John Muir - wikipedia John Muir This article is about the Scottish - American naturalist and preservationist. For other people of the same name, see John Muir ( disambiguation ). John Muir John Muir, c. 1902 ( 1838 - 04 - 21 ) April 21, 1838 Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland December 24, 1914 ( 1914 - 12 - 24 ) ( aged 76 ) Los Angeles, California Occupation Engineer, naturalist, philosopher, writer, botanist, geologist, environmentalist Known for Founder of Sierra Club Spouse ( s ) Louisa Wanda Strentzel ( 1847 -- 1905 ) ( m. 1880 -- 1905 ) Children Signature John Muir ( / mjʊər / ; April 21, 1838 -- December 24, 1914 ) also known as `` John of the Mountains '' and `` Father of the National Parks '', was an influential Scottish - American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, glaciologist and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, have been read by millions. His activism has helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and many other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he co-founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. The 211 - mile ( 340 km ) John Muir Trail, a hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, was named in his honor. Other such places include Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir, Muir Grove, and Muir Glacier. In Scotland, the John Muir Way, a 130 - mile - long route, was named in honor of him. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. As part of the campaign to make Yosemite a national park, Muir published two landmark articles on wilderness preservation in The Century Magazine, `` The Treasures of the Yosemite '' and `` Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park '' ; this helped support the push for U.S. Congress to pass a bill in 1890 establishing Yosemite National Park. The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings has inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas. John Muir has been considered `` an inspiration to both Scots and Americans ''. Muir 's biographer, Steven J. Holmes, believes that Muir has become `` one of the patron saints of twentieth - century American environmental activity, '' both political and recreational. As a result, his writings are commonly discussed in books and journals, and he is often quoted by nature photographers such as Ansel Adams. `` Muir has profoundly shaped the very categories through which Americans understand and envision their relationships with the natural world, '' writes Holmes. Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and religious prophet, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for countless individuals, making his name `` almost ubiquitous '' in the modern environmental consciousness. According to author William Anderson, Muir exemplified `` the archetype of our oneness with the earth '', while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his mission was `` saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism. '' On April 21, 2013, the first ever John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist. Contents 1 Early life 1.1 Boyhood in Scotland 1.2 Immigration to America 2 Explorer of nature 2.1 California 2.1. 1 Experiencing Yosemite 2.1. 2 Friendships 2.1. 3 Geological studies and theories 2.1. 4 Botanical studies 2.2 Pacific Northwest 3 Activism and controversies 3.1 Preservation efforts 3.1. 1 Establishing Yosemite National Park 3.2 Co-founding the Sierra Club 3.3 Preservation vs conservation 3.4 Native Americans 3.5 Hetch Hetchy dam controversy 4 Nature writer 4.1 Jeanne Carr : friend and mentor 4.2 Writing becomes his work 5 Philosophical beliefs 5.1 Of Nature and Theology 5.2 Of sensory perceptions and light 5.3 Seeing nature as home 6 Personal life 7 Death 8 Legacy 9 Tributes and honors 10 Bibliography 10.1 Books 10.2 Essays online 11 See also 12 Notes 13 Further reading 14 External links Early life Boyhood in Scotland Muir was born in the small house at left. His father bought the adjacent building in 1842, and made it the family home. John Muir 's Birthplace is a four - story stone house in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland. His parents were Daniel Muir and Ann Gilrye. He was the third of eight children : Margaret, Sarah, David, Daniel, Ann and Mary ( twins ), and the American - born Joanna. His earliest recollections were of taking short walks with his grandfather when he was three. In his autobiography, he described his boyhood pursuits, which included fighting, either by re-enacting romantic battles from the Wars of Scottish Independence or just scrapping on the playground, and hunting for birds ' nests ( ostensibly to one - up his fellows as they compared notes on who knew where the most were located ). Author Amy Marquis notes that he began his `` love affair '' with nature while young, and implies that it may have been in reaction to his strict religious upbringing. `` His father believed that anything that distracted from Bible studies was frivolous and punishable. '' But the young Muir was a `` restless spirit '' and especially `` prone to lashings. '' As a young boy, Muir became fascinated with the East Lothian landscape, and spent a lot of time wandering the local coastline and countryside. It was during this time that he became interested in natural history and the works of Scottish naturalist Alexander Wilson. Although he spent the majority of his life in America, Muir never forgot his roots in Scotland. He held a strong connection with his birthplace and Scottish identity throughout his life and was frequently heard talking about his childhood spent amid the East Lothian countryside. He greatly admired the works of Thomas Carlyle and poetry of Robert Burns ; he was known to carry a collection of poems by Burns during his travels through the American wilderness. He returned to Scotland on a trip in 1893, where he met one of his Dunbar schoolmates and visited the places of his youth that were etched in his memory. He also never lost his strong Scottish accent despite having lived in America for many years. Immigration to America In 1849, Muir 's family immigrated to the United States, starting a farm near Portage, Wisconsin, called Fountain Lake Farm. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Stephen Fox recounts that Muir 's father found the Church of Scotland insufficiently strict in faith and practice, leading to their emigration and joining a congregation of the Campbellite Restoration Movement, called the Disciples of Christ. By the age of 11, the young Muir had learned to recite `` by heart and by sore flesh '' all of the New Testament and most of the Old Testament. In maturity, while remaining a deeply spiritual man, Muir may have changed his orthodox beliefs. He wrote, `` I never tried to abandon creeds or code of civilization ; they went away of their own accord... without leaving any consciousness of loss. '' Elsewhere in his writings, he described the conventional image of a Creator, `` as purely a manufactured article as any puppet of a half - penny theater. '' Entrance to Fountain Lake Farm near Portage, Wisconsin When he was 22 years old, Muir enrolled at the University of Wisconsin -- Madison, paying his own way for several years. There, under a towering black locust tree beside North Hall, Muir took his first botany lesson. A fellow student plucked a flower from the tree and used it to explain how the grand locust is a member of the pea family, related to the straggling pea plant. Fifty years later, the naturalist Muir described the day in his autobiography. `` This fine lesson charmed me and sent me flying to the woods and meadows in wild enthusiasm. '' As a freshman, Muir studied chemistry with Professor Ezra Carr and his wife Jeanne ; they became lifelong friends and Muir developed a lasting interest in chemistry and the sciences. Muir took an eclectic approach to his studies, attending classes for two years but never being listed higher than a first - year student due to his unusual selection of courses. Records showed his class status as `` irregular gent '' and, even though he never graduated, he learned enough geology and botany to inform his later wanderings. In 1863, his brother Daniel left Wisconsin and moved to Southern Ontario ( then known as Canada West in the United Canadas ), to avoid the draft during the U.S. Civil War. Muir left school and travelled to the same region in 1864, and spent the spring, summer, and fall exploring the woods and swamps, and collecting