Muir, John

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John Muir

BORN: April 21, 1838 • Dunbar, Scotland

DIED: December 24, 1914 • Los Angeles, California

Conservationist; environmentalist; writer

John Muir was a conservationist at a time when the idea of conserving natural resources was still in its infancy. Muir traveled the globe, exploring nature and recording his observations. His writings heightened his readers' awareness of the world around them. In an effort to organize like-minded people with a concern for the environment, Muir and his supporters founded the Sierra Club in 1892. Muir is mostly remembered for his involvement in the protection of the Yosemite and Sierra Nevada wilderness areas in California. He is considered one of the most influential conservationists in American history.

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

Of Scottish descent

John Muir was the third of seven children born to Daniel and Ann Muir. He was born on April 21, 1838, in Dunbar, Scotland. The family moved to Wisconsin in 1849, when Muir was just eleven. His formal schooling ended when he immigrated to America, where he spent most of his time working long hours in the fields of the family farm. When his strict father allowed him time off, Muir and his younger brother liked to explore the woods and hills. Although vastly different from the seacoast of Muir's hometown and the craggy moors (rocky, infertile land) and mountains of the rest of Scotland, America's Midwest helped Muir develop his love for the outdoors.

Muir also enjoyed inventing things. One of his inventions was a device that tipped him out of bed before sunrise each morning. In 1860, Muir attended the state fair in Madison, where he won prizes for his inventions. That same year, he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Although his grades were admirable, Muir's interests lay elsewhere, and he left college after three years to travel through the northern United States and into Canada. He supported himself with odd jobs along the way.

Temporarily loses his sight

Muir was working at a carriage parts shop in 1867 when an accident left him temporarily blind. When he regained his sight a month later, Muir vowed to see as much of the wondrous outdoors as he could and thus began a 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) trek across the world. His travels took him from Indianapolis, Indiana, to the Gulf of Mexico. He visited Cuba and eventually, Panama. There, he sailed up the west coast of America and landed in San Francisco, California, in 1868. From that point forward, Muir would consider the state his home.

That same year, Muir's travels took him to California's Sierra Nevada, a 400-mile (650-kilometer) mountain range. After wandering through the San Joaquin Valley, Muir trekked into the high country for the first time. That region would inspire and comfort him for the rest of his life. Muir spent his first summer as a shepherd in what would become Yosemite National Park in 1890. He also ran a sawmill at the base of Yosemite Falls. These jobs gave him the chance to study the nature surrounding him. He became so familiar with the region that he served as a guide for visitors to the area.

In 1871, Muir began studying glacier activity in the Sierra Nevada. He devised a theory that Yosemite Valley had developed from the movement and melting of glaciers, large rivers of ice that slowly "flow" because of their great weight. His theory was in sharp contrast to the idea that was readily accepted at the time, which stated that the valley was formed as a result of an earthquake. As time went by and geologists learned more about glaciers, Muir's theory gained wider acceptance. An earthquake in the valley in 1872 caused many people to fear the valley would deepen even more. When that failed to happen, Muir's theory made even more sense to more people. Muir's discovery of an active glacier within the mountain range further supported his theory.

In 1871, famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) visited Yosemite, and Muir acted as his guide. Emerson tried to convince the budding conservationist to leave Yosemite so that he might teach the world the lessons he had learned throughout his travels. Muir could not leave his beloved mountains, however. Another three years would pass before he left the valley.

On December 5, 1871, Muir published his first essay, for which he was paid the then-handsome sum of $200. "Yosemite Glaciers" appeared in the New York Tribune. He would spend the next few years writing and publishing essays about his observations in Yosemite. A series of articles titled "Studies in the Sierras" were published in 1874, marking the beginning of a productive writing career. Muir would produce about three hundred magazine articles and ten major books. The articles reflected Muir's lively writing style in which he melded descriptive passages of beauty with basic scientific discussion. His writings appealed to tourists and scientists alike.

Leaves Yosemite

Muir began leaving Yosemite shortly after his series was published. At first, he would leave for just a few months at a time, visiting friends in San Francisco and Oakland. During a visit to Oakland in 1874, Muir met Louise (Louie) Wanda Strentzel, a mutual friend of the family with whom he was staying. The two were married on April 14, 1880. They would eventually have two daughters. The day after the wedding, Muir left on an expedition to Alaska for further glacier exploration. It was his second trip, his first one having been in 1879 and resulting in his discovery of Glacier Bay.

The Muirs moved to the small town of Martinez, California (near San Francisco), the year they were married. Here, Muir partnered with his father-in-law and managed a successful family fruit ranch. During his ten years on the ranch, he continued to travel when time permitted. He went to Alaska several more times as well as to Europe, Africa, Australia, South America, and Asia. His wife accompanied him on a trip to Yosemite in 1884; it was her first and last adventure with her husband. Louie preferred to stay in the familiar confines of her home while her husband traveled. She managed the ranch capably when he did.

Ranch life made Muir a wealthy man but kept him so busy he found little time to write. Domestic life seemed to drain him of his energy. He became depressed whenever he visited the Sierra Nevada. Cattle and sheep were decimating the meadows and forests of the range. Muir knew if he did not take action soon, the region he loved so dearly would be ruined forever. Louie supported her husband, and encouraged him to do what he felt he must, even though it meant leaving the ranch and family. The two kept in touch through letters, and Louie sent Muir money to pay for any traveling expenses.

