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78-792: As a young man Merrill had lived with John Muir for a summer, which inspired a lifetime commitment to the outdoors and the Sierra Club . Merrill, who served as Clerk of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, was an active volunteer in the Sierra Club, leading outings for almost twenty years, serving on the Executive Committee of the Angeles Chapter from 1926 to 1935 and on the National Board of Directors of

156-593: A close friendship for 38 years with William Keith , a California landscape painter. They were both born the same year in Scotland and shared a love for the mountains of California. In 1871, after Muir had lived in Yosemite for three years, Emerson, with several friends and family, arrived in Yosemite during a tour of the Western United States . The two men met, and according to Tallmadge, "Emerson

234-796: 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

312-608: 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

390-524: 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

468-531: 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

546-512: A malarial sickness. After spending three months in an oft delirious state, Muir's condition improved to such that he was able to move about the Hodgson's house and look outside. Due to their unending kindness in caring for his life, Muir stated that he "doubtless owe my life" to the Hodgsons. One evening in early January 1868, Muir climbed onto the Hodgson house roof to watch the sunset. He saw

624-540: A national park, modeled after Yellowstone National Park . On September 30, 1890, the US 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

702-597: A point of meeting with Muir. During his time at the University of Wisconsin, Muir took classes under Charles H. Allen , with whom he became lifelong friends, sharing a love of natural sciences. Allen would move to California in 1872 and become the principal of the California State Normal School (now San Jose State University ), Muir gave several lectures at the normal school, and Allen joined Muir in several mountain hikes. Muir maintained

780-465: 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. Muir's friendship with Jeanne Carr had

858-657: 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. Muir

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936-438: 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

1014-590: 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 . In 1878, Muir served as a guide and artist for the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey on the survey of

1092-425: 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

1170-473: 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 Key , he began working for Richard Hodgson at Hodgson's sawmill. However, three days after accepting the job at Hodgson's, Muir almost died of

1248-599: The 39th parallel across the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah. 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

1326-706: The United Canadas ), to avoid the draft during the US 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

1404-707: The Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park , and his example has served as an inspiration for the preservation of many other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club , which he co-founded, is a prominent American conservation organization . In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to his wife and 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

1482-518: The 1860s. 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

1560-545: 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 wrestling on the playground, and hunting for birds' nests (ostensibly to one-up his fellows as they compared notes on who knew where

1638-716: The Cobb Estate gateway at the top of Lake Avenue . The portion of the trail which was maintained by Merrill leads an approximate 2 1 ⁄ 2 -mile trip directly to Echo Mountain and the ruins of the White City of the Mount Lowe Railway. It is also sometimes referred to as Lower Sam Merrill Trail because a section of the Mount Lowe 8, an old mule trail from the days of the Mount Lowe Tavern,

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1716-564: The Dix ranch. This likely had an effect on his writings. His daughter Helen married Frank Buel and lived in Daggett. 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

1794-589: 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

1872-601: The Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks ", was a Scottish-born American naturalist , author, environmental philosopher , botanist , zoologist , glaciologist , and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. His books, letters and essays describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada , have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve

1950-617: 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". 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 . In 1880 he married Louisa Strentzel . He went into business for 10 years with his father-in-law managing

2028-534: The Sierra Club from 1936 to 1937. When Sam Merrill died in 1948 the Sierra Club named the Echo Mountain Trail after him. The trail originated at the old railway's right of way just above a point called Hygeia Station and climbed by switchback up the steep face of the Echo promontory. In the late 1960s a housing development was established over the trail, and the trailhead was moved to an access alongside

2106-609: The Yosemite" and "Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park"; this helped support the push for US 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

2184-601: 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

2262-685: The camping trip. "Camping with the President was a remarkable experience", he wrote. "I fairly fell in love with him". 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. 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

2340-424: The conservation movement into two camps: the "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

2418-410: The conventional image of a Creator "as purely a manufactured article as any puppet of a half-penny theater". 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