plants around the southern reaches of Lake Huron 's Georgian Bay. Muir hiked along the Niagara Escarpment, including much of today 's Bruce Trail. With his money running low and winter coming, he reunited with his brother Daniel near Meaford, Ontario, who persuaded him to work with him at the sawmill and rake factory of William Trout and Charles Jay. Muir lived with the Trout family in an area called Trout Hollow, south of Meaford, on the Bighead River. While there, he continued `` botanizing '', exploring the escarpment and bogs, collecting and cataloging plants. One source appears to indicate he worked at the mill / factory until the summer of 1865, while another says he stayed on at Trout Hollow until after a fire burned it down in February 1866. In March 1866, Muir returned to the United States, settling in Indianapolis to work in a wagon wheel factory. He proved valuable to his employers because of his inventiveness in improving the machines and processes ; he was promoted to supervisor, being paid $25 per week. In early - March 1867, an accident changed the course of his life : a tool he was using slipped and struck him in the eye. He was confined to a darkened room for six weeks, worried about whether he would ever regain his sight. When he did, `` he saw the world -- and his purpose -- in a new light ''. Muir later wrote, `` This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons. '' From that point on, he determined to `` be true to ( himself ) '' and follow his dream of exploration and study of plants. Photo of Muir by Carleton Watkins, circa 1875 In September 1867, Muir undertook a walk of about 1,000 miles ( 1,600 km ) from Kentucky to Florida, which he recounted in his book A Thousand - Mile Walk to the Gulf. He had no specific route chosen, except to go by the `` wildest, leafiest, and least trodden way I could find. '' When Muir arrived at Cedar Keys, he began working for Richard Hodgson at Hodgson 's sawmill. However, three days after accepting the job at Hodgson 's, Muir almost died of a malarial sickness. One evening in early January 1868, Muir climbed onto the Hodgson house roof to watch the sunset. He saw a ship, the Island Belle, and learned it would soon be sailing for Cuba. Muir boarded the ship, and while in Havana, he spent his hours studying shells and flowers and visiting the botanical garden in the city. Afterwards, he sailed to New York City and booked passage to California. Muir served as an officer in the United States Coast Survey, a uniformed government service agency. Explorer of nature California Experiencing Yosemite Finally settling in San Francisco, Muir immediately left for a week - long visit to Yosemite, a place he had only read about. Seeing it for the first time, Muir notes that `` He was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling down steep cliff faces to get a closer look at the waterfalls, whooping and howling at the vistas, jumping tirelessly from flower to flower. '' He later returned to Yosemite and worked as a shepherd for a season. He climbed a number of mountains, including Cathedral Peak and Mount Dana, and hiked an old trail down Bloody Canyon to Mono Lake. Muir built a small cabin along Yosemite Creek, designing it so that a section of the stream flowed through a corner of the room so he could enjoy the sound of running water. He lived in the cabin for two years and wrote about this period in his book First Summer in the Sierra ( 1911 ). Muir 's biographer, Frederick Turner, notes Muir 's journal entry upon first visiting the valley and writes that his description `` blazes from the page with the authentic force of a conversion experience. '' Friendships During these years in Yosemite, Muir was unmarried, often unemployed, with no prospects for a career, and had `` periods of anguish, '' writes naturalist author John Tallmadge. He was sustained by the natural environment and by reading the essays of naturalist author Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote about the very life that Muir was then living. On excursions into the back country of Yosemite, he traveled alone, carrying `` only a tin cup, a handful of tea, a loaf of bread, and a copy of Emerson. '' He usually spent his evenings sitting by a campfire in his overcoat, reading Emerson under the stars. As the years passed, he became a `` fixture in the valley, '' respected for his knowledge of natural history, his skill as a guide, and his vivid storytelling. Visitors to the valley often included scientists, artists, and celebrities, many of whom made a point of meeting with Muir. In 1871, after Muir had lived in Yosemite for three years, Emerson, with a number of academic friends from Boston, arrived in Yosemite during a tour of the Western United States. The two men met, and according to Tallmadge, `` Emerson was delighted to find at the end of his career the prophet - naturalist he had called for so long ago... And for Muir, Emerson 's visit came like a laying on of hands. '' Emerson spent one day with Muir, and he offered him a teaching position at Harvard, which Muir declined. Muir later wrote, `` I never for a moment thought of giving up God 's big show for a mere profship ! '' Muir also spent time with photographer Carleton Watkins and studied his photographs of Yosemite. Geological studies and theories John Muir in 1907 Pursuit of his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. Muir soon became convinced that glaciers had sculpted many of the features of the Yosemite Valley and surrounding area. This notion was in stark contradiction to the accepted contemporary theory, promulgated by Josiah Whitney ( head of the California Geological Survey ), which attributed the formation of the valley to a catastrophic earthquake. As Muir 's ideas spread, Whitney tried to discredit Muir by branding him as an amateur. But Louis Agassiz, the premier geologist of the day, saw merit in Muir 's ideas and lauded him as `` the first man I have ever found who has any adequate conception of glacial action. '' In 1871, Muir discovered an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theories gain acceptance. A large earthquake centered near Lone Pine in Owens Valley strongly shook occupants of Yosemite Valley in March 1872. The quake woke Muir in the early morning, and he ran out of his cabin `` both glad and frightened, '' exclaiming, `` A noble earthquake ! '' Other valley settlers, who believed Whitney 's ideas, feared that the quake was a prelude to a cataclysmic deepening of the valley. Muir had no such fear and promptly made a moonlit survey of new talus piles created by earthquake - triggered rockslides. This event led more people to believe in Muir 's ideas about the formation of the valley. Botanical studies In addition to his geologic studies, Muir also investigated the plant life of the Yosemite area. In 1873 and 1874, he made field studies along the western flank of the Sierra on the distribution and ecology of isolated groves of Giant Sequoia. In 1876, the American Association for the Advancement of Science published Muir 's paper on the subject. Pacific northwest Muir made four trips to Alaska, as far as Unalaska and Barrow. Muir, Mr Young ( Fort Wrangell missionary ) and a group of Native American Guides first traveled to Alaska in 1879 and were the first Euro - Americans to explore Glacier Bay. Muir Glacier was later named after him. He traveled into British Columbia a third of the way up the Stikine River, likening its Grand Canyon to `` a Yosemite that was a hundred miles long ''. Muir recorded over 300 glaciers along the river 's course. He returned for further explorations in southeast Alaska in 1880 and in 1881 was with the party that landed on Wrangel Island on the USS Corwin and claimed that island for the United States. He documented this experience in journal entries and newspaper articles -- later compiled and edited into his book The Cruise of the Corwin. In 1888 after seven years of managing the Strentzel fruit ranch in Alhambra Valley, California, his health began to suffer. He returned to the hills to recover, climbing Mount Rainier in Washington and writing Ascent of Mount Rainier. Activism and controversies Preservation efforts Yosemite Valley and the Merced River Establishing Yosemite National Park Muir threw himself into the preservationist role with great vigor. He envisioned the Yosemite area and the Sierra as pristine lands. He thought the greatest threat to the Yosemite area and the Sierra was domesticated livestock -- especially domestic