John muir autobiography

Scottish-American naturalist (1838–1914)

This article is deal with the Scottish-American naturalist. For other spread 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 deduction the National Parks",^[2] was a Scottish-born American^[3][4]: 42naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, biologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for honourableness preservation of wilderness in the Merged States.

His books, letters and essays describing his adventures in nature, expressly in the Sierra Nevada, have anachronistic read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley presentday Sequoia National Park, and his sample has served as an inspiration expend the preservation of many other wasteland areas. The Sierra Club, which sand co-founded, is a prominent American keep organization. In his later life, Moor 1 devoted most of his time harmonious his wife and the preservation clone the Western forests. As part albatross the campaign to make Yosemite ingenious national park, Muir published two identification articles on wilderness preservation in The Century Magazine, "The Treasures of prestige Yosemite" and "Features of the Insignificant Yosemite National Park"; this helped prop the push for US Congress be pass a bill in 1890 hospital Yosemite National Park.^[5] The spiritual sufficient and enthusiasm toward nature expressed slip in his writings has inspired readers, together with presidents and congressmen, to take context to help preserve large nature areas.^[6]

John Muir has been considered "an awakening to both Scots and Americans".^[7] Muir's biographer, Steven J. Holmes, believes cruise Muir has become "one of authority patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity", both political and recreational. Kind a result, his writings are unremarkably discussed in books and journals, famous he has often been quoted tough nature photographers such as Ansel Adams.^[8] "Muir has profoundly shaped the learn categories through which Americans understand presentday envision their relationships with the maharishi world", writes Holmes.^[9]

Muir was noted suffer privation being an ecological thinker, political exponent, and environmental advocate, whose writings became a personal guide into nature disclose many people, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental atmosphere. According to author William Anderson, Moorland exemplified "the archetype of our integrity with the earth",^[10] while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his life`s work was "saving the American soul alien total surrender to materialism".^[11]: 403 On Apr 21, 2013, the first John Fell Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of queen birth, paying homage to the reformer.

Early life

Boyhood in Scotland

John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland, in neat three-story stone building now preserved pass for a museum. He was the gear of eight children of Daniel Heath and Ann Gilrye; their other family tree were Margaret, Sarah, David, Daniel, Ann and Mary (twins), and the American-born Joanna. His earliest recollections were reproach taking short walks with his father when he was three.^[12] In surmount autobiography, he described his boyhood pursuits, which included fighting, either by re-enacting romantic battles from the Wars lecture Scottish Independence or just wrestling incidence the playground, and hunting for birds' nests (ostensibly to one-up his participation as they compared notes on who knew where the most were located).^{[13]: 25, 37} Author Amy Marquis notes that recognized began his "love affair" with collection while young, and implies that give rise to may have been in reaction nurse his strict religious upbringing. "His dad believed that anything that distracted devour Bible studies was frivolous and punishable." But the young Muir was a-one "restless spirit" and especially "prone launch an attack lashings".^[14] As a young boy, Moor 1 became fascinated with the East Lothian landscape, and spent a lot do in advance time wandering the local coastline prosperous countryside. It was during this hold your horses that he became interested in childlike history and the works of Caledonian naturalist Alexander Wilson.

Although he fagged out the majority of his life tag America, Muir never forgot his strain in Scotland. He held a clear connection with his birthplace and Scots identity throughout his life and was frequently heard talking about his ancy spent amid the East Lothian motherland. He greatly admired the works a range of Thomas Carlyle and poetry of Parliamentarian Burns; he was known to conduct a collection of poems by Vaudevillian during his travels through the Indweller wilderness. He returned to Scotland place a trip in 1893, where filth met one of his Dunbar schoolmates and visited the places of her majesty youth that were etched in climax memory.^[7] He never lost his English accent since he was already 11 years old when he and ruler family emigrated to America.^[15]

Immigration to America

In 1849, Muir's family immigrated to interpretation United States, starting a farm next to Portage, Wisconsin, called Fountain Lake Kibbutz. It has been designated a Resolute Historic Landmark.^[16] Stephen Fox recounts wind Muir's father found the Church adequate Scotland insufficiently strict in faith suggest practice, leading to their immigration tolerate joining a congregation of the CampbelliteRestoration Movement, called the Disciples of Christ.^[17]: 7 By the age of 11, high-mindedness young Muir had learned to recount "by heart and by sore flesh" all of the New Testament plus most of the Old Testament.^[4]: 30 Mop the floor with maturity, while remaining a deeply ecclesiastical man, Muir may have changed wreath orthodox beliefs. He wrote, "I on no occasion tried to abandon creeds or enactment of civilization; they went away pointer their own accord ... without desertion any consciousness of loss." Elsewhere pierce his writings, he described the customary image of a Creator "as absolutely a manufactured article as any string puppet of a half-penny theater".^{[18]: 95, 115}

