin.^[43] Assume 1888 after seven years of conducting the Strentzel fruit ranch in Palace Valley, California, his health began involve suffer. He returned to the hills to recover, climbing Mount Rainier bundle Washington and writing Ascent of Gravely Rainier.

Activism

Preservation efforts

Establishing Yosemite National Park

Muir threw himself into the preservationist character with great vigor. He envisioned decency Yosemite area and the Sierra variety pristine lands.^[44] He thought the set threat to the Yosemite area gift the Sierra was domesticated livestock—especially residential sheep, which he referred to primate "hoofed locusts". In June 1889, representation influential associate editor of The Century magazine, Robert Underwood Johnson, camped constitute Muir in Tuolumne Meadows and axiom firsthand the damage a large swarm of sheep had done to nobleness grassland. Johnson agreed to publish provincial article Muir wrote on the bypass of excluding livestock from the Sierra high country. He also agreed get into use his influence to introduce uncluttered bill to Congress to make honesty Yosemite area into a national fallback, modeled after Yellowstone National Park.

On September 30, 1890, the US Assembly passed a bill that essentially followed recommendations that Muir had suggested play in two Century articles, "The Treasures after everything else the Yosemite" and "Features of dignity Proposed National Park", both published incorporate 1890.^[45][44] But to Muir's dismay, picture bill left Yosemite Valley under re-establish control, as it had been owing to the 1860s.

Co-founding the Sierra Club

Main article: Sierra Club

In early 1892, Academic Henry Senger, a philologist at character University of California, Berkeley, contacted Moor 1 with the idea of forming neat as a pin local 'alpine club' for mountain lovers. Senger and San Francisco attorney Excavate Olney sent out invitations "for righteousness purpose of forming a 'Sierra Club'. Mr. John Muir will preside". Collection May 28, 1892, the first subjugated of the Sierra Club was taken aloof to write articles of incorporation. Facial appearance week later Muir was elected number one, Warren Olney was elected vice-president, professor a board of directors was ungainly that included David Starr Jordan, gaffer of the new Stanford University. Moorland remained president until his death 22 years later.^{[4]: 107–108 [46]}

The Sierra Club immediately loath efforts to reduce Yosemite National Standin by half, and began holding ormative and scientific meetings. At one conference in the fall of 1895 put off included Muir, Joseph LeConte, and William R. Dudley, the Sierra Club put through the idea of establishing 'national earth reservations', which were later called Public Forests. The Sierra Club was efficient in the successful campaign to convert Yosemite National Park from state cluster federal control in 1906. The bicker to preserve Hetch Hetchy Valley was also taken up by the Sierra Club, with some prominent San Francisco members opposing the fight. Eventually adroit vote was held that overwhelmingly stand the Sierra Club behind the claimant to Hetch Hetchy Dam.^[46]

Preservation vs conservation

In July 1896, Muir became associated be in keeping with Gifford Pinchot, a national leader fall to pieces the conservation movement. Pinchot was illustriousness first head of the United States Forest Service and a leading defender for the sustainable use of common resources for the benefit of decency people. His views eventually clashed clang Muir's and highlighted two diverging views of the use of the country's natural resources. Pinchot saw conservation translation a means of managing the nation's natural resources for long-term sustainable fruitful use. As a professional forester, climax view was that "forestry is set out farming", without destroying the long-term practicality of the forests.^[47] Muir valued sphere for its spiritual and transcendental press. In one essay about the Folk Parks, he referred to them sort "places for rest, inspiration, and prayers." He often encouraged city dwellers designate experience nature for its spiritual diet. Both men opposed reckless exploitation aristocratic natural resources, including clear-cutting of forests. Even Muir acknowledged the need go for timber and the forests to domestic animals it, but Pinchot's view of wild clutter management was more resource-oriented.^[47]

Their friendship blown up late in the summer of 1897 when Pinchot released a statement assign a Seattle newspaper supporting sheep skimming in forest reserves. Muir confronted Pinchot and demanded an explanation. When Pinchot reiterated his position, Muir told him: "I don't want any thing added to do with you". This erudite divide soon expanded and split leadership conservation movement into two camps: ethics "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 rank valley as "the highest possible realize 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, progress to no holier temple has ever bent consecrated by the hearts of man".^[47]

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

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt accompanied Muir enter a visit to Yosemite. Muir hitched Roosevelt in Oakland, California, for honourableness train trip to Raymond. The statesmanly entourage then traveled by stagecoach penetrate the park. While traveling to illustriousness park, Muir told the president contest state mismanagement of the valley view rampant exploitation of the valley's parley. Even before they entered the greensward, he was able to convince Diplomatist that the best way to guard the valley was through federal relentless and management.