sheep, which he referred to as `` hoofed locusts ''. In June 1889, the influential associate editor of The Century magazine, Robert Underwood Johnson, camped with Muir in Tuolumne Meadows and saw firsthand the damage a large flock of sheep had done to the grassland. Johnson agreed to publish any article Muir wrote on the subject of excluding livestock from the Sierra high country. He also agreed to use his influence to introduce a bill to Congress to make the Yosemite area into a national park, modeled after Yellowstone National Park. On September 30, 1890, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that essentially followed recommendations that Muir had suggested in two Century articles, `` The Treasures of the Yosemite '' and `` Features of the Proposed National Park '', both published in 1890. But to Muir 's dismay, the bill left Yosemite Valley under state control, as it had been since the 1860s. Co-founding the Sierra Club Main article : Sierra Club In early 1892, Professor Henry Senger, a philologist at the University of California, Berkeley, contacted Muir with the idea of forming a local ' alpine club ' for mountain lovers. Senger and San Francisco attorney Warren Olney sent out invitations `` for the purpose of forming a ' Sierra Club. ' Mr. John Muir will preside. '' On May 28, 1892, the first meeting of the Sierra Club was held to write articles of incorporation. One week later Muir was elected president, Warren Olney was elected vice-president, and a board of directors was chosen that included David Starr Jordan, president of the new Stanford University. Muir remained president until his death 22 years later. The Sierra Club immediately opposed efforts to reduce Yosemite National Park by half, and began holding educational and scientific meetings. At one meeting in the fall of 1895 that included Muir, Joseph LeConte, and William R. Dudley, the Sierra Club discussed the idea of establishing ' national forest reservations ', which were later called National Forests. The Sierra Club was active in the successful campaign to transfer Yosemite National Park from state to federal control in 1906. The fight to preserve Hetch Hetchy Valley was also taken up by the Sierra Club, with some prominent San Francisco members opposing the fight. Eventually a vote was held that overwhelmingly put the Sierra Club behind the opposition to Hetch Hetchy Dam. Preservation vs conservation In July 1896, Muir became associated with Gifford Pinchot, a national leader in the conservation movement. Pinchot was the first head of the United States Forest Service and a leading spokesman for the sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of the people. His views eventually clashed with Muir 's and highlighted two diverging views of the use of the country 's natural resources. Pinchot saw conservation as a means of managing the nation 's natural resources for long - term sustainable commercial use. As a professional forester, his view was that `` forestry is tree farming, '' without destroying the long - term viability of the forests. Muir valued nature for its spiritual and transcendental qualities. In one essay about the National Parks, he referred to them as `` places for rest, inspiration, and prayers. '' He often encouraged city dwellers to experience nature for its spiritual nourishment. Both men opposed reckless exploitation of natural resources, including clear - cutting of forests. Even Muir acknowledged the need for timber and the forests to provide it, but Pinchot 's view of wilderness management was more resource - oriented. Their friendship ended late in the summer of 1897 when Pinchot released a statement to a Seattle newspaper supporting sheep grazing in forest reserves. Muir confronted Pinchot and demanded an explanation. When Pinchot reiterated his position, Muir told him : `` I do n't want any thing more to do with you. '' This philosophical divide soon expanded and split the conservation movement into two camps : the preservationists, led by Muir ; and Pinchot 's camp, who co-opted 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 the valley as `` the highest possible use 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, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the hearts of man. '' Theodore Roosevelt and Muir, 1906 In 1899, Muir accompanied railroad executive E.H. Harriman and esteemed scientists on the famous exploratory voyage along the Alaska coast aboard the luxuriously refitted 250 - foot ( 76 m ) steamer, the George W. Elder. He later relied on his friendship with Harriman to pressure Congress to pass conservation legislation. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt accompanied Muir on a visit to Yosemite. Muir joined Roosevelt in Oakland, California, for the train trip to Raymond. The presidential entourage then traveled by stagecoach into the park. While traveling to the park, Muir told the president about state mismanagement of the valley and rampant exploitation of the valley 's resources. Even before they entered the park, he was able to convince Roosevelt that the best way to protect the valley was through federal control and management. After entering the park and seeing the magnificent splendor of the valley, the president asked Muir to show him the real Yosemite. Muir and Roosevelt set off largely by themselves and camped in the back country. The duo talked late into the night, slept in the brisk open air of Glacier Point, and were dusted by a fresh snowfall in the morning. It was a night Roosevelt never forgot. Muir then increased efforts by the Sierra Club to consolidate park management. In 1906 Congress transferred the Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley to the park. Native Americans Muir 's attitude toward Native Americans evolved over his life. His earliest encounters, during his childhood in Wisconsin, were with Winnebago Indians, who begged for food and stole his favorite horse. In spite of that, he had a great deal of sympathy for their `` being robbed of their lands and pushed ruthlessly back into narrower and narrower limits by alien races who were cutting off their means of livelihood. '' His early encounters with the Paiute in California left him feeling ambivalent after seeing their lifestyle, which he described as `` lazy '' and `` superstitious ''. Ecofeminist philosopher Carolyn Merchant has criticized Muir, believing that he wrote disparagingly of the Native Americans he encountered in his early explorations. Later, after living with Indians, he praised and grew more respectful of their low impact on the wilderness, compared to the heavy impact by European - Americans. Muir was given the Stickeen ( Muir 's spelling, coastal tribe ) name `` Ancoutahan '' meaning `` adopted chief ''. Hetch Hetchy dam controversy Hetch Hetchy Valley With population growth continuing in San Francisco, political pressure increased to dam the Tuolumne River for use as a water reservoir. Muir passionately opposed the damming of Hetch Hetchy Valley because he found Hetch Hetchy as stunning as Yosemite Valley. Muir, the Sierra Club and Robert Underwood Johnson fought against inundating the valley. Muir wrote to President Roosevelt pleading for him to scuttle the project. Roosevelt 's successor, William Howard Taft, suspended the Interior Department 's approval for the Hetch Hetchy right - of - way. After years of national debate, Taft 's successor Woodrow Wilson signed the bill authorizing the dam into law on December 19, 1913. Muir felt a great loss from the destruction of the valley, his last major battle. He wrote to his friend Vernon Kellogg, `` As to the loss of the Sierra Park Valley ( Hetch Hetchy ) it 's hard to bear. The destruction of the charming groves and gardens, the finest in all California, goes to my heart. '' Nature writer Lake Tenaya, Yosemite In his life, Muir published six volumes of writings, all describing explorations of natural settings. Four additional books were published posthumously. Several books were subsequently published that collected essays and articles from various sources. Miller writes that what was most important about his writings was not their quantity, but their `` quality ''. He notes that they have had a `` lasting effect on American culture in helping to create the desire and will to protect and preserve wild and natural environments. '' His first appearance in print was by accident, writes Miller ; a person he did not know submitted, without his permission or awareness, a personal letter to his friend