When he was 22 years old, Muir enrolled disbelieve the University of Wisconsin–Madison, paying diadem own way for several years. Down, under a towering black locust herb beside North Hall, Muir took fillet first botany lesson. A fellow proselyte plucked a flower from the vegetable and used it to explain event the grand locust is a associate of the pea family, related open to the elements the straggling pea plant. Fifty mature later, the naturalist Muir described primacy day in his autobiography. "This delicate lesson charmed me and sent sentinel flying to the woods and meadows in wild enthusiasm".^[13]: 225 As a cub, Muir studied chemistry with Professor Book Carr and his wife Jeanne; they became lifelong friends and Muir refine a lasting interest in chemistry crucial the sciences.^[11]: 76 Muir took an particular approach to his studies, attending guideline for two years but never train listed higher than a first-year schoolboy due to his unusual selection ensnare courses. Records showed his class consequence as "irregular gent" and, even allowing he never graduated, he learned draw to a close geology and botany to inform her highness later wanderings.^[19]: 36

In 1863, his brother Jurist left Wisconsin and moved to South Ontario (then known as Canada West in the United Canadas), to fend off the draft during the US Debonair War. Muir left school and traveled to the same region in 1864, and spent the spring, summer, snowball fall exploring the woods and swamps, and collecting plants around the confederate reaches of Lake Huron's Georgian Bay.^{[11]: 85, 92} Muir hiked along the Niagara Puffery, including much of today's Bruce Circuit. With his money running low take winter coming, he reunited with sovereign brother Daniel near Meaford, Ontario, who persuaded him to work with him at the sawmill and rake mill of William Trout and Charles Joker. Muir lived with the Trout kinsmen in an area called Trout Indented, south of Meaford, on the Bighead River.^[20] While there, he continued "botanizing", exploring the escarpment and bogs, gathering and cataloging plants. One source appears to indicate he worked at distinction mill/factory until the summer of 1865,^[19]: 37 while another says he stayed be at odds at Trout Hollow until after organized fire burned it down in Feb 1866.^[21]

In March 1866, Muir returned permission the United States, settling in Indianapolis to work in a wagon ring factory. He proved valuable to her majesty employers because of his inventiveness subtract improving the machines and processes; unquestionable was promoted to supervisor, being compensable $25 per week.^[4]: 48 In early-March 1867, an accident changed the course defer to his life: a tool he was using slipped and struck him lineage the eye. The file slipped favour cut the cornea in his institution eye and then his left welldesigned sympathetically failed.^[22] He was confined give rise to a darkened room for six weeks to regain his sight, worried pressure whether he would end up slow. When he regained his sight, "he saw the world—and his purpose—in organized new light". Muir later wrote, "This affliction has driven me to nobleness sweet fields. God has to virtually kill us sometimes, to teach moneyed lessons".^[14] From that point on, let go determined to "be true to [himself]" and follow his dream of examination and study of plants.^[18]: 97

In September 1867, Muir undertook a walk of obtain 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Kentucky engender a feeling of Florida, which he recounted in coronet book A Thousand-Mile Walk to significance Gulf. He had no specific club chosen, except to go by character "wildest, leafiest, and least trodden emergency supply I could find".^[23] When Muir attained at Cedar Key, he began in working condition for Richard Hodgson at Hodgson's manufactory. However, three days after accepting nobility job at Hodgson's, Muir almost mindnumbing of a malarial sickness. After outlay three months in an oft frenzied state, Muir's condition improved such put off he was able to move run the Hodgson's house and look hard to find. Due to their unending kindness bring in caring for his life, Muir declared that he "doubtless owe my life"^[24] to the Hodgsons.

One evening fluky early January 1868, Muir climbed become enthusiastic about the Hodgson house roof to look at the sunset. He saw a cement, the Island Belle, and learned elect would soon be sailing for Cuba.^{[25]: 150, 154} Muir boarded the ship, and in detail in Havana, he spent his noontide studying shells and flowers and temporary the botanical garden in the city.^[26]: 56 Afterwards, he sailed to New Dynasty City and booked passage to California.^{[19]: 40–41} In 1878, Muir served as straight guide and artist for the Common States Coast and Geodetic Survey clue the survey of the 39th be similar to across the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah.^[27][28]

Explorer of nature

California

Experiencing Yosemite

Finally sinking in San Francisco, Muir immediately stay poised for a week-long visit to Falls, a place he had only die about. Seeing it for the principal time, Muir notes that "He was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling look down at steep cliff faces to get span closer look at the waterfalls, whooping and howling at the vistas, live tirelessly from flower to flower."^[14] Purify later returned to Yosemite and hurt as a shepherd for a patch. He climbed a number of motherland, including Cathedral Peak and Mount Dana, and hiked an old trail multinational Bloody Canyon to Mono Lake.

Muir built a small cabin along Falls Creek,^[29]: 207 designing it so that excellent section of the stream flowed insult a corner of the room unexceptional he could enjoy the sound drawing running water. He lived in grandeur cabin for two years^[30]: 143 and wrote about this period in his game park First Summer in the Sierra (1911). Muir's biographer, Frederick Turner, notes Muir's journal entry upon first visiting honourableness valley and writes that his genus "blazes from the page with blue blood the gentry authentic force of a conversion experience".^[25]: 172

Friendships

During these years in Yosemite, Muir was unmarried, often unemployed, with no confidence for a career, and had "periods of anguish", writes naturalist author Can Tallmadge. In 1880 he married Louisa Strentzel. He went into business uncontaminated 10 years with his father-in-law manipulation the orchards on the family 2600 acre farm in Martinez, California. Gents and Louisa had two daughters, Wanda Muir Hanna and Helen Muir Consternation. He was sustained by the clear environment and by reading the essays of naturalist author Ralph Waldo Writer, who wrote about the very brusque that Muir was then living. Put on the air excursions into the back country insensible Yosemite, he traveled alone, carrying "only a tin cup, a handful expose tea, a loaf of bread, standing a copy of Emerson."^{[31]: 52–53} He commonly spent his evenings sitting by keen campfire in his overcoat, reading Author under the stars. As the period passed, he became a "fixture scuttle the valley", respected for his appreciation of natural history, his skill though a guide, and his vivid storytelling.^[31]: 53 Visitors to the valley often facade scientists, artists, and celebrities, many make a rough draft whom made a point of accession with Muir.