Creates Yosemite National Park
and Sierra Club

In 1890, the family moved to a 14-room Victorian mansion. To lessen her husband's responsibilities, Louie sold some of the fruit ranch. The mansion and the portion of the ranch acreage the Muirs kept is the focal point of the John Muir National Historic Site, a branch of the National Park Service.

Muir drew America's attention through a series of articles he published in Century magazine. He wrote about the destruction of the Yosemite area. The magazine's associate editor, Robert Underwood Johnson (1853–1937), worked hard to bring the issue to the attention of Congress. In 1890, Congress created Yosemite National Park. This designation gave federal protection to Yosemite. It was the first of several such endeavors for Muir, who was involved in the formation of the Sequoia, Mount Rainier, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon national parks. According to his biography on SierraClub.org, Muir is considered the "Father of Our National Park System."

Muir and Johnson joined forces again in 1892 and established the Sierra Club, America's first grassroots environmental organization. Muir served as the group's president until his death. The club's original mission was to make the Sierra Nevada accessible to the public so that everyone could appreciate its natural wonders. By the twenty-first century, the club had developed into a general conservation organization working to protect the wild places of the planet, promote responsible use of natural resources, and educate the public on how to protect and restore the earth's resources.

Growth was slow at first, as people began to learn of the Club's existence. In 1901, the group began hosting annual, month-long "High Trips," in which guides took interested individuals and groups on hikes into the Sierra Nevada. By 1938, the High Trip expeditions had become so large that the Club had to devise plans for those hikers who desired more intimate, small-scale experiences. As of 2006, the organization boasted 750,000 members.

The battle for Hetch-Hetchy

Muir published his first book in 1894, but it was not until the 1901 publication of his book Our National Parks that President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919; served 1901–9; see entry) took notice of the conservationist. Roosevelt, himself an enthusiastic outdoorsman, visited Muir in Yosemite in 1903. Muir guided the president through the Sierra Nevada, and together the two men shared ideas about what the president could do to protect the nation's natural resources. Roosevelt eventually created 5 national parks, 150 national forests, 18 national monuments, and the National Forest Service.

By the end of the 1890s, the city of San Francisco had been trying to find a source of municipal water. Although the city looked into several sources, the one it preferred was Hetch-Hetchy, a valley located in Yosemite National Park. The City wanted to dam the Tuolumne (pronounced too-AH-luh-mee) River at the mouth of the Hetch-Hetchy Valley to increase the water supply. The water supply in Hetch-Hetchy was not more abundant or of better quality than anywhere else; the city was interested in it because the valley was situated on public land, which made using it more convenient and affordable.

The Sierra Club immediately began to fight to keep Hetch-Hetchy untouched. The club and other like-minded citizens argued that tapping into the watershed would destroy the integrity of the national park. Soon, the battle for Hetch-Hetchy made front page headlines in newspapers across the country. Muir was an outspoken opponent of the plan. According to the Ecology Hall of Fame, Muir wrote, "These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the mountains, lift them to the Almighty Dollar."

The battle was long and intense, but in the end, Muir and his fellow conservationists lost. In 1913, Congress approved a bill that allowed water supplies within national parks to be used for public purposes. The government never made good on its promise that the reservoir would be used as a recreational center where the public could use the lake for boating and swimming. In reality, the reservoir was closed to public use. As soon as the dam was built, the City of San Francisco decided to raise its height to increase the water supply. More land was used than had been initially planned.

The controversy over the Hetch-Hetchy issue continued into the twenty-first century. The state of California concluded that restoring the Hetch-Hetchy and compensating the city for water loss would cost more than $800 million.

Death comes to a gentle warrior

Losing the battle for Hetch-Hetchy was one of Muir's biggest regrets. He spent his final years traveling the globe and writing articles and books. Muir was still living in the house the family had moved into in 1890 (Louie had died in 1905). After a short bout of pneumonia, Muir died in a hospital in Los Angeles in 1914. Muir had been writing a book about Alaska when he died (it was published in 1915), and in his possession were approximately ten book manuscripts. His writing continued to be published into the 1920s.

In 1915, the Sierra Club convinced the California government to spend $10,000 for the construction of the John Muir Trail. The 211-mile (339.5-kilometer) trail was completed in 1938 and runs through Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia national parks.

The U.S. Postal Service has issued two John Muir stamps: one in 1964 and another in 1998. He was inducted into the Conservation Hall of Fame in 1965 and was featured on the new California state quarter, released in January 2005. A minor planet was discovered and named after Muir in 2006.

John Muir Day is celebrated every year in America on April 21. The conservationist was voted the Greatest Californian of All Time in 1976, according to a poll conducted by the California Historical Society.

Muir is remembered for his passion for nature and its beauty. His moving descriptions inspired Americans to acknowledge the importance of protecting and conserving their natural resources.

For More Information

BOOKS

Ehrlich, Gretel. John Muir: Nature's Visionary. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society, 2000.

Muir, John. Meditations of John Muir: Nature's Temple. Edited by Chris Highland. Berkeley, CA: Wilderness Press, 2001.

Muir, John. Our National Parks. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1901. Reprint, Washington, DC: Ross and Perry, 2001.

Muir, John, and Lee Stetson. The Wild Muir: Twenty-Two of John Muir's Greatest Adventures. Yosemite National Park, CA: Yosemite Association, 1994.

Wolfe, Linnie Marsh. Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir. New York: A. A. Knopf, 1945. Reprint, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1978.