John Muir: Naturalist Or Conservationist?

As John Muir said “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” When people go out for a walk they don’t notice everything that nature has given them a chance to see. Nature gives us this beauty and we just destroy it. John Muir also called “Wilderness Prophet” was an important figure because he was one of the most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist, he helped create and save several national parks, and he created the Sierra Club.

John Muir was born on April 21, 1838, in Dunbar, Scotland. He was the son of Daniel Muir and Anna Gilrye. His father, Daniel Muir was a very harsh disciplinarian man who was extremely strict about religion. John Muir was the third out of their eight children and his father first …show more content…
One of his first published writings was “The Calypso Borealis.” It talks about how he found a rare orchid on one of his trips. Before going to work in the field where he was known for he also worked in a number of factories. In one of the factories where he worked he used his inventions to improve the manufacturing system there. After he stopped working in factories he started to hike and climb to have more strength for his upcoming trips. One of his many accomplishments was a 1000 mile walk to Florida and Cuba. During that trip he crossed many forests, caves, mountains, and swamps. He came across many animals and plants he never seen. Another trip was to Alaska with one of his good friends. That trip led to the discovery of Glacier Bay and Muir Glacier. During his life he climbed several mountains, including Mount Shasta, Whitney, and Rainier. One special event to John was his marriage to Louie Wanda Strentzel in 1880. Soon after that came his first daughter Wanda and then his second daughter Helen. After his second daughter was born he started to work for Picturesque California. Many of John’s writing about Yosemite helped with it getting established as a national park. He also campaigned for Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Mount Rainier to become national parks. In 1892 he co-founded the Sierra Club. He was the president of the Sierra Club until his death. The Sierra Club worked on many conservation activities. The Sierra Club also worked with many other organization that had the same purpose as them. John took a trip to Europe, where he visited Ireland, Norway, Edinburgh, France, and many more places in Europe. In Europe he visited several mountains and lakes before coming back to the United States of America. Another thing John accomplished was getting his first book published which was The Mountains of California and then after