After entering the protected area and seeing the magnificent splendor endlessly the valley, the president asked Naturalist to show him the real Waterfall. Muir and Roosevelt set off generally by themselves and camped in authority back country. The duo talked sum into the night, slept in greatness brisk open air of Glacier Knock over, and were dusted by a unfamiliar snowfall in the morning. It was a night Roosevelt never forgot.^[48][49] Misstep later told a crowd, "Lying allot at night under those giant Sequoias was like lying in a church built by no hand of adult, a temple grander than any sensitive architect could by any possibility build."^[50] Muir, too, cherished the camping characteristic. "Camping with the President was excellent remarkable experience", he wrote. "I disinterestedly fell in love with him".^[50]

Muir so increased efforts by the Sierra Bat to consolidate park management. In 1906 Congress transferred the Mariposa Grove settle down Yosemite Valley to the park.^[51]

Nature writer

In his life, Muir published six volumes of writings, all describing explorations go with natural settings. Four additional books were published posthumously. Several books were afterward published that collected essays and position from various sources. Miller writes divagate what was most important about empress writings was not their quantity, however their "quality". He notes that they have had a "lasting effect full of twists and turns American culture in helping to cause the desire and will to guard and preserve wild and natural environments".^[19]: 173

His first appearance in print was preschooler accident, writes Miller; a person recognized did not know submitted, without rulership permission or awareness, a personal epistle to his friend Jeanne Carr, relating Calypso borealis, a rare flower without fear had encountered. The piece was in print anonymously, identified as having been inevitable by an "inspired pilgrim".^[19]: 174 Throughout fillet many years as a nature columnist, Muir frequently rewrote and expanded immature person earlier writings from his journals, chimpanzee well as articles published in magazines. He often compiled and organized specified earlier writings as collections of essays or included them as part see narrative books.^[19]: 173

Jeanne Carr: friend and mentor

Muir's friendship with Jeanne Carr had splendid lifelong influence on his career restructuring a naturalist and writer. They greatest met in the fall of 1860, when, at age 22, he entered a number of his homemade inventions in the Wisconsin State Agricultural Identity Fair. Carr, a fair assistant, was asked by fair officials to discussion Muir's exhibits to see if they had merit. She thought they frank and "saw in his entries hint of genius worthy of special recognition", notes Miller.^[19]: 33 As a result, Moor 1 received a diploma and a fiscal award for his handmade clocks ride thermometer.^[52]: 1 During the next three adulthood while a student at the Origination of Wisconsin, he was befriended coarse Carr and her husband, Ezra, excellent professor at the same university. According to Muir biographer Bonnie Johanna Gisel, the Carrs recognized his "pure commit to memory, unsophisticated nature, inherent curiosity, scholarly good judgment, and independent thought". Jeanne Carr, 35 years of age, especially appreciated queen youthful individuality, along with his blessing of "religious truths" that were wellknown like her own.^[52]: 2

Muir was often hail to the Carrs' home; he communal Jeanne's love of plants. In 1864, he left Wisconsin to begin investigative the Canadian wilderness and, while nearby, began corresponding with her about her majesty activities. Carr wrote Muir in come and encouraged him in his explorations and writings, eventually having an leading influence over his personal goals. Unbendable one point she asked Muir persuade read a book she felt would influence his thinking, Lamartine's The Mason of Saint Point. It was righteousness story of a man whose growth she hoped would "metabolize in Muir", writes Gisel, and "was a ledge of the life she envisioned get to him". According to Gisel, the fib was about a "poor man tally up a pure heart", who found compel nature "divine lessons and saw cunning of God's creatures interconnected".^[52]: 3

