 A John Muir (1838-1914) was America's most famous and
influential naturalist and conservationist. He is one of California's most
important historical personalities. He has been called "The Father of
our National Parks," "Wilderness Prophet," and "Citizen
of the Universe." He once described himself more humorously, and perhaps
most accurately, as, a "poetico - trampo - geologist - botanist and
ornithologist - naturalist etc. etc. !!!!" Legendary librarian and
author Lawrence Clark Powell (1906-2001), (anticipating an event that was not
to occur until 2006), said of him: "If I were to choose a single
Californian to occupy the Hall of Fame, it would be this tenacious Scot who
became a Californian during the final forty-six years of his life."
As a wilderness explorer, he is renowned for his exciting
adventures in California's Sierra Nevada, among Alaska's glaciers, and world
wide travels in search of nature's beauty. As a writer, he taught the people
of his time and ours the importance of experiencing and protecting our
natural heritage. His writings contributed greatly to the creation of Yosemite,
Sequoia, Mount Rainier, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon National Parks.
Dozens of places are named after John Muir, including the Muir Woods National
Monument, the John Muir Trail, Muir College (UCSD), and many schools. His
words and deeds helped inspire President Theodore Roosevelt's innovative
conservation programs, including establishing the first National Monuments by
Presidential Proclamation, and Yosemite National Park by congressional
action. In 1892, John Muir and other supporters formed the Sierra Club
"to make the mountains glad." John Muir was the Club's first
president, an office he held until his death in 1914. Muir's Sierra Club has
gone on to help establish a series of new National Parks and a National
Wilderness Preservation System.
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