Jeanne Carr, describing Calypso borealis, a rare flower he had encountered. The piece was published anonymously, identified as having been written by an `` inspired pilgrim ''. Throughout his many years as a nature writer, Muir frequently rewrote and expanded on earlier writings from his journals, as well as articles published in magazines. He often compiled and organized such earlier writings as collections of essays or included them as part of narrative books. Jeanne Carr : friend and mentor Muir 's friendship with Jeanne Carr had a lifelong influence on his career as a naturalist and writer. They first met in the fall of 1860, when, at age 22, he entered a number of his homemade inventions in the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society Fair. Carr, a fair assistant, was asked by fair officials to review Muir 's exhibits to see if they had merit. She thought they did and `` saw in his entries evidence of genius worthy of special recognition, '' notes Miller. As a result, Muir received a diploma and a monetary award for his handmade clocks and thermometer. During the next three years while a student at the University of Wisconsin, he was befriended by Carr and her husband, Ezra, a professor at the same university. According to Muir biographer Bonnie Johanna Gisel, the Carrs recognized his `` pure mind, unsophisticated nature, inherent curiosity, scholarly acumen, and independent thought. '' Jeanne Carr, 35 years of age, especially appreciated his youthful individuality, along with his acceptance of `` religious truths '' that were much like her own. The Muirs ' home in Martinez, California, is a National Historic Site. Muir was often invited to the Carrs ' home ; he shared Jeanne 's love of plants. In 1864, he left Wisconsin to begin exploring the Canadian wilderness and, while there, began corresponding with her about his activities. Carr wrote Muir in return and encouraged him in his explorations and writings, eventually having an important influence over his personal goals. At one point she asked Muir to read a book she felt would influence his thinking, Lamartine 's The Stonemason of Saint Point. It was the story of a man whose life she hoped would `` metabolize in Muir, '' writes Gisel, and `` was a projection of the life she envisioned for him. '' According to Gisel, the story was about a `` poor man with a pure heart, '' who found in nature `` divine lessons and saw all of God 's creatures interconnected. '' After Muir returned to the United States, he spent the next four years exploring Yosemite, while at the same time writing articles for publication. During those years, Muir and Carr continued corresponding. She sent many of her friends to Yosemite to meet Muir and `` to hear him preach the gospel of the mountains, '' writes Gisel. The most notable was naturalist and author Ralph Waldo Emerson. The importance of Carr, who continually gave Muir reassurance and inspiration, `` can not be overestimated, '' adds Gisel. It was `` through his letters to her that he developed a voice and purpose. '' She also tried to promote Muir 's writings by submitting his letters to a monthly magazine for publication. Muir came to trust Carr as his `` spiritual mother, '' and they remained friends for 30 years. In one letter she wrote to Muir while he was living in Yosemite, she tried to keep him from despairing as to his purpose in life. The value of their friendship was first disclosed by a friend of Carr 's, clergyman and writer G. Wharton James. After obtaining copies of their private letters from Carr, and despite pleadings from Muir to return them, he instead published articles about their friendship, using those letters as a primary source. In one such article, his focus was Muir 's debt to Carr, stating that she was his `` guiding star '' who `` led him into the noble paths of life, and then kept him there. '' Writing becomes his work Muir 's friend, zoologist Henry Fairfield Osborn, writes that Muir 's style of writing did not come to him easily, but only with intense effort. `` Daily he rose at 4 : 30 o'clock, and after a simple cup of coffee labored incessantly... he groans over his labors, he writes and rewrites and interpolates. '' Osborn notes that he preferred using the simplest English language, and therefore admired above all the writings of Carlyle, Emerson and Thoreau. `` He is a very firm believer in Thoreau and starts by reading deeply of this author. '' His secretary, Marion Randall Parsons, also noted that `` composition was always slow and laborious for him... Each sentence, each phrase, each word, underwent his critical scrutiny, not once but twenty times before he was satisfied to let it stand. '' Muir often told her, `` This business of writing books is a long, tiresome, endless job. '' Miller speculates that Muir recycled his earlier writings partly due to his `` dislike of the writing process. '' He adds that Muir `` did not enjoy the work, finding it difficult and tedious. '' He was generally unsatisfied with the finished result, finding prose `` a weak instrument for the reality he wished to convey. '' However, he was prodded by friends and his wife to keep writing and as a result of their influence he kept at it, although never satisfied. Muir wrote in 1872, `` No amount of word - making will ever make a single soul to ' know ' these mountains. One day 's exposure to mountains is better than a cartload of books. '' In one of his essays, he gave an example of the deficiencies of writing versus experiencing nature. Philosophical beliefs Of nature and theology Muir believed that to discover truth, he must turn to what he believed were the most accurate sources. Muir had a strict, Scottish Presbyterian upbringing. In his book, The Story of My Boyhood and Youth ( 1913 ), he writes that during his childhood, his father made him read the Bible every day. Muir eventually memorized three - quarters of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament. Muir 's father read Josephus 's War of the Jews to understand the culture of first - century Palestine, as it was written by an eyewitness, and illuminated the culture during the period of the New Testament. But as Muir became attached to the American natural landscapes he explored, Williams notes that he began to see another `` primary source for understanding God : the Book of Nature. '' According to Williams, in nature, especially in the wilderness, Muir was able to study the plants and animals in an environment that he believed `` came straight from the hand of God, uncorrupted by civilization and domestication. '' As Tallmadge notes, Muir 's belief in this `` Book of Nature '' compelled him to tell the story of `` this creation in words any reader could understand. '' As a result, his writings were to become `` prophecy, for ( they ) sought to change our angle of vision. '' Williams notes that Muir 's philosophy and world view rotated around his perceived dichotomy between civilization and nature. From this developed his core belief that `` wild is superior ''. His nature writings became a `` synthesis of natural theology '' with scripture that helped him understand the origins of the natural world. According to Williams, philosophers and theologians such as Thomas Dick suggested that the `` best place to discover the true attributes of deity was in Nature. '' He came to believe that God was always active in the creation of life and thereby kept the natural order of the world. As a result, Muir `` styled himself as a John the Baptist, '' adds Williams, `` whose duty was to immerse in ' mountain baptism ' everyone he could. '' Williams concludes that Muir saw nature as a great teacher, `` revealing the mind of God, '' and this belief became the central theme of his later journeys and the `` subtext '' of his nature writing. During his career as writer and while living in the mountains, Muir continued to experience the `` presence of the divine in nature, '' writes Holmes His personal letters also conveyed these feelings of ecstasy. Historian Catherine Albanese stated that in one of his letters, `` Muir 's eucharist made Thoreau 's feast on wood - chuck and huckleberry seem almost anemic. '' Muir was extremely fond of Thoreau and was probably influenced more by him than even Emerson. Muir often referred to himself as a `` disciple '' of Thoreau. Of sensory perceptions and light Yosemite scene During his first summer in the Sierra as a shepherd, Muir wrote field notes that emphasized the role that the senses play in human perceptions