After Muir correlative to the United States, he fagged out the next four years exploring Falls, while at the same time verbal skill articles for publication. During those length of existence, Muir and Carr continued corresponding. She sent many of her friends obtain Yosemite to meet Muir and "to hear him preach the gospel deduction the mountains", writes Gisel. The heavy-handed notable was naturalist and author Ralph Waldo Emerson. The importance of Carr, who continually gave Muir reassurance cranium inspiration, "cannot be overestimated", adds Gisel. It was "through his letters ruin her that he developed a language and purpose". She also tried take home promote Muir's writings by submitting climax letters to a monthly magazine endow with publication. Muir came to trust Carr as his "spiritual mother", and they remained friends for 30 years.^[52]: 6 Expansion one letter she wrote to Naturalist while he was living in Waterfall, she tried to keep him cheat despairing as to his purpose adjust life.^[52]: 43

The value of their friendship was first disclosed by a friend freedom Carr's, clergyman and writer G. Writer James. After obtaining copies of their private letters from Carr, and neglect pleadings from Muir to return them, he instead published articles about their friendship, using those letters as smart primary source. In one such circumstance, his focus was Muir's debt faith Carr, stating that she was her majesty "guiding star" who "led him have some bearing on the noble paths of life, present-day then kept him there".^{[53]: 87–88}

John Charles Front Dyke and Dix Strong Van Dyke

John Charles Van Dyke was an writer and Professor of Art at Rutgers College (now Rutgers, State University commemorate New Jersey). His nephew Dix Irritating Van Dyke had gone to Daggett, California to seek his fortune. Corresponding his uncle, Dix was an originator, who wrote Daggett: Life in great Mojave Frontier Town (Creating the Direction American Landscape). John Muir found emperor way to Daggett and had visit conversations with the uncle and nephew Van Dyke at the Dix shower. This likely had an effect persistent his writings. His daughter Helen one 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 follow to him easily, but only merge with intense effort. "Daily he rose condescension 4:30 o'clock, and after a lithe cup of coffee labored incessantly. ... he groans over his labors, unwind writes and rewrites and interpolates". Osborn notes that he preferred using character simplest English language, and therefore pet above all the writings of Historiographer, Emerson and Thoreau. "He is well-organized very firm believer in Thoreau topmost starts by reading deeply of that author".^[54]: 29 His secretary, Marion Randall Sociologist, also noted that "composition was every time slow and laborious for him. ... Each sentence, each phrase, each dialogue, underwent his critical scrutiny, not previously at once dir but twenty times before he was satisfied to let it stand". Naturalist often told her, "This business time off writing books is a long, wearing, endless job".^[54]: 33

Miller speculates that Muir recycled his earlier writings partly due come into contact with his "dislike of the writing process". He adds that Muir "did groan enjoy the work, finding it dense and tedious". He was generally disheartened with the finished result, finding expository writing "a weak instrument for the feature he wished to convey".^[19]: 173 However, illegal was prodded by friends and culminate wife to keep writing and kind a result of their influence loosen up kept at it, although never gorged. Muir wrote in 1872, "No turn of word-making will ever make trim single soul to 'know' these fatherland. One day's exposure to mountains keep to better than a cartload of books".^{[55]: xviii} In one of his essays, earth gave an example of the deficiencies of writing versus experiencing nature.^[56]

Philosophical beliefs

Nature and theology

Muir believed that to spot truth, he must turn to what he believed were the most correct sources. In his book, The Composition of My Boyhood and Youth (1913), he writes that during his boyhood, his father made him read rendering Bible every day. Muir eventually memorized three-quarters of the Old Testament take all of the New Testament.^[13]: 20 Muir's father read Josephus's War of nobility Jews to understand the culture depose first-century Judea, as it was predetermined by an eyewitness, and illuminated picture culture during the period of depiction New Testament.^[57]: 43 But as Muir became attached to the American natural landscapes he explored, Williams notes that stylishness began to see another "primary tone for understanding God: the Book systematic Nature". According to Williams, in world, especially in the wilderness, Muir was able to study the plants add-on animals in an environment that smartness believed "came straight from the upgrading of God, uncorrupted by civilization delighted domestication".^[57]: 43 As Tallmadge notes, Muir's impression in this "Book of Nature" forced him to tell the story rule "this creation in words any primer could understand". As a result, ruler writings were to become "prophecy, ardently desire [they] sought to change our standpoint of vision".^[31]: 53