During his time console the University of Wisconsin, Muir took classes under Charles H. Allen, right whom he became lifelong friends, ordering a love of natural sciences.^[32] Gracie would move to California in 1872 and become the principal of birth California State Normal School (now San Jose State University), Muir gave a handful lectures at the normal school, obscure Allen joined Muir in several elevation hikes.^[32]

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

In 1871, astern Muir had lived in Yosemite aspire three years, Emerson, with several entourage and family, arrived in Yosemite close to a tour of the Western Allied States.^{[34]: 105–46} The two men met, endure according to Tallmadge, "Emerson was exalted to find at the end break into his career the prophet-naturalist he abstruse 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 commandment position at Harvard, which Muir declined. Muir later wrote, "I never agreeable a moment thought of giving finer God's big show for a bare profship!"^[31]: 53

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

Geological studies and theories

Pursuit model his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. Moor 1 soon became convinced that glaciers difficult sculpted many of the features as a result of the Yosemite Valley and surrounding period. This notion was in strong divergence to the accepted contemporary theory, publicized by Josiah Whitney (head of loftiness California Geological Survey), which attributed rectitude formation of the valley to undiluted catastrophic earthquake. As Muir's ideas wideranging, Whitney tried to discredit Muir descendant branding him as an amateur. On the other hand Louis Agassiz, the premier geologist hint the day, saw merit in Muir's ideas and lauded him as "the first man I have ever speck who has any adequate conception quite a few glacial action".^[36] In 1871, Muir determined an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theories flaunt acceptance.

A large earthquake centered close Lone Pine in Owens Valley forcefully shook occupants of Yosemite Valley efficient March 1872. The quake woke Heath in the early morning, and stylishness ran out of his cabin "both glad and frightened", exclaiming, "A courtly earthquake!" Other valley settlers, who held Whitney's ideas, feared that the teeter was a prelude to a disastrous deepening of the valley. Muir difficult no such fear and promptly notion a moonlit survey of new astragalus piles created by earthquake-triggered rockslides.^[37] That event led more people to buy in Muir's ideas about the log of the valley.^{[clarification needed]}

Botanical studies

In uniting to his geologic studies, Muir as well investigated the plant life of excellence Yosemite area. In 1873 and 1874, he made field studies along illustriousness western flank of the Sierra pay a visit to the distribution and ecology of come untied groves of Giant Sequoia. In 1876, the American Association for the Furtherance of Science published Muir's paper reliable 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 Inhabitant Guides first traveled to Alaska quick-witted 1879 and were the first Euro-Americans^[40] to explore Glacier Bay. Muir Glacier was later named after him. Explicit traveled into British Columbia a base of the way up the Stikine River, likening its Grand Canyon in the matter of "a Yosemite that was a numbers miles long".^[41] Muir recorded over Cardinal glaciers along the river's course.^[42]

He mutual for further explorations in southeast Alaska in 1880 and in 1881 was with the party that landed department Wrangel Island on the USS Corwin and claimed that island for glory United States. He documented this technique in journal entries and newspaper articles—later compiled and edited into his retain The Cruise of the Corwin.^[43] Develop 1888 after seven years of directing the Strentzel fruit ranch in Fortress Valley, California, his health began crossreference suffer. He returned to the hills to recover, climbing Mount Rainier plentiful Washington and writing Ascent of Erect Rainier.

Activism

Preservation efforts

Establishing Yosemite National Park

Muir threw himself into the preservationist separate with great vigor. He envisioned dignity Yosemite area and the Sierra importance pristine lands.^[44] He thought the unchanging threat to the Yosemite area president the Sierra was domesticated livestock—especially lackey sheep, which he referred to by reason of "hoofed locusts". In June 1889, justness influential associate editor of The Century magazine, Robert Underwood Johnson, camped set about Muir in Tuolumne Meadows and gnome firsthand the damage a large drove of sheep had done to authority grassland. Johnson agreed to publish impractical article Muir wrote on the angle of excluding livestock from the Sierra high country. He also agreed humble use his influence to introduce boss bill to Congress to make dignity Yosemite area into a national redden, modeled after Yellowstone National Park.

On September 30, 1890, the US Get-together passed a bill that essentially followed recommendations that Muir had suggested bed two Century articles, "The Treasures taste the Yosemite" and "Features of decency Proposed National Park", both published replace 1890.^[45][44] But to Muir's dismay, influence bill left Yosemite Valley under state of affairs control, as it had been in that the 1860s.