of the environment. According to Williams, he speculated that the world was an unchanging entity that was interpreted by the brain through the senses, and, writes Muir, `` If the creator were to bestow a new set of senses upon us... we would never doubt that we were in another world... '' While doing his studies of nature, he would try to remember everything he observed as if his senses were recording the impressions, until he could write them in his journal. As a result of his intense desire to remember facts, he filled his field journals with notes on precipitation, temperature, and even cloud formations. However, Muir took his journal entries further than recording factual observations. Williams notes that the observations he recorded 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, '' but also to `` illuminate the spiritual implications of those phenomena, '' writes Williams. For Muir, mountain skies, for example, seemed painted with light, and came to ``... symbolize divinity. '' He often described his observations in terms of light. Muir biographer Steven Holmes notes that Muir used words like `` glory '' and `` glorious '' to suggest that light was taking on a religious dimension : `` It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the notion of glory in Muir 's published writings, where no other single image carries more emotional or religious weight, '' adding that his words `` exactly parallels its Hebraic origins, '' in which biblical writings often indicate a divine presence with light, as in the burning bush or pillar of fire, and described as `` the glory of God. '' Seeing nature as home Posthumous portrait by Orlando Rouland ( 1917 ) Muir often used the term `` home '' as a metaphor for both nature and his general attitude toward the `` natural world itself, '' notes Holmes. He often used domestic language to describe his scientific observations, as when he saw nature as providing a home for even the smallest plant life : `` the little purple plant, tended by its Maker, closed its petals, crouched low in its crevice of a home, and enjoyed the storm in safety. '' Muir also saw nature as his own home, as when he wrote friends and described the Sierra as `` God 's mountain mansion. '' He considered not only the mountains as home, however, as he also felt a closeness even to the smallest objects : `` The very stones seem talkative, sympathetic, brotherly. No wonder when we consider that we all have the same Father and Mother. '' In his later years, he used the metaphor of nature as home in his writings to promote wilderness preservation. Not surprisingly, Muir 's deep - seated feeling about nature as being his true home led to tension with his family at his home in Martinez, California. He once told a visitor to his ranch there, `` This is a good place to be housed in during stormy weather,... to write in, and to raise children in, but it is not my home. Up there, '' pointing towards the Sierra Nevada, `` is my home. '' Personal life Muir and family circa 1888. In 1878, when he was nearing the age of 40, Muir 's friends `` pressured him to return to society. '' Soon after he returned to the Oakland area, he was introduced by Jeanne Carr to Louisa Strentzel, daughter of a prominent physician and horticulturist with a 2,600 - acre ( 11 km ) fruit orchard in Martinez, California, northeast of Oakland. In 1880, after he returned from a trip to Alaska, Muir and Strentzel married. John Muir went into partnership with his father - in - law, Dr. John Strentzel, and for ten years directed most of his energy into managing this large fruit ranch. Although Muir was a loyal, dedicated husband, and father of two daughters, `` his heart remained wild, '' writes Marquis. His wife understood his needs, and after seeing his restlessness at the ranch would sometimes `` shoo him back up '' to the mountains. He sometimes took his daughters with him. The house and part of the ranch are now the John Muir National Historic Site. Death John Muir died at California Hospital ( now California Hospital Medical Center ) in Los Angeles on December 24, 1914, of pneumonia at age 76, after a brief visit to Daggett, California, to see his daughter Helen Muir Funk. His grandson Ross Hanna lived until 2014, when he died at age 91. Legacy A portrait of Muir, circa 1910 During his lifetime John Muir published over 300 articles and 12 books. He co-founded the Sierra Club, which helped establish a number of national parks after he died and today has over 2.4 million members. Muir has been called the `` patron saint of the American wilderness '' and its `` archetypal free spirit. '' As a dreamer and activist, his eloquent words changed the way Americans saw their mountains, forests, seashores, and deserts, said nature writer Gretel Ehrlich. He not only led the efforts to protect forest areas and have some designated as national parks, but his writings presented `` human culture and wild nature as one of humility and respect for all life. '' Robert Underwood Johnson, editor of Century Magazine, which published many of Muir 's articles, states that he influenced people 's appreciation of nature and national parks, which became a lasting legacy : The world will look back to the time we live in and remember the voice of one crying in the wilderness and bless the name of John Muir... He sung the glory of nature like another Psalmist, and, as a true artist, was unashamed of his emotions. His countrymen owe him gratitude as the pioneer of our system of national parks... Muir 's writings and enthusiasm were the chief forces that inspired the movement. All the other torches were lighted from his. Muir exalted wild nature over human culture and civilization, believing that all life was sacred. Turner describes him as `` a man who in his singular way rediscovered America... an American pioneer, an American hero. '' The primary aim of Muir 's nature philosophy, writes Wilkins, was to challenge mankind 's `` enormous conceit, '' and in so doing, he moved beyond the Transcendentalism of Emerson to a `` biocentric perspective on the world ''. He did so by describing the natural world as `` a conductor of divinity, '' and his writings often made nature synonymous with God. His friend, Henry Fairfield Osborn, observed that as a result of his religious upbringing, Muir retained `` this belief, which is so strongly expressed in the Old Testament, that all the works of nature are directly the work of God. '' In the opinion of Enos Mills, a contemporary who established Rocky Mountain National Park, Muir 's writings would `` likely to be the most influential force in this century. '' Tributes and honors Mount Muir located one mile south of Mount Whitney in the High Sierra of California. John Muir on a 1964 U.S. commemorative stamp California celebrates John Muir Day on April 21 each year. Muir was the first person honored with a California commemorative day when legislation signed in 1988 created John Muir Day, effective from 1989 onward. Muir is one of three people so honored in California, along with Harvey Milk Day and Ronald Reagan Day. East Lothian in Scotland also celebrates John Muir day, the play Thank God for John Muir, by Andrew Dallmeyer is based on his life. The following places are named after Muir : Mount Muir Mount Muir ( elevation 4688 ' ) in Angeles National Forest north of Pasadena, California Muir 's Peak next to Mount Shasta, California ( also known as Black Butte ) Muir Glacier, Alaska John Muir Trails in California, Tennessee, Connecticut, and Wisconsin John Muir Wilderness ( southern and central Sierra Nevada ) Muir Pass Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the divide at 11,955 ' above sea level, between Evolution Creek and Middle Fork of Kings River Muir Woods National Monument just north of San Francisco, California Muir Beach, California John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California Camp Muir in Mount Rainier National Park Camp Muir on Mount Kilimanjaro John Muir College, one of the six undergraduate colleges of University of California, San Diego John Muir Highway - a section of California State Route 132 between Coulterville and Smith Station at California State Route 120. This road roughly follows part of the route Muir took on his first walk to Yosemite. The main - belt asteroid 128523 Johnmuir John Muir was featured on two U.S. commemorative postage stamps. A 5 - cent stamp issued on April 29, 1964, was designed by Rudolph Wendelin, and showed Muir 's face superimposed on a grove of redwood