Williams notes that Muir's position and world view rotated around wreath perceived dichotomy between civilization and mode. From this developed his core thought that "wild is superior".^[57]: 41 His properties writings became a "synthesis of affect theology" with scripture that helped him understand the origins of the pure world. According to Williams, philosophers vital theologians such as Thomas Dick inherent that the "best place to peruse the true attributes of deity was in Nature". He came to think that God was always active hurt the creation of life and thereby kept the natural order of decency world.^[57]: 41 As a result, Muir "styled himself as a John the Baptist", adds Williams, "whose duty was pocket immerse in 'mountain baptism' everyone explicit could".^[57]: 46 Williams concludes that Muir axiom nature as a great teacher, "revealing the mind of God", and that belief became the central theme practice his later journeys and the "subtext" of his nature writing.^[57]: 50

During his existence as writer and while living diminution the mountains, Muir continued to manner the "presence of the divine sentence nature", writes Holmes.^{[9]: 5 [58]: 317} His personal penmanship also conveyed these feelings of hypnotic state. Historian Catherine Albanese stated that minute one of his letters, "Muir's sacrament made Thoreau's feast on wood-chuck stomach huckleberry seem almost anemic". Muir was extremely fond of Thoreau and was probably influenced more by him puzzle even Emerson. Muir often referred be required to himself as a "disciple" of Thoreau.^[59]: 100

Sensory perceptions and light

During his first summertime in the Sierra as a conduct, Muir wrote field notes that emphasised the role that the senses use in human perceptions of the existence. According to Williams, he speculated guarantee the world was an unchanging reason that was interpreted by the outstanding ability through the senses, and, writes Moorland, "If the creator were to donate a new set of senses work us ... we would never incontrovertible that we were in another fake ..."^[57]: 43 While doing his studies demonstration nature, he would try to keep in mind everything he observed as if top senses were recording the impressions, in the offing he could write them in tiara journal. As a result of sovereign intense desire to remember facts, subside filled his field journals with transcribe on precipitation, temperature, and even dapple formations.^[57]: 45

However, Muir took his journal entries further than recording factual observations. Ballplayer notes that the observations he historical 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. Mean Muir, mountain skies, for example, seemed painted with light, and came peak "... symbolize divinity".^[57]: 45 He often alleged his observations in terms of light.^[60]

Muir biographer Steven Holmes notes that Heath used words like "glory" and "glorious" to suggest that light was winsome on a religious dimension: "It laboratory analysis impossible to overestimate the importance appropriate the notion of glory in Muir's published writings, where no other unique image carries more emotional or spiritualminded weight",^[9]: 178 adding that his words "exactly parallels its Hebraic origins", in which biblical writings often indicate a godlike presence with light, as in say publicly burning bush or pillar of glow, and described as "the glory lay out God".^{[9]: 179 [60][58]: 24}

Seeing nature as home

Muir often worn the term "home" as a reference for both nature and his prevailing attitude toward the "natural world itself", notes Holmes. He often used tame language to describe his scientific data, as when he saw nature primate providing a home for even magnanimity smallest plant life: "the little colorize plant, tended by its Maker, concluded its petals, crouched low in neat crevice of a home, and enjoyed the storm in safety".^[58]: 57 Muir additionally saw nature as his own soupзon, as when he wrote friends subject described the Sierra as "God's mount mansion". He considered not only authority mountains as home, however, as blooper also felt a closeness even pin down the smallest objects: "The very stones seem talkative, sympathetic, brotherly. No curiosity when we consider that we work hard have the same Father and Mother".^[60]: 319

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

Not surprisingly, Muir's deep-seated feeling about soul as being his true home unclear to tension with his family press-gang his home in Martinez, California. Unquestionable once told a visitor to consummate ranch there, "This is a advantage place to be housed in close to stormy weather, ... to write mull it over, and to raise children in, however it is not my home. Be acceptable there", pointing towards the Sierra Nevada, "is my home".^[4]: 74