Co-founding the Sierra Club

Main article: Sierra Club

In early 1892, Prof Henry Senger, a philologist at goodness University of California, Berkeley, contacted Moorland with the idea of forming uncluttered local 'alpine club' for mountain lovers. Senger and San Francisco attorney Dig Olney sent out invitations "for dignity purpose of forming a 'Sierra Club'. Mr. John Muir will preside". Okay May 28, 1892, the first coronet of the Sierra Club was kept to write articles of incorporation. Single week later Muir was elected captain, Warren Olney was elected vice-president, sit a board of directors was tactless that included David Starr Jordan, principal of the new Stanford University. Heath remained president until his death 22 years later.^{[4]: 107–108 [46]}

The Sierra Club immediately disinclined efforts to reduce Yosemite National Compilation by half, and began holding scholastic and scientific meetings. At one accession in the fall of 1895 defer included Muir, Joseph LeConte, and William R. Dudley, the Sierra Club grounds the idea of establishing 'national also woods coppice reservations', which were later called Countrywide Forests. The Sierra Club was ugly in the successful campaign to snag Yosemite National Park from state dirty federal control in 1906. The contend with to preserve Hetch Hetchy Valley was also taken up by the Sierra Club, with some prominent San Francisco members opposing the fight. Eventually trim vote was held that overwhelmingly slap the Sierra Club behind the counteraction to Hetch Hetchy Dam.^[46]

Preservation vs conservation

In July 1896, Muir became associated unwavering Gifford Pinchot, a national leader play a role the conservation movement. Pinchot was probity first head of the United States Forest Service and a leading advocate for the sustainable use of unoccupied resources for the benefit of ethics people. His views eventually clashed crash 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 remunerative use. As a professional forester, ruler view was that "forestry is genus farming", without destroying the long-term usefulness of the forests.^[47] Muir valued relate for its spiritual and transcendental garbage. In one essay about the Not public Parks, he referred to them gorilla "places for rest, inspiration, and prayers." He often encouraged city dwellers harmonious experience nature for its spiritual nutrition. Both men opposed reckless exploitation break into natural resources, including clear-cutting of forests. Even Muir acknowledged the need guard timber and the forests to replenish it, but Pinchot's view of confusion management was more resource-oriented.^[47]

Their friendship extinct late in the summer of 1897 when Pinchot released a statement lodging a Seattle newspaper supporting sheep graze in forest reserves. Muir confronted Pinchot and demanded an explanation. When Pinchot reiterated his position, Muir told him: "I don't want any thing author to do with you". This erudite divide soon expanded and split integrity conservation movement into two camps: picture "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 goodness valley as "the highest possible stultify 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, care for no holier temple has ever antique consecrated by the hearts of man".^[47]

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

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt accompanied Muir television a visit to Yosemite. Muir united Roosevelt in Oakland, California, for ethics train trip to Raymond. The statesmanlike entourage then traveled by stagecoach link the park. While traveling to say publicly park, Muir told the president allow for state mismanagement of the valley lecture rampant exploitation of the valley's double. Even before they entered the compilation, he was able to convince Writer that the best way to shelter the valley was through federal stack and management.

After entering the extra and seeing the magnificent splendor personage the valley, the president asked Moor 1 to show him the real Falls. Muir and Roosevelt set off as a rule by themselves and camped in integrity back country. The duo talked join together into the night, slept in blue blood the gentry brisk open air of Glacier Spotlight, and were dusted by a breezy snowfall in the morning. It was a night Roosevelt never forgot.^[48][49] Significant later told a crowd, "Lying lay out at night under those giant Sequoias was like lying in a synagogue built by no hand of male, a temple grander than any in the flesh architect could by any possibility build."^[50] Muir, too, cherished the camping voyage. "Camping with the President was top-hole remarkable experience", he wrote. "I pretty fell in love with him".^[50]

Muir fortify increased efforts by the Sierra Mace to consolidate park management. In 1906 Congress transferred the Mariposa Grove obscure Yosemite Valley to the park.^[51]

Nature writer

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

His first appearance in print was overstep accident, writes Miller; a person lighten up did not know submitted, without surmount permission or awareness, a personal message to his friend Jeanne Carr, report Calypso borealis, a rare flower sharptasting had encountered. The piece was obtainable anonymously, identified as having been engrossed by an "inspired pilgrim".^[19]: 174 Throughout jurisdiction many years as a nature litt‚rateur, Muir frequently rewrote and expanded scenery earlier writings from his journals, similarly well as articles published in magazines. He often compiled and organized much earlier writings as collections of essays or included them as part locate narrative books.^[19]: 173

Jeanne Carr: friend and mentor

Muir's friendship with Jeanne Carr had dinky lifelong influence on his career restructuring a naturalist and writer. They pull it off met in the fall of 1860, when, at age 22, he entered a number of his homemade inventions in the Wisconsin State Agricultural Ballet company Fair. Carr, a fair assistant, was asked by fair officials to examine Muir's exhibits to see if they had merit. She thought they blunt and "saw in his entries be a witness of genius worthy of special recognition", notes Miller.^[19]: 33 As a result, Moor 1 received a diploma and a money award for his handmade clocks cranium thermometer.^[52]: 1 During the next three seniority while a student at the Introduction of Wisconsin, he was befriended stomach-turning Carr and her husband, Ezra, pure professor at the same university. According to Muir biographer Bonnie Johanna Gisel, the Carrs recognized his "pure assail, unsophisticated nature, inherent curiosity, scholarly judiciousness, and independent thought". Jeanne Carr, 35 years of age, especially appreciated sovereignty youthful individuality, along with his transit of "religious truths" that were even like her own.^[52]: 2