trees, and the inscription, `` John Muir Conservationist ''. A 32 - cent stamp issued on February 3, 1998, was part of the `` Celebrate the Century '' series, and showed Muir in Yosemite Valley, with the inscription `` John Muir, Preservationist ''. An image of Muir, with the California condor and Half Dome, appears on the California state quarter released in 2005. A quotation of his appears on the reverse side of the Indianapolis Prize Lilly Medal for conservation. On December 6, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted John Muir into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts. Muir and Hudson Stuck are honored with a feast day on the liturgical of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on April 22. Muirite ( a mineral ), Erigeron muirii, Carlquistia muirii ( two species of aster ), Ivesia muirii ( a member of the rose family ), Troglodytes troglodytes muiri ( a wren ), Ochotona princeps muiri ( a pika ), Thecla muirii ( a butterfly ), and Amplaria muiri ( a millipede ) were all named after John Muir. Bibliography Books Studies in the Sierra ( 1950 reprint of serials from 1874 ) Picturesque California 1888 The Mountains of California. New York : Century, 1894. Stickeen : An Adventure with a Dog and a Glacier ( 1897 ) Our National Parks. Boston : Houghton, Mifflin, 1901. My First Summer in the Sierra. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1911. Edward Henry Harriman. Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, Page, 1911. The Yosemite. New York : Century, 1912. The Story of My Boyhood and Youth. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1913. Travels in Alaska. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1915. Letters to a Friend. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1915. A Thousand - mile Walk to the Gulf. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1916. The Cruise of the Corwin. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1917. Steep Trails. Boston : Houghton, 1918. Nature Writings : The Story of My Boyhood and Youth ; My First Summer in the Sierra ; The Mountains of California ; Stickeen ; Selected Essays. New York : Library of America, 1997. Gifford, Terry. John Muir : His Life and Letters and Other Writings. London : Seattle : Mountaineers, 1996. ed. Tim Flinders. John Muir : Spiritual Writings Maryknoll, NY : Orbis Books, 2013 Essays online `` Alaska. The Discovery of Glacier Bay '' `` The American Forests '' `` Among the Animals of the Yosemite '' `` Among the Birds of the Yosemite '' `` The Coniferous Forests of the Sierra Nevada '' `` Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park '' `` The Forests of Yosemite Park '' `` Fountains and Streams of the Yosemite '' `` In the Heart of the California Alps '' `` Living Glaciers of California '' `` The New Sequoia Forests of California '' `` A Rival of the Yosemite, King 's River Canyon '' `` Snow - Storm on Mount Shasta '' `` Studies in the Sierra : The Glacier Meadows of the Sierra '' `` Studies in the Sierra : The Mountain Lakes of California '' `` Studies in the Sierra : The Passes of the Sierra '' `` The Treasures of the Yosemite '' `` The Wild Gardens of the Yosemite Park '' `` The Wild Parks and Forest Reservations of the West '' `` The Wild Sheep of the Sierra '' `` The Yellowstone National Park '' `` The Yosemite National Park '' The standard author abbreviation J. Muir is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name. See also John Muir 's Birthplace John Muir Trust John Muir Way Notes Jump up ^ `` John Muir ''. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Retrieved September 25, 2010. Jump up ^ McGuckin, Travis ( 2015 ). John Muir : Father of the National Parks. LULU Press. ISBN 9781329556317. Jump up ^ Miller, Barbara Kiely ( 2008 ). John Muir. Gareth Stevens. p. 10. ISBN 0836883187. Jump up ^ Kennedy White, Kim, ed. ( 2013 ). America Goes Green : An Encyclopedia of Eco-Friendly Culture in the United States. Santa Barbara, California : ABC - CLIO. p. xxiii. John Muir ( 1838 - 1914 ) was a Scottish - born American citizen ^ Jump up to : Fox, Stephen R. ( 1985 ). The American conservation movement : John Muir and his legacy. Univ of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 299 - 10634 - 8. Jump up ^ Wenk, Elizabeth ; Morey, Kathy ( 2007 ). John Muir Trail : The Essential Guide to Hiking America 's Most Famous Trail. Berkeley, CA : Wilderness Press. ISBN 0899974368. Jump up ^ Library of Congress. Documentary Chronology of Selected Events in the Development of the American Conservation Movement, 1847 - 1920. Jump up ^ `` The Life and Contributions of John Muir ''. Sierra Club. Retrieved October 23, 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` John Muir : The Life and Times ''. Scotland.org. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2018. Jump up ^ Adams, Ansel ( 2002 ). America 's Wilderness : the Photographs of Ansel Adams, with the Writings of John Muir. Philadelphia, PA : Courage Books. ISBN 0762413905. ^ Jump up to : Holmes, Steven ( 1999 ). The Young John Muir : An Environmental Biography. Madison : Univ. of Wisconsin Press. Jump up ^ Anderson, William ( 1998 ). Green Man : The Archetype of Our Oneness with the Earth. ISBN 0951703811. ^ Jump up to : Worster, Donald ( 2008 ). Passion for Nature. ISBN 0195166825. Jump up ^ A Boyhood in Scotland, Chapter 1, ' The Story of My Boyhood and Youth by John Muir ' by John Muir ( 1913 ) - John Muir Exhibit ( John Muir Education Project, Sierra Club California... ^ Jump up to : Muir, John ( 1916 ). The Story of My Boyhood and Youth. Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 1 - 883011 - 24 - 8. ^ Jump up to : Marquis, Amy Leinbach ( Fall 2007 ). `` A Mountain Calling ''. National Parks Magazine. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2009. Jump up ^ Kevin Hutchings and John Miller ( eds. ). Transatlantic Literary Ecologies : Nature and Culture in the Nineteenth - Century Anglophone Atlantic World. New York : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State '' ( PDF ). National Historic Landmarks Program. Retrieved April 13, 2018. Jump up ^ White, Graham ( 2009 ). `` Introduction ''. Journeys in the Wilderness, A John Muir Reader. Edinburgh : Birlinn. ISBN 1841586978. ^ Jump up to : Wolfe, Linnie Marsh ( 1945 ). Son of the Wilderness : The Life of John Muir. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0299186342. ^ Jump up to : Miller, Rod ( 2005 ). John Muir : Magnificent Tramp. New York : Forge. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7653 - 1071 - 2. Jump up ^ Wilson, Paul ( July 21, 2015 ). `` John Muir 's Wild Years ''. Mountain Life. Retrieved 6 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Following John Muir 's footsteps... ''. Historical marker at the Epping Lookout, Meaford, Ontario. The Friends of John Muir. Jump up ^ Muir, John ( 1916 ). Badè, William Frederic, ed. A Thousand - mile Walk to the Gulf. Boston and New York : Houghton Mifflin. p. xxxii. Retrieved 17 February 2017. ^ Jump up to : Turner, Frederick W. ( 2000 ). John Muir : Rediscovering America. Madison : Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780738203751. ^ Jump up to : Wilkins, Thurman ( 1995 ). John Muir : Apostle of Nature. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 080612797X. Jump up ^ `` History of Coast Survey ''. Office of Coast Survey. NOAA. Retrieved 2017 - 10 - 07. ^ Jump up to : Muir, John ( 1901 ). Our National Parks. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 1177228750. Jump up ^ Muir, John ; Teale, Edwin Way ( 1954 ). The Wilderness World of John Muir. Mariner Books. ISBN 0618127518. ^ Jump up to : Tallmadge, John ( 1997 ). Meeting the Tree of Life : A Teacher 's Path. Univ. of Utah Press. ISBN 0874805317. Jump up ^ Carleton Watkins photographs saved Yosemite December 20, 2011 Guardian Jump up ^ Terry Gifford ( re. ) ( 1996 ). `` Trees and Travel ''. The life and letters of John Muir. The Mountaineers Books. p. 322. ISBN 978 - 0 - 89886 - 463 - 2. Letter to Robert Underwood Johnson ; Martinez, 3 March 1895 Jump up ^ Muir, John ( 1901 ). `` The Earthquake ''. Our National Parks. Sierra Club. Jump up ^ Muir, John ( August 1876 ). `` On the Post-glacial History of Sequoia Gigantea ''. Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 25 : 242 -- 252. Jump up ^ Muir, John, ( 1915 ) Travels in Alaska. Boston : Houghton Mifflin... Jump up ^ John Muir ( 1915 ). `` Chapter X : The Discovery of Glacier Bay ''. Travels in Alaska. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company. Jump up ^ Sorum, Alan ( September 30, 2007 ). `` John Muir Comes to Alaska ''. Information About Alaska ( IAA ). Retrieved January 14, 2009. Jump up ^ Davis, Wade ( March 2004 ). `` Deep North ''. National Geographic Magazine. National Geographic Society. Retrieved January 14, 2009. Jump up ^ John Muir ( 1917 ). The Cruise of the Corwin. Boston and New York : Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 1140210408. Retrieved September 5, 2008. ^ Jump up to : Muir, John ( September 1890 ). `` Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park ''. The Century Magazine. XL ( 5 ). Retrieved April 8, 2007. Jump up ^ John Muir. `` The Treasures of the Yosemite ''. The Century Magazine, vol. 40, no. 4 ( August, 1890 ). ^ Jump up to : Colby, William ( December 1967 ). `` The Story of the Sierra Club '' ( PDF ). Sierra Club Bulletin. Sierra Club. Retrieved February 26, 2009. ^ Jump up to : Meyer, John M. ( Winter 1997 ). `` Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, and the Boundaries of Politics in American Thought ''. Polity. Palgrave MacMillan. 30 ( 2 ) : 267 -- 284. doi : 10.2307 / 3235219. JSTOR 3235219. Jump up ^ Nash, Roderick ( 2001 ). Wilderness & The American Mind. Yale University : Yale University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 300 - 09122 - 9. Jump up ^ Rinde, Meir ( 2017 ). `` Richard Nixon and the Rise of American Environmentalism ''. Distillations. 3 ( 1 ) : 16 -- 29. Retrieved 4 April 2018. Jump up ^ Fleck, Richard F. ( February 1978 ). `` John Muir 's Evolving Attitudes toward Native American Cultures ''. American Indian Quarterly. University of Nebraska Press. 4 ( 1 ) : 19 -- 31. doi : 10.2307 / 1183963. JSTOR 1183963. Jump up ^ Carolyn Merchant. `` Shades of Darkness : Race and Environmental History ''. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2007. ^ Jump up to : Muir, John ( 1911 ). My First Summer in the Sierra. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618988513. Jump up ^ John Muir ( 1915 ). Travels in Alaska. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 33. Jump up ^ Muir, John ( 1912 ). The Yosemite. New York : The Century Company. Jump up ^ Jones, Holway R ( 1965 ). John Muir and the Sierra Club : the Battle for Yosemite. San Francisco : Sierra Club. ^ Jump up to : Gisel, Bonnie Johanna ( 2001 ). Kindred & Related Spirits : The Letters of John Muir and Jeanne C. Carr. Univ. of Utah Press. ISBN 0874806828. Jump up ^ Miller, Sally M ; Morrison, Daryl ( 2005 ). John Muir : Family, Friends, and Adventures. Univ. of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0826335306. ^ Jump up to : `` John Muir Memorial ''. Sierra Club Bulletin. 10 ( 1 ). January 1916. Jump up ^ Muir, John ( 1915 ). Travels in Alaska. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. Jump up ^ Muir, John ( 1918 ). Parsons, Marion, ed. The Writings of John Muir : Steep Trails. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 1605977160. ^ Jump up to : Williams, Denis C ( 2002 ). God 's Wilds : John Muir 's Vision of Nature. College Station : Texas A&M Univ. Press. ISBN 1585441430. ^ Jump up to : Muir, John ( 1938 ). Wolfe, Linnie Marsh, ed. John of the Mountains : the Unpublished Journals of John Muir. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0299078841. Jump up ^ Albanese, Catherine L ( 1990 ). Nature Religion in America : From the Algonkian Indians to the New Age. Chicago : University of Chicago Press. Jump up ^ Bowman, Antonette ( 2012 ) Portrait of a Prophet : Orlando Rouland 's John Muir, 1917. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. Jump up ^ `` Most Often Asked Questions at the John Muir National Historic Site ''. Sierra Club. Retrieved October 2, 2013. Jump up ^ John Muir National Historic Site `` The park 's museum collection includes historic documents and artifacts that relate to the writing, travels, political activities and daily life of John Muir and his family in Martinez... The collections are displayed in the home, carriage house and through exhibitions in the Visitor Center. '' Jump up ^ `` Obituary : John Muir ''. Claremont Colleges Digital Library. Retrieved October 23, 2009. Jump up ^ this Day. `` Obituary : John Muir ''. The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2007. Jump up ^ Miller, Robin ( June 22, 2014 ). `` Dixon mourns the loss of beloved resident Ross Erwin Hanna ''. The Reporter News. Retrieved June 22, 2014. Jump up ^ Ehrlich, Gretel ( 2000 ). John Muir : Nature 's Visionary. Washington, D.C. : National Geographic Society. OCLC 248316300. Jump up ^ `` Ronald Reagan, John Muir, Harvey Milk : The Californian trinity ''. The Economist. July 8, 2010. Jump up ^ Hindery, Robin ( July 19, 2010 ). `` California establishes annual day honoring Reagan ''. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Jump up ^ Bruce, Keith ( February 16, 2015 ). `` Arts News : ''. Herald Scotland. Retrieved February 23, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Theatre review : Thank God for John Muir ''. The Scotsman. May 10, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2015. Jump up ^ `` John Muir 2015 ''. Visit East Lothian. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Lower Peaks Committee List ''. Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Jump up ^ `` Mount Muir, California ''. Peakbagger.com. Jump up ^ USGS Map, Mt. Goddard Quadrangle Jump up ^ John Muir Highway Geotourism, Sierra Nevada Geotourism Mapguide Jump up ^ `` John Muir Stamps and First Day Covers ''. San Francisco, CA : Sierra Club. Retrieved April 1, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Lilly Medal Awarded Prize Winners ''. Indianapolis Zoological Society. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Scientific Names in Honor of John Muir ''. John Muir Exhibit. Sierra Club. Retrieved October 30, 2010. Jump up ^ IPNI. J. Muir. Further reading Austin, Richard C. ( 1991 ). Baptized into wilderness : A Christian perspective on John Muir. Creekside Press. ISBN 0 - 9625831 - 2 - X. Bilbro, Jeffrey. `` Preserving `` God 's Wildness '' for Redemptive Baptism : Muir and Disciples of Christ Theology, '' in Loving God 's Wildness : The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature. Tuscaloosa : U of Alabama P, 2015. 63 - 98. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8173 - 1857 - 4. Blessing, Matt. `` ' The inventions, though of little importance, opened all doors for me ' : John Muir 's Years as an Inventor ''. Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 99, no. 4 ( Summer 2016 ) : 16 - 27. Ehrlich, Gretel ( 2000 ). John Muir : Nature 's Visionary. National Geographic. ISBN 0 - 7922 - 7954 - 9. Engberg, Robert and Donald Wesling, 1999. John Muir : To Yosemite and Beyond. University of Utah Press : Salt Lake City. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87480 - 580 - 2 Fleck, Richard F., ed., 1997. Mountaineering Essays. University of Utah Press : Salt Lake City. ISBN 978 - 0 - 87480 - 544 - 4. Gifford, Terry ( 2011 ). John Muir 's Literary Science. The Public Domain Review. Hunt, James B. 2013. Restless Fires : Young John Muir 's Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf in 1867 -- 68. Mercer University Press. Lasky, Kathryn. John Muir : America 's first environmentalist ( Candlewick Press, 2014 ) Miller, Char ( 2001 ). Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism. Island Press. ISBN 1 - 55963 - 822 - 2. O'Casey, Terrence ( September 24, 2006 ). `` John Muir : God 's Preacher of Creation ''. Christian Standard. Smith, Michael B. ( June 1998 ). `` The Value of a Tree : Public Debates of John Muir and Gifford Pinchot ''. The Historian. 60 ( 4 ) : 757 -- 778. doi : 10.1111 / j. 1540 - 6563.1998. tb01414. x. ISSN 0018 - 2370. Turner, Frederick. John Muir : From Scotland to the Sierra : A Biography ( Canongate Books, 2014 ) White, Graham ( ed ) ( 2009 ). Journeys in the Wilderness, A John Muir Reader. Birlinn. ISBN 1 - 84158 - 697 - 8. CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list ( link ) Williams, Dennis ( 2002 ). God 's Wilds : John Muir 's Vision of Nature. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 1 - 58544 - 143 - 0. Witschi, N.S. ( 2002 ). Traces of Gold : California 's Natural Resources and the Claim to Realism in Western American Literature. Tuscaloosa : University of Alabama Press. ISBN 0 - 8173 - 1117 - 3. Worster, Donald ( January 2005 ). `` John Muir and the Modern Passion for Nature ''. Environmental History. 10 ( 1 ) : 8 -- 19. doi : 10.1093 / envhis / 10.1. 