Native Americans

Muir's expressed manifold attitudes towards Native Americans over cap life, from sympathy to distaste. Closure saw nature as ideal when rolling in money was free from man's influence, inclusive of Native Americans, but he did crowd recognize that the landscapes he darling had been shaped by Native Americans for millennia, through the use become aware of deliberately-set fires to burn-off understory growth.^[61][62][63] His earliest encounters, during his ancy in Wisconsin, were with Winnebago Indians, who begged for food and cape his favorite horse. In spite avail yourself of that, he had expressed sympathy long for their "being robbed of their domain and pushed ruthlessly back into narrower and narrower limits by alien races who were cutting off their source of livelihood". His early encounters co-worker the Paiute in California left him feeling ambivalent after seeing their cultivation, which he described as "lazy" come to rest "superstitious".^[64]

Muir wrote of the Miwoks hamper Yosemite as “most ugly, and intensely of them altogether hideous" and renounce “they seemed to have no deal with place in the landscape, and Farcical was glad to see them declining 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, rearguard living with Indians, he praised meticulous grew more respectful of their okay impact on the wilderness, compared withstand the heavy impact by European Americans.^[64] However, in his journals, he commonly describes those he encounters as "dirty," "irregular" and "unnatural."^[60]

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

In response chew out claims about Muir's attitudes about Unbroken Americans, Sierra Club national Board shareholder Chad Hanson wrote, "Muir wrote time about the intelligence and dignity break into Native Americans, and honored how customary Indigenous peoples lived in peaceful coexistence with Nature and wild creatures, meaning his view that Native peoples ‘rank above’ white settlers, who he progressively described as selfish, base, and incomplete honor. This would become a steadfast theme in Muir's writings, as soil attacked the dominant white culture's vitriolic and greedy ways, and its anthrosupremacist mindset that placed humans above disturbance else and recognized no intrinsic wisdom in ecosystems or wildlife species elapsed whatever profit could be gained contempt exploiting them."^[67]

African Americans

Muir spoke suggest wrote about the equality of yell people, "regardless of color, or race",^[68] and wrote about the immorality noise slavery in his final book, Travels in Alaska.^[69] During his time give it some thought Alaska he also wrote,

we were all children of one father; sketched the characteristics of the different races of mankind, showing that no affair how far apart their countries were, how they differed in color, extent, language, etc. and no matter in any case different and how various the conduct in which they got a exact, that the white man and lessening the people of the world were essentially alike, that we all locked away ten fingers and toes and gift bodies were the same, whether waxen, brown, black or different colors, alight speak different languages.^[70]

In his earlier grow older, Muir did make some disparaging remarks about African Americans. In A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, Muir declared African Americans as "well trained" nevertheless "making a great deal of clash and doing little work. One vigorous white man, working with a volition declaration, would easily pick as much line as half a dozen Sambos arm Sallies." Describing the sight of join African Americans at a campfire, unquestionable wrote, "I could see their light-skinned gleaming from the great lips, enjoin their smooth cheeks flashing off stem as if made of glass. Abnormal anywhere but in the South, prestige glossy pair would have been tied up for twin devils, but here feel was only a Negro and fillet wife at their supper."^[71] However, jaws no point in Muir's personal voyage to the Gulf did he root or empathize with the Southern source, avoiding entreaties from Southern hosts conj at the time that they prodded him.^[72]

In 2020, featureless light of the movement to vacate Confederate monuments across the country, Archangel Brune, the executive director of primacy Sierra Club, reflected on Muir's baffle and controversial legacy and announced renounce the club would shift towards investment in racial justice work and interesting which of its monuments need talk be renamed or removed.^[73] On July 22, 2020, the Sierra Club wrote:

Muir was not immune to the favouritism peddled by many in the at conservation movement. He made derogatory comments about Black people and Indigenous peoples that drew on deeply harmful antiblack stereotypes, though his views evolved subsequent in his life. As the governing iconic figure in Sierra Club representation, Muir's words and actions carry prominence especially heavy weight. They continue abrupt hurt and alienate Indigenous people reprove people of color who come have some bearing on contact with the Sierra Club.^[73]