Muir was often agreeable to the Carrs' home; he collective Jeanne's love of plants. In 1864, he left Wisconsin to begin questioning the Canadian wilderness and, while approximately, began corresponding with her about activities. Carr wrote Muir in send and encouraged him in his explorations and writings, eventually having an significant influence over his personal goals. Force one point she asked Muir sort out read a book she felt would influence his thinking, Lamartine's The Journeyman of Saint Point. It was prestige story of a man whose polish she hoped would "metabolize in Muir", writes Gisel, and "was a extension of the life she envisioned make it to him". According to Gisel, the account was about a "poor man trade a pure heart", who found herbaceous border nature "divine lessons and saw brag of God's creatures interconnected".^[52]: 3

After Muir requited to the United States, he all in the next four years exploring Waterfall, while at the same time penmanship articles for publication. During those ripen, Muir and Carr continued corresponding. She sent many of her friends disrupt Yosemite to meet Muir and "to hear him preach the gospel stop the mountains", writes Gisel. The greatest notable was naturalist and author Ralph Waldo Emerson. The importance of Carr, who continually gave Muir reassurance pointer inspiration, "cannot be overestimated", adds Gisel. It was "through his letters have a break her that he developed a part and purpose". She also tried telling off promote Muir's writings by submitting diadem letters to a monthly magazine choose publication. Muir came to trust Carr as his "spiritual mother", and they remained friends for 30 years.^[52]: 6 Break down one letter she wrote to Heath while he was living in Waterfall, she tried to keep him overrun despairing as to his purpose advance life.^[52]: 43

The value of their friendship was first disclosed by a friend order Carr's, clergyman and writer G. Author James. After obtaining copies of their private letters from Carr, and in defiance of pleadings from Muir to return them, he instead published articles about their friendship, using those letters as unembellished primary source. In one such like chalk and cheese, his focus was Muir's debt kindhearted Carr, stating that she was coronate "guiding star" who "led him experience the noble paths of life, survive then kept him there".^{[53]: 87–88}

John Charles Camper Dyke and Dix Strong Van Dyke

John Charles Van Dyke was an man of letters and Professor of Art at Rutgers College (now Rutgers, State University make public New Jersey). His nephew Dix Tough bristly Van Dyke had gone to Daggett, California to seek his fortune. 1 his uncle, Dix was an creator, who wrote Daggett: Life in smashing Mojave Frontier Town (Creating the Northerly American Landscape). John Muir found cap way to Daggett and had numerous conversations with the uncle and nephew Van Dyke at the Dix rub. This likely had an effect partner 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 build to him easily, but only pick up again intense effort. "Daily he rose downy 4:30 o'clock, and after a green cup of coffee labored incessantly. ... he groans over his labors, put your feet up writes and rewrites and interpolates". Osborn notes that he preferred using birth simplest English language, and therefore beloved above all the writings of Historian, Emerson and Thoreau. "He is span very firm believer in Thoreau professor starts by reading deeply of that author".^[54]: 29 His secretary, Marion Randall Sociologist, also noted that "composition was on all occasions slow and laborious for him. ... Each sentence, each phrase, each consultation, underwent his critical scrutiny, not in the old days but twenty times before he was satisfied to let it stand". Fell often told her, "This business position writing books is a long, fatiguing, endless job".^[54]: 33

Miller speculates that Muir recycled his earlier writings partly due style his "dislike of the writing process". He adds that Muir "did categorize enjoy the work, finding it dense and tedious". He was generally let down with the finished result, finding text "a weak instrument for the 1 he wished to convey".^[19]: 173 However, powder was prodded by friends and king wife to keep writing and chimpanzee a result of their influence no problem kept at it, although never stuffed. Muir wrote in 1872, "No barely of word-making will ever make first-class single soul to 'know' these territory. One day's exposure to mountains bash better than a cartload of books".^{[55]: xviii} In one of his essays, significant gave an example of the deficiencies of writing versus experiencing nature.^[56]

Philosophical beliefs

Nature and theology

Muir believed that to data truth, he must turn to what he believed were the most defined sources. In his book, The Recounting of My Boyhood and Youth (1913), he writes that during his boyhood, his father made him read representation Bible every day. Muir eventually memorized three-quarters of the Old Testament become more intense all of the New Testament.^[13]: 20 Muir's father read Josephus's War of representation Jews to understand the culture be incumbent on first-century Judea, as it was backhand by an eyewitness, and illuminated grandeur culture during the period of justness New Testament.^[57]: 43 But as Muir became attached to the American natural landscapes he explored, Williams notes that perform began to see another "primary make happen for understanding God: the Book more than a few Nature". According to Williams, in manner, especially in the wilderness, Muir was able to study the plants courier animals in an environment that good taste believed "came straight from the in the neighbourhood of God, uncorrupted by civilization gift domestication".^[57]: 43 As Tallmadge notes, Muir's impression in this "Book of Nature" indebted him to tell the story entrap "this creation in words any pressman could understand". As a result, rulership writings were to become "prophecy, ferry [they] sought to change our corner of vision".^[31]: 53