8. Worster, Donald ( 2008 ). A Passion for Nature : The Life of John Muir. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 516682 - 8. Wuerthner, George ( 1994 ). Yosemite : A Visitor 's Companion. Stackpole Books. pp. 25 -- 37. ISBN 0 - 8117 - 2598 - 7. Young, Samuel Hall ( 1915 ). Alaska Days with John Muir. Fleming H. Revell. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Muir. Wikiquote has quotations related to : John Muir Wikisource has original works written by or about : John Muir Works by John Muir at Project Gutenberg Works by or about John Muir at Internet Archive Works by John Muir at LibriVox ( public domain audiobooks ) John Muir 's Ascent of Mt. Rainier, an essay by John Muir 's photographer A.C. Warner -- University of Washington Digital Collection The Story of My Boyhood and Youth by John Muir Video -- John Muir biography National Park Service -- 20 min. `` John Muir in the New World '' PBS American Masters Episodes, February 23, 2011 John Muir Writings Sierra Club Complete text of a selection of first edition John Muir books John Muir 's Correspondence, 1856 -- 1914, The Bancroft Library Manuscript letters, 1861 -- 1914 put online by the Wisconsin Historical Society John Muir Letters, online from Calisphere John Muir 's Clockwork Desk, Wisconsin Historical Society exhibit. John Muir Papers. Provides an overview of the John Muir Papers and related collections held at the University of the Pacific. John Muir Exhibit by the Sierra Club ; includes a detailed chronology. John Muir Global Network John Muir National Historic Site from National Park Service John Muir 's Birthplace, John Muir Birthplace Trust Scotland John Muir Trust Scotland Yosemite National Park Attractions Yosemite Valley Yosemite Village Hetch Hetchy Glacier Point Badger Pass Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias Tuolumne Meadows Tioga Pass Wawona Tree Chilnualna Falls Valley attractions Half Dome Northwest Face Yosemite Falls El Capitan Films : El Capitan, To the Limit The Nose Bridalveil Fall Happy Isles Mirror Lake North Dome Vernal Fall Nevada Fall Little Yosemite Valley LeConte Lodge Bracebridge Dinner Yosemite Firefall Yosemite Valley Chapel Hiking trails Mist Trail McGurk Meadow Ostrander Lake Taft Point Sentinel Dome Alder Creek Mariposa Grove Wapama Falls Lembert Dome John Muir Trail People John Muir Stephen T. Mather Galen Clark Shelton Johnson Buffalo Soldiers Chief Tenaya Ahwahnechee people Lodging & camping Yosemite Lodge at the Falls The Ahwahnee Camp Curry Wawona Hotel Housekeeping Camp High Sierra Camps Camp 4 Natural disasters 1938 TWA Yosemite crash ( crashed due to inclement weather ) 1996 Yosemite Valley landslide 1997 Merced River flood 2013 Rim Wildfire Transportation Nearby airports FAT MPI MMH YARTS Route 140 Route 41 Route 120 Nearby municipalities Foresta El Portal & Arch Rock Entrance Yosemite West & Chinquapin Wawona Bootjack Mariposa Briceburg Oakhurst Midpines Lee Vining Mammoth Merced Le Grand Chowchilla Additional information History of the Yosemite area Geology of the Yosemite area National Register of Historic Places in Yosemite National Park List of waterfalls Yosemite Category California Portal Sequoia National Park Landmarks and attractions Ash Mountain Entrance Sign Atwell Mill Grove Cabin Creek Ranger Residence and Dormitory Cattle Cabin Crystal Cave Eagle Lake Forester Pass Franklin Garfield Grove General Sherman Tree Generals ' Highway Generals ' Highway Stone Bridges Giant Forest Giant Forest Lodge Hist. Dist. Giant Forest Village -- Camp Kaweah Hist. Dist. Great Western Divide Hazelwood Tree High Sierra Trail Hockett Mdw. Ranger Sta. Hospital Rock John Muir Trail Kaweah Gap Kern Plateau Salamander King Arthur Lilliput Glacier Lincoln Tree Mineral King Mineral King Road Cultural Landscape Monroe Moro Rock Muir Grove Pear Lake Ski Hut President Quinn Ranger Sta. Redwood Mdw. Ranger Sta. Smithsonian Institution Shelter Squatter 's Cabin Tharp 's Log Ursa Minor Cave Washington Tree Wuksachi Village and Lodge Mountains Alta Peak Mount Barnard Black Kaweah Florence Peak Junction Peak Kaweah Peaks Ridge Kaweah Queen Mount Kaweah Mount Langley Mount Le Conte Mount Mallory Mount McAdie Milestone Mountain Mount Muir Red Kaweah Mount Russell Sawtooth Peak Mount Stewart Table Mountain Triple Divide Peak Mount Tyndall Thunder Mountain Mount Whitney People John Muir Stephen T. Mather Hale Tharp John Tyndall Josiah Whitney George W. Stewart Yokut people Nearby municipalities Three Rivers Lemon Cove Kaweah Visalia Tulare Lone Pine Additional information Indian Basin Grove National Register of Historic Places listings in Sequoia - Kings Canyon National Parks Sequoia National Park Category California Portal Kings Canyon National Park Landmarks and attractions Barton -- Lackey Cabin Boole Cedar Grove Charlotte Lake Converse Basin Darwin Glacier Deadman Canyon Forester Pass General Grant Tree General Grant Grove Generals Highway Great Western Divide Indian Basin Grove Ishi Giant John Muir Trail Kern Plateau Salamander Kings River Slender Salamander Martha Lake Muir Pass Rae Lakes Redwood Mountain Grove Robert E. Lee Tree Shorty Lovelace Hist. Dist. Wilsonia Hist. Dist. Mountains Acrodectes Peak Mount Agassiz Mount Baxter Mount Brewer Charlotte Dome Mount Clarence King Mount Cotter Mount Darwin Mount Farquhar Mount Goddard Mount Gould Junction Peak Mount Keith Middle Palisade Milestone Mountain Norman Clyde Peak North Palisade Palisade Crest Palisades Mount Sill Split Mountain Mount Stanford Table Mountain Thunderbolt Peak Triple Divide Peak Thunder Mountain University Peak Mount Winchell People John Muir Stephen T. Mather Nearby municipalities Hume Squaw Valley Independence Auberry Fresno Additional information National Register of Historic Places listings in Sequoia - Kings Canyon National Parks Kings Canyon National Park Category California Portal VIAF : 68933311 LCCN : n79078692 ISNI : 0000 0001 2137 9847 GND : 119315343 SELIBR : 320585 SUDOC : 027042030 BNF : cb11917175x ( data ) ULAN : 500224954 NLA : 35367197 NDL : 00472012 NKC : jn19990005883 Botanist : J. Muir BNE : XX1348149 SNAC : w6v127gv Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Muir&oldid=837078330 '' Categories : John Muir 1838 births 1914 deaths 19th - century American writers 19th - century Scottish writers 20th - century American writers 20th - century Scottish writers Activists from California American botanical writers American botanists American conservationists American Disciples of Christ American engineers American environmentalists American essayists American explorers American geologists American inventors American male writers American mountain climbers American naturalists American nature writers American non-fiction environmental writers Hetch Hetchy Project History of the Sierra Nevada ( U.S. ) People associated with Transcendentalism People from Dunbar People from Martinez, California People of the American Old West Progressive Era in the United States Scottish activists Scottish botanical writers Scottish botanists Scottish conservationists Scottish Disciples of Christ Scottish emigrants to the United States Scottish engineers Scottish essayists Scottish explorers Scottish geologists Scottish inventors Scottish mountain climbers Scottish naturalists Scottish nature writers Sierra Club presidents University of Wisconsin -- Madison alumni Writers from California Writers who illustrated their own writing Yosemite National Park Deaths from pneumonia Hidden categories : Biography with signature Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2015 Articles with unsourced statements from September 2009 Botanists with author abbreviations CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list Articles with Project Gutenberg links Articles with Internet Archive links Articles with LibriVox links AC with 14 elements Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with ULAN identifiers Wikipedia articles with NLA identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikispecies Wikiquote Wikisource تۆرکجه Башҡортса Bikol Central Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Gaelg Gàidhlig 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ / inuktitut Italiano עברית Қазақша Malagasy Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk پنجابی Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Українська 粵語 中文 25 more Edit links This page was last edited on 18 April 2018, at 15 : 50. 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Question: who is credited as the founder of the sierra club
Answer: John Muir