Some regard Muir's associates cited by Brune advocate others, such as Joseph LeConte, King 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 embrace such beliefs.^[72]

Aaron Mair, who in 2015 became the first Black president disregard the Sierra Club board, stated zigzag the contents and framing of Moorland in Brune's post "are a misrepresentation". Mair went on to state think about it Brune, "did not consult him achieve something the other two Black board people before pushing ahead on what do something called a “revisionist” and “ahistorical” snub of Muir's writings, thoughts and life."^[75] Mair, along with two other Sierra Club board members, Chad Hanson have a word with Mary Ann Nelson, wrote a reaction to Brune's attack on Muir, writing:

some of Muir’s colleagues promoted Ashen supremacist myths and exclusionary views concerning national parks and forests, Muir rung out about the importance of formation these areas accessible and encouraging compartment people to experience them, writing, “Few are altogether deaf to the dressing-down of pine trees. Their sermons rant the mountains go to our hearts; and if people in general could be got into the woods, regular for once, to hear the unpleasant speak for themselves, all difficulties feature the way of forest preservation would vanish.” He came to believe abjectly in the equality of all common, writing, “We all flow from individual fountain Soul. All are expressions admonishment one Love. God does not materialize, and flow out, only from unsympathetic chinks and round bored wells regarding and there in favored races give orders to places.”^[72]

Hetch Hetchy Dam controversy

With population evolution continuing in San Francisco, political power increased to dam the Tuolumne Fountain for use as a water lake. Muir passionately opposed the damming signal your intention Hetch Hetchy Valley because he grow Hetch Hetchy as stunning as Waterfall Valley.^{[76]: 249–62} Muir, the Sierra Club careful Robert Underwood Johnson fought against inundating the valley. Muir wrote to Helmsman Roosevelt pleading for him to beetle the project. Roosevelt's successor, William Actor Taft, suspended the Interior Department's endorsement for the Hetch Hetchy right-of-way. Later years of national debate, Taft's equal Woodrow Wilson signed the bill authorizing the dam into law on Dec 19, 1913. Muir felt a say loss from the destruction of position valley, his last major battle. Blooper wrote to his friend Vernon Kellogg, "As to the loss of honesty Sierra Park Valley [Hetch Hetchy] it's hard to bear. The destruction in this area the charming groves and gardens, position finest in all California, goes endorsement my heart."^[77]

Personal life

In 1878, when grace was nearing the age of 40, Muir's friends "pressured him to go back to society".^[14] Soon after he complementary to the Oakland area, he was introduced by Jeanne Carr to Louisa Strentzel, daughter of a prominent doc and horticulturist with a 2,600-acre (11 km²) fruit orchard in Martinez, California, north of Oakland. In 1880, after let go returned from a trip to Alaska, Muir and Strentzel married. John Moor 1 went into partnership with his father-in-law John Strentzel, and for ten period directed most of his energy have dealings with managing this large fruit farm.^[78] Even though Muir was a loyal, dedicated lock away, and father of two daughters, "his heart remained wild", writes Marquis. Realm wife understood his needs, and make something stand out seeing his restlessness at the spreading would sometimes "shoo him back up" to the mountains. He sometimes took his daughters with him.^[14]

The house become more intense part of the ranch are convey the John Muir National Historic Site.^[79] In addition, the W.H.C. Folsom Piedаterre, where Muir worked as a laser printer, is also listed on the State Register of Historic Places.

Muir became a naturalized citizen of the Pooled 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 Heath Funk. His grandson, Ross Hanna, cursory until 2014, when he died trim age 91.^[83]

Legacy

During his lifetime John Heath published over 300 articles and 12 books. He co-founded the Sierra Baton, which helped establish a number quite a few national parks after he died. Now the club has over 2.4 million helpers.

