John Muir

Would National Park exist without John Muir? Throughout his life John Muir stood up for the environment in three ways. He wrote letters to politicians, books that defended the wilderness, and he founded the Sierra Club. All of these motivated people, such as Theodore Roosevelt to enjoy and preserve nature.  Historical Context John Muir was born on April 21st 1838. He grew up in Dunbar, Scotland until the age 11 when his family moved to the United States. His family bought a farm in Portage, Wisconsin. During his childhood, his father had him work very hard on their farm. However, when Muir had breaks he invented small machines and explored the woods with his brother. After many years of observing nature he attended the University of Wisconsin for three years. Then he traveled north and worked many odd jobs. During this time he studied botany observing nature. In 1867, he sustained a temporarily blinding eye injury while working at a carriage parts shop. Shortly, afterward he began to travel around the United States on foot and boat. When he visited the Sierra Mountain range he was deeply moved to protect nature. He described it as being a spiritual experience that could sooth the mind. ("John Muir") In the 19th century, industry used the environment for resources and land. Thus, wilderness areas were…

Lunch With John Muir! Hannah- Q: John Muir, how would you describe yourself? Muir- A: I would consider myself to be an optimistic, witty man with strong opinions. I am a conscientious environmentalist, naturalist, and conservationist who possess great zeal for nature. My thoughts are meticulously and thoroughly recorded in my journal. When I am surrounded by vast mountain ranges in the Sierras or a breathtaking sunset in Alaska, a thousand thoughts run through my mind of how thankful I am…

John Muir’s Wilderness Works John Muir is a Scottish poet whose works focus primarily on the beauty of America’s wildest places. He has written about many western areas such as Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, as well as the northern state of Alaska. He earned the name “John of the Mountains” for his style of writing. Muir and his passion for undeveloped areas even helped design some of President Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation programs. His work for land…

In “Rattlesnake” written by John Muir, John Muir is a loving husband, father, and father of the National Park Service. Not only was he able to take care of his family, he took care of the forests by saving over 83 million acres of land. John Muir’s whole message is: Doing something you know is wrong could lead to improvement.Throughout his essay, his tone is regretful and sorrowful. One example of tone is one Page 3 line 54, “I did not want to kill him, but I had many visitors, some of them…

Fifteen miles south of the world-renowned Yosemite Valley sits alone the Hetch Hetchy Valley with its water roaring. Hard to believe, but it was once recognized as the counterpart of the Yosemite Valley and grabbed the same attention for its natural beauty— cascading waterfalls, lofty mountain cliffs, and serene rivers. John Muir, an ardent advocate for the preservation of the wilderness, described the experience of visiting Hetch Hetchy to be a sheer pleasure: “it [was] a bright day in June;…

After becoming president in 1901, Roosevelt used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the United States Forest Service (USFS) and establishing 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments by enabling the 1906 American Antiquities Act. During his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt protected approximately 230 million acres of public land” (National Park Service 1). Although Roosevelt and Muir had…

“Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.” These words uttered by Theodore Roosevelt echo the thoughts and wishes of endless people who have fallen for our national parks in America. Yosemite National Park, loved by conservationists, bird-watchers, photographers, John Muir, and 4 million tourists a year, is America’s first plot of federal land protected for the sake of conservation and tourism and consists of 1,169 square miles of waterfalls, mountains,…

The Sierra Club is united state’s most influential grassroots organization to date. They helped pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. The Sierra Club was founded on May 28th, 1892 in San Francisco, California by a preservationist by the name of John Muir. Essentially associated with the progressive movement in the 20th century, The Sierra Club was actually one the first large scale environmental organization in the world. Their main goal is “to explore, enjoy,…

first environmentalists emerged and were a diverse group of naturalists, scientists, writers, hunters, politicians, and adventurers. John Muir was a botanist, geologist, writer, and adventurer, and is widely considered one of the first environmentalists. He lived a fascinating life full of passion for the wilderness. Biography John Muir was born on April 21, 1838, the third of eight children, in a Scottish seaport called Dunbar, where he…

John Muir once proclaimed,“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” Muir, through tragedy, found a new light in his life to pursue his attachment to the wilderness. As an environmental philosopher, he became an early activist for the preservation of the American wilderness. Through his endearment he influenced leaders to support his love. Even in death, his impression on the nation is still celebrated not only by his followers, but by the majority of the country. Without…