Who Was John Muir?

John Muir, deeply engaged in writing, a medium through which he shared his profound love for the natural world and advocated for the preservation of America’s wilderness. His eloquent words were instrumental in the establishment of national parks and the conservation movement.

Photo: A. B. Wilson. Circa 1890.

 

John Muir: A Passion for Nature

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

A leaf, a flower, a stone—the simple beauty of nature filled John Muir with joy. Through his writing, Muir shared his love of nature and inspired people to protect our country’s wild places, fueling the formation of the National Park Service and the modern conservation movement. Muir loved all things wild and saw humans as just one small part of nature. He valued the natural world not only for its economic benefits but also for its beauty and healing powers. Muir championed the revolutionary idea that wild spaces should be preserved for everyone to enjoy.

Life in the Wild

"Tracing the ways of glaciers, learning how Nature sculptures mountain-waves in making scenery…beauty that so mysteriously influences every human being, is glorious work." - John Muir

Muir’s passion for nature took him to every continent except Antarctica. He lived through incredible adventures—climbing a 100-foot tree during a thunderstorm, inching across a narrow ice bridge in Alaska, and spending a night in a blizzard on Mt. Shasta. Muir transformed his adventures into articles and books that sparked people’s interest in the natural world.

Muir’s grandfather helped nurture his love of nature at an early age, taking him on walks through the Scottish countryside. In 1849, when Muir was 11, his family moved to Wisconsin and started a farm, where his education in nature continued. As a young man, Muir studied biology, botany, and geology at the University of Wisconsin before venturing out to experience nature’s wonders firsthand.

With a plant press in his backpack, Muir walked more than 1,000 miles from Kentucky to the Gulf of Mexico, collecting specimens along the way. His curiosity carried him further to California and Alaska, where he studied glaciers in action. He discovered glaciers in Yosemite and was the first to suggest that ice had shaped its valleys.

Sharing a Progressive Vision

"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." - John Muir

Muir’s vivid descriptions of glaciers and sequoias brought the beauty of nature to readers nationwide. His ideas about conserving land changed how Americans viewed wilderness. As settlement expanded and the western frontier closed in 1890, concerns about using resources wisely began to grow.

Muir urged people to write to politicians and "make their lives wretched until they do what is right by the woods." In 1890, unchecked grazing, logging, and tourism were damaging Yosemite. Muir’s articles, "The Treasures of Yosemite" and "Features of a Proposed Yosemite National Park," appeared in Century Magazine, which had more than one million readers. Just a month later, Congress designated Yosemite a national park.

Although he struggled with writing, Muir understood its power and worked tirelessly in his "Scribble Den," his upstairs office in his Martinez home. Encouraged by friends and family, he authored articles and books that brought the wilderness to life for countless readers.

Writing for a Cause

Muir wrote and published over 300 magazine articles and 12 books, all brimming with his love of adventure, nature, wildness, and the interconnectedness of all life. At the time of his death, he was working on a book about his travels in Alaska. His notebooks contained plans and material for ten more books.

Words into Action

"The battle for conservation must go on endlessly. It is part of the universal warfare between right and wrong." - John Muir

Muir’s popular writings caught the attention of President Theodore Roosevelt, who invited him on a camping trip in Yosemite. Leaving behind reporters and Secret Service agents, Roosevelt spent three days with Muir, two park rangers, and an army packer exploring meadows and waterfalls and discussing conservation around campfires. One night, five inches of snow fell, leaving the president to wake up with snow on his blankets.

Inspired by his trip with Muir, Roosevelt set aside more than 230 million acres of public land—an area larger than Texas—that included five national parks and 18 national monuments.

Muir’s advocacy played a critical role in establishing several national parks, including Sequoia (1890), Mount Rainier (1899), and Grand Canyon (1908). He believed that "only Uncle Sam" could protect the country’s lands for future generations, an idea that led to the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

Muir also co-founded the Sierra Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to outdoor recreation and environmental advocacy. With over one million members today, the Sierra Club continues Muir’s mission to protect nature.

Muir's Conservation Legacy

Thanks to Muir’s vision, there are now over 400 National Park Service sites. Often called "America’s Best Idea," the U.S. system of protecting natural and cultural heritage has inspired other countries to follow suit. Muir’s writings and the places he fought to protect continue to inspire people worldwide to connect with nature.

His conservation legacy lives on at the John Muir National Historic Site and through everyday efforts to create positive change in our communities. There will always be a need for people to stand up and protect the natural world for future generations.