Muir has been called the "patron saint of the American wilderness" playing field its "archetypal free spirit". "As skilful dreamer and activist, his eloquent terminology changed the way Americans saw their mountains, forests, seashores, and deserts", put into words nature writer Gretel Ehrlich.^[84] He moan only led the efforts to shield forest areas and have some counted as national parks, but his belles-lettres presented "human culture and wild manner as one of humility and esteem for all life".^[26]

Robert Underwood Johnson, redactor of Century Magazine, which published visit of Muir's articles, states that no problem influenced people's appreciation of nature prosperous national parks, which became a recognized legacy:

The world will look make something worse to the time we live thrill and remember the voice of individual crying in the wilderness and cheer the name of John Muir. ... He sung the glory of chip in like another Psalmist, and, as clean up true artist, was unashamed of culminate emotions. His countrymen owe him thankfulness as the pioneer of our method of national parks. ... Muir's information and enthusiasm were the chief put right that inspired the movement. All authority other torches were lighted from his.^[54]

Muir exalted wild nature over human urbanity and civilization, believing that all people was sacred. Turner describes him similarly "a man who in his eccentric way rediscovered America. ... an Land pioneer, an American hero".^[25] The important aim of Muir's nature philosophy, writes Wilkins, was to challenge mankind's "enormous conceit", and in so doing, crystal-clear moved beyond the Transcendentalism of Author to a "biocentric perspective on decency world". He did so by detailing the natural world as "a sink of divinity", and his writings ofttimes made nature synonymous with God.^[26]: 265 friend, Henry Fairfield Osborn, observed digress as a result of his celestial upbringing, Muir retained "this belief, which is so strongly expressed in goodness Old Testament, that all the scrunch up of nature are directly the duct of God".^[54] In the opinion have a high regard for Enos Mills, a contemporary who personal Rocky Mountain National Park, Muir's belles-lettres were "likely to be the governing 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 life story and notebooks, manuscripts, correspondence, drawings accept personal library.^[85] In 2019, the Founding of the Pacific was given congested ownership of the Muir collection, which had been expanding over the existence. The university has a John Heath Center for Environmental Studies,^[86] the Heath Experience,^[87] as well as other programs related to Muir and his research paper.

Tributes and honors

California celebrates John Fell Day on April 21 each class. Muir was the first person prestigious with a California commemorative day considering that legislation signed in 1988 created Convenience Muir Day, effective from 1989 on. Muir is one of three dynasty so honored in California, along do better than Harvey Milk Day and Ronald President Day.^[88][89]

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

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

The following places are christian name after Muir:

• Muir Woods also called John Naturalist Park, in Madison, Wisconsin, was intentional by G. William Longenecker and Richard E Tipple from the University use your indicators Wisconsin Landscape Architecture Department. Official earnestness of John Muir Park took promote on February 8, 1964. Ceremonies encounter the State Historical Society of River headquarters building included the unveiling have a high regard for a John Muir commemorative stamp.^[115][116]
• Muir Hole – a privately owned nature guard and rock climbing area in authority Red River Gorge area of Kentucky. The Valley is approximately 400 acreage in size and walled in bypass over seven miles of majestic cliffs of hard Corbin Sandstone. The owners, Rick & Liz Weber, chose grandeur name, "Muir Valley", to honor prestige memory of John Muir.^[117]

John Muir was featured on two US commemorative stance stamps. A 5-cent stamp issued be thankful for April 29, 1964, was designed wishywashy Rudolph Wendelin, and showed Muir's defy superimposed on a grove of sequoia trees, and the inscription, "John Moor 1 Conservationist". A 32-cent stamp issued note February 3, 1998, was part be expeditious for the "Celebrate the Century" series, scold showed Muir in Yosemite Valley, consider the inscription "John Muir, Preservationist".^[118] Hoaxer image of Muir, with the Calif. condor and Half Dome, appears coalition the California state quarter released descent 2005. A quotation of his appears on the reverse side of righteousness Indianapolis Prize Lilly Medal for conservation.^[119] On December 6, 2006, California Guru Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Tree Shriver inducted John Muir into excellence California Hall of Fame located shock defeat The California Museum for History, Corps, and the Arts.

The John Fell Trust is a Scottish charity forward as a membership organization in 1983 to conserve wild land and undomesticated 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 essential 2003 as an interpretative centre accurately on Muir's work.^[121] A statue comatose Muir as a boy by description 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 rosiness 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 person's name after John Muir.^[123]

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

See also

Works

Books