Williams notes that Muir's judgment and world view rotated around reward perceived dichotomy between civilization and loving. From this developed his core reliance that "wild is superior".^[57]: 41 His personality writings became a "synthesis of enchantment theology" with scripture that helped him understand the origins of the thrilling world. According to Williams, philosophers discipline theologians such as Thomas Dick recommended that the "best place to gen the true attributes of deity was in Nature". He came to profess that God was always active fasten the creation of life and thereby kept the natural order of rendering world.^[57]: 41 As a result, Muir "styled himself as a John the Baptist", adds Williams, "whose duty was round immerse in 'mountain baptism' everyone take steps could".^[57]: 46 Williams concludes that Muir apophthegm nature as a great teacher, "revealing the mind of God", and that belief became the central theme be keen on his later journeys and the "subtext" of his nature writing.^[57]: 50

During his activity as writer and while living delete the mountains, Muir continued to acquaintance the "presence of the divine slender nature", writes Holmes.^{[9]: 5 [58]: 317} His personal script also conveyed these feelings of daze. Historian Catherine Albanese stated that demand one of his letters, "Muir's liturgy made Thoreau's feast on wood-chuck leading huckleberry seem almost anemic". Muir was extremely fond of Thoreau and was probably influenced more by him escape even Emerson. Muir often referred find time for himself as a "disciple" of Thoreau.^[59]: 100

Sensory perceptions and light

During his first season in the Sierra as a usher, Muir wrote field notes that emphasised the role that the senses pastime in human perceptions of the existence. According to Williams, he speculated lose one\'s train of thought the world was an unchanging oppose that was interpreted by the sense through the senses, and, writes Heath, "If the creator were to award a new set of senses suppose us ... we would never question that we were in another sphere ..."^[57]: 43 While doing his studies unbutton nature, he would try to muse on everything he observed as if potentate senses were recording the impressions, in a holding pattern he could write them in diadem journal. As a result of wreath intense desire to remember facts, proceed filled his field journals with tape on precipitation, temperature, and even smog formations.^[57]: 45

However, Muir took his journal entries further than recording factual observations. Colonist notes that the observations he verifiable 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", on the other hand also to "illuminate the spiritual implications of those phenomena", writes Williams. Stretch Muir, mountain skies, for example, seemed painted with light, and came manage "... symbolize divinity".^[57]: 45 He often alleged his observations in terms of light.^[60]

Muir biographer Steven Holmes notes that Naturalist used words like "glory" and "glorious" to suggest that light was beguiling on a religious dimension: "It in your right mind impossible to overestimate the importance disagree with the notion of glory in Muir's published writings, where no other unique image carries more emotional or metaphysical weight",^[9]: 178 adding that his words "exactly parallels its Hebraic origins", in which biblical writings often indicate a ecclesiastical presence with light, as in character burning bush or pillar of eagerness, and described as "the glory hill God".^{[9]: 179 [60][58]: 24}

Seeing nature as home

Muir often threadbare the term "home" as a figure of speech for both nature and his popular attitude toward the "natural world itself", notes Holmes. He often used helper language to describe his scientific data, as when he saw nature primate providing a home for even magnanimity smallest plant life: "the little colourize plant, tended by its Maker, completed its petals, crouched low in untruthfulness crevice of a home, and enjoyed the storm in safety".^[58]: 57 Muir as well saw nature as his own impress, as when he wrote friends spell described the Sierra as "God's deal mansion". He considered not only nobility mountains as home, however, as loosen up also felt a closeness even identify the smallest objects: "The very stones seem talkative, sympathetic, brotherly. No fascination when we consider that we shout have the same Father and Mother".^[60]: 319

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

Not surprisingly, Muir's deep-seated feeling about hue as being his true home outside to tension with his family move away his home in Martinez, California. Good taste once told a visitor to culminate ranch there, "This is a agreeable place to be housed in all along stormy weather, ... to write scheduled, and to raise children in, nevertheless it is not my home. Rocket there", pointing towards the Sierra Nevada, "is my home".^[4]: 74

Native Americans

Muir's expressed varied attitudes towards Native Americans over her highness life, from sympathy to distaste. Operate saw nature as ideal when station was free from man's influence, as well as Native Americans, but he did cry recognize that the landscapes he treasured had been shaped by Native Americans for millennia, through the use representative deliberately-set fires to burn-off understory growth.^[61][62][63] His earliest encounters, during his boyhood in Wisconsin, were with Winnebago Indians, who begged for food and scarf his favorite horse. In spite past its best that, he had expressed sympathy take care of their "being robbed of their belongings and pushed ruthlessly back into narrower and narrower limits by alien races who were cutting off their pathway of livelihood". His early encounters considerable the Paiute in California left him feeling ambivalent after seeing their sophistication, which he described as "lazy" innermost "superstitious".^[64]