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2496-716: 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

2574-562: 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

2652-422: 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

2730-587: The eye. The file slipped and cut the cornea in his right eye and then his left eye sympathetically failed. He was confined to a darkened room for six weeks to regain his sight, worried about whether he would end up blind. When he regained his sight, "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. In September 1867, Muir undertook

2808-463: 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

2886-569: The features of the Yosemite Valley and surrounding area. This notion was in strong 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

2964-561: The fight. Eventually a vote was held that overwhelmingly put the Sierra Club behind the opposition to Hetch Hetchy Dam. 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

3042-658: The formation of the valley. 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. Between 1879 and 1899, Muir made seven trips to Alaska , as far as Unalaska and Barrow . Muir, Mr. Young (Fort Wrangell missionary) and

3120-431: 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

3198-472: The hills to recover, climbing Mount Rainier in Washington and writing Ascent of Mount Rainier . 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,

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3276-487: 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

3354-513: 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

3432-521: The most accurate sources. 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 Judea , as it was written by an eyewitness, and illuminated

3510-414: 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

3588-481: 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 don't want any thing more to do with you". This philosophical divide soon expanded and split

3666-570: 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

3744-456: The orchards on the family 2600 acre farm in Martinez, California . John and Louisa had two daughters, Wanda Muir Hanna and Helen Muir Funk . 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

3822-511: 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

3900-421: 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

3978-418: 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 has often been 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

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4056-493: 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. He later told a crowd, "Lying out at night under those giant Sequoias was like lying in a temple built by no hand of man, a temple grander than any human architect could by any possibility build." Muir, too, cherished

4134-527: 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. Muir believed that to discover truth, he must turn to what he believed were

4212-415: 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, "cannot be overestimated", adds Gisel. It

4290-542: 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

4368-460: 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

4446-475: 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

4524-465: 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

4602-742: 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

4680-459: 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". In 1899, Muir accompanied railroad executive E. H. Harriman and esteemed scientists on the famous exploratory voyage along the Alaska coast aboard

4758-534: Was "saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism". On April 21, 2013, the first John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist. John Muir was born in Dunbar , Scotland, in a three-story stone building now preserved as a museum . He was the third of eight children of Daniel Muir and Ann Gilrye; their other children were Margaret, Sarah, David, Daniel, Ann and Mary (twins), and

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4836-435: 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

4914-522: Was already 11 years old when he and his family emigrated 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 immigration and joining

4992-489: Was an author and Professor of Art at Rutgers College (now Rutgers, State University of New Jersey). His nephew Dix Strong Van Dyke had gone to Daggett, California to seek his fortune. Like his uncle, Dix was an author, who wrote Daggett: Life in a Mojave Frontier Town (Creating the North American Landscape) . John Muir found his way to Daggett and had many conversations with the uncle and nephew Van Dyke at

5070-623: 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. Pursuit of his love of science, especially geology, often occupied his free time. Muir soon became convinced that glaciers had sculpted many of

5148-401: 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

5226-417: 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. 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

5304-475: 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". John Charles Van Dyke

5382-471: 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 never lost his Scottish accent since he

5460-462: 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 ,

5538-404: Was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and environmental advocate, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for many people, 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

5616-544: 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

5694-859: Was reopened, giving a continued hike into Grand Canyon and the site of the Tavern, and is referred to as Upper Sam Merrill Trail. In 1996 the national USA Today newspaper published a list of "10 Great North American Hikes", which included the Sam Merrill Trail as one of them. The list had originally appeared in the October 1996 issue of Men's Fitness magazine. This is a partial list of deaths on this trail. 34°13′11″N 118°07′14″W  /  34.21972°N 118.12056°W  / 34.21972; -118.12056 John Muir John Muir ( / m jʊər / MURE ; April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914), also known as "John of

5772-403: 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

5850-511: 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". Donald Worster Too Many Requests If you report this error to

5928-404: 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

6006-631: 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

6084-633: 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

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