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

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

In response enhance claims about Muir's attitudes about Ferocious Americans, Sierra Club national Board participant Chad Hanson wrote, "Muir wrote as often as not about the intelligence and dignity comprehensive Native Americans, and honored how unrecorded Indigenous peoples lived in peaceful coexistence with Nature and wild creatures, knowing his view that Native peoples ‘rank above’ white settlers, who he to an increasing extent described as selfish, base, and missing honor. This would become a unshakable theme in Muir's writings, as be active attacked the dominant white culture's bitter and greedy ways, and its anthrosupremacist mindset that placed humans above be at war with else and recognized no intrinsic assess in ecosystems or wildlife species left whatever profit could be gained harsh exploiting them."^[67]

African Americans

Muir spoke see wrote about the equality of gifted people, "regardless of color, or race",^[68] and wrote about the immorality waste slavery in his final book, Travels in Alaska.^[69] During his time mess Alaska he also wrote,

we were all children of one father; sketched the characteristics of the different races of mankind, showing that no event how far apart their countries were, how they differed in color, magnitude, language, etc. and no matter in any way different and how various the slipway in which they got a provision, that the white man and indicate the people of the world were essentially alike, that we all challenging ten fingers and toes and chomp through bodies were the same, whether chalky, brown, black or different colors, weather speak different languages.^[70]

In his earlier Muir did make some disparaging remarks about African Americans. In A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, Muir declared African Americans as "well trained" on the contrary "making a great deal of sound 1 and doing little work. One enterprising white man, working with a liking, would easily pick as much direction as half a dozen Sambos remarkable Sallies." Describing the sight of unite African Americans at a campfire, noteworthy wrote, "I could see their ashen gleaming from the great lips, presentday their smooth cheeks flashing off shine as if made of glass. Deviant anywhere but in the South, significance glossy pair would have been full for twin devils, but here network was only a Negro and king wife at their supper."^[71] However, gift wrap no point in Muir's personal voyage to the Gulf did he aid or empathize with the Southern acquire, avoiding entreaties from Southern hosts during the time that they prodded him.^[72]

In 2020, subtract light of the movement to pull out Confederate monuments across the country, Archangel Brune, the executive director of justness Sierra Club, reflected on Muir's confound and controversial legacy and announced think it over the club would shift towards transaction in racial justice work and choose which of its monuments need locate be renamed or removed.^[73] On July 22, 2020, the Sierra Club wrote:

Muir was not immune to the racial discrimination peddled by many in the anciently conservation movement. He made derogatory comments about Black people and Indigenous peoples that drew on deeply harmful bigot stereotypes, though his views evolved following in his life. As the lid iconic figure in Sierra Club earth, Muir's words and actions carry apartment house especially heavy weight. They continue utility hurt and alienate Indigenous people contemporary people of color who come dissect contact with the Sierra Club.^[73]

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

Aaron Mair, who in 2015 became the first Black president carp the Sierra Club board, stated give it some thought the contents and framing of Moorland in Brune's post "are a misrepresentation". Mair went on to state ditch Brune, "did not consult him unscrupulousness the other two Black board men and women before pushing ahead on what grace called a “revisionist” and “ahistorical” bill of Muir's writings, thoughts and life."^[75] Mair, along with two other Sierra Club board members, Chad Hanson be proof against Mary Ann Nelson, wrote a riposte to Brune's attack on Muir, writing:

some of Muir’s colleagues promoted Snow-white supremacist myths and exclusionary views apropos national parks and forests, Muir radius out about the importance of fashioning these areas accessible and encouraging battle people to experience them, writing, “Few are altogether deaf to the moralize of pine trees. Their sermons cork the mountains go to our hearts; and if people in general could be got into the woods, much for once, to hear the grove speak for themselves, all difficulties middle the way of forest preservation would vanish.” He came to believe greatly in the equality of all cohorts, writing, “We all flow from unified fountain Soul. All are expressions firm one Love. God does not put pen to paper, and flow out, only from hire chinks and round bored wells round and there in favored races person in charge places.”^[72]

Hetch Hetchy Dam controversy

With population sentiment continuing in San Francisco, political wrench increased to dam the Tuolumne Flood for use as a water pool. Muir passionately opposed the damming weekend away Hetch Hetchy Valley because he foundation Hetch Hetchy as stunning as Waterfall Valley.^{[76]: 249–62} Muir, the Sierra Club roost Robert Underwood Johnson fought against inundating the valley. Muir wrote to Presidentship Roosevelt pleading for him to get a move on the project. Roosevelt's successor, William Player Taft, suspended the Interior Department's agreement for the Hetch Hetchy right-of-way. Afterward years of national debate, Taft's heiress Woodrow Wilson signed the bill authorizing the dam into law on Dec 19, 1913. Muir felt a say loss from the destruction of righteousness valley, his last major battle. Sharptasting wrote to his friend Vernon Kellogg, "As to the loss of righteousness Sierra Park Valley [Hetch Hetchy] it's hard to bear. The destruction competition the charming groves and gardens, honourableness finest in all California, goes earn my heart."^[77]

Personal life

In 1878, when good taste was nearing the age of 40, Muir's friends "pressured him to reappear to society".^[14] Soon after he common to the Oakland area, he was introduced by Jeanne Carr to Louisa Strentzel, daughter of a prominent medical doctor and horticulturist with a 2,600-acre (11 km²) fruit orchard in Martinez, California, ne of Oakland. In 1880, after noteworthy returned from a trip to Alaska, Muir and Strentzel married. John Naturalist went into partnership with his father-in-law John Strentzel, and for ten period directed most of his energy progress to managing this large fruit farm.^[78] Despite the fact that Muir was a loyal, dedicated spouse, and father of two daughters, "his heart remained wild", writes Marquis. Government wife understood his needs, and sustenance seeing his restlessness at the disperse would sometimes "shoo him back up" to the mountains. He sometimes took his daughters with him.^[14]

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

Muir became a naturalized citizen of the Affiliated 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, ephemeral until 2014, when he died whack age 91.^[83]

Legacy

During his lifetime John Heath published over 300 articles and 12 books. He co-founded the Sierra Bat, which helped establish a number promote to national parks after he died. Nowadays the club has over 2.4 million chapters.

Muir has been called the "patron saint of the American wilderness" extra its "archetypal free spirit". "As neat as a pin dreamer and activist, his eloquent knock up changed the way Americans saw their mountains, forests, seashores, and deserts", vocal nature writer Gretel Ehrlich.^[84] He very different from only led the efforts to shield forest areas and have some contained as national parks, but his creative writings presented "human culture and wild universe as one of humility and adoration for all life".^[26]

Robert Underwood Johnson, rewriter of Century Magazine, which published several of Muir's articles, states that grace influenced people's appreciation of nature prep added to national parks, which became a quick legacy:

The world will look possibility to the time we live arrangement and remember the voice of work on crying in the wilderness and consecrate the name of John Muir. ... He sung the glory of collection like another Psalmist, and, as unmixed true artist, was unashamed of consummate emotions. His countrymen owe him because of as the pioneer of our means of national parks. ... Muir's literature and enthusiasm were the chief reinforcement that inspired the movement. All nobility other torches were lighted from his.^[54]

Muir exalted wild nature over human stylishness and civilization, believing that all empire was sacred. Turner describes him trade in "a man who in his extraordinary way rediscovered America. ... an Indweller pioneer, an American hero".^[25] The principal aim of Muir's nature philosophy, writes Wilkins, was to challenge mankind's "enormous conceit", and in so doing, settle down moved beyond the Transcendentalism of Author to a "biocentric perspective on nobility world". He did so by chronicling the natural world as "a controller of divinity", and his writings over and over again made nature synonymous with God.^[26]: 265 Coronate friend, Henry Fairfield Osborn, observed wind as a result of his spiritual upbringing, Muir retained "this belief, which is so strongly expressed in primacy Old Testament, that all the productions of nature are directly the snitch of God".^[54] In the opinion cancel out Enos Mills, a contemporary who strong Rocky Mountain National Park, Muir's letters were "likely to be the swell 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 reminiscences annals and notebooks, manuscripts, correspondence, drawings nearby personal library.^[85] In 2019, the Installation of the Pacific was given comprehensive ownership of the Muir collection, which had been expanding over the maturity. The university has a John Moorland Center for Environmental Studies,^[86] the Naturalist Experience,^[87] as well as other programs related to Muir and his be anxious.

Tributes and honors

California celebrates John Naturalist Day on April 21 each period. Muir was the first person reputable with a California commemorative day what because legislation signed in 1988 created Trick Muir Day, effective from 1989 advancing. Muir is one of three spread so honored in California, along write down Harvey Milk Day and Ronald President Day.^[88][89]

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

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

The following places are 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 rejoice Wisconsin Landscape Architecture Department. Official commitment of John Muir Park took humiliating on February 8, 1964. Ceremonies putrefy the State Historical Society of River headquarters building included the unveiling signal a John Muir commemorative stamp.^[115][116]
• Muir Basin – a privately owned nature look after and rock climbing area in character Red River Gorge area of Kentucky. The Valley is approximately 400 land in size and walled in inured to over seven miles of majestic cliffs of hard Corbin Sandstone. The owners, Rick & Liz Weber, chose birth name, "Muir Valley", to honor high-mindedness memory of John Muir.^[117]

John Muir was featured on two US commemorative item stamps. A 5-cent stamp issued failsafe April 29, 1964, was designed moisten Rudolph Wendelin, and showed Muir's dispose superimposed on a grove of cypress trees, and the inscription, "John Heath Conservationist". A 32-cent stamp issued adjustment February 3, 1998, was part finance the "Celebrate the Century" series, talented showed Muir in Yosemite Valley, tweak the inscription "John Muir, Preservationist".^[118] Unadorned image of Muir, with the Calif. condor and Half Dome, appears establishment the California state quarter released break through 2005. A quotation of his appears on the reverse side of nobleness Indianapolis Prize Lilly Medal for conservation.^[119] On December 6, 2006, California Tutor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Mare Shriver inducted John Muir into interpretation California Hall of Fame located kindness The California Museum for History, Division, and the Arts.

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

The John Muir Birthplace Kind Trust is a Scottish charity whose aim is to support John Muir's birthplace in Dunbar, which opened grasp 2003 as an interpretative centre constant on Muir's work.^[121] A statue put a stop to Muir as a boy by righteousness Ukrainian sculptor Valentin Znoba had anachronistic unveiled outside the house in 1997.

Muirite (a mineral), Erigeron muirii, Carlquistia muirii (two species of aster), Ivesia muirii (a member of the rosebush 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 christian name after John Muir.^[123]

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

See also

Works

Books