JOHN MUIR

U.S. Name: John Muir
Birth Name: John Muir
Born: April 21, 1838, Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland
Died: Dec. 24, 1914, Los Angeles, Calif.
Settlement Location: A farm near Portage, Wisc., in 1849
Education: University of Wisconsin, 1860-1863
Occupation: Naturalist, preservationist, writer, inventor
Citizenship Date: 1903

JOHN MUIR

BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY: John Muir came to the United States at age 11 with his family. In his early career, he worked on mechanical inventions until an eye injury caused him to change course. He then devoted himself to the study of nature and how to preserve its beauty. He co-founded the Sierra Club in 1892, serving as its president until his death. His three-day camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt persuaded the president to create the National Parks System. Muir played a big role in establishing Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park in California.

On a camping trip with John Muir, President Theodore Roosevelt was persuaded to create the National Parks System.

JOHN MUIR

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • At 16, designed locks, water wheels, barometers, hydrometers, clocks and an automatic feeding machine for horses. (1854)
  • Invented an alarm clock bed that would tip the sleeper out of bed at a set time. It is on display at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin. (Early 1860s)
  • Co-Founder, the Sierra Club,  (May 28, 1892) and served as president until his death.
  • Helped establish, Sequoia (1890), Yosemite (1898), Mount Rainier (1899), and Grand Canyon (1908) National Parks.
  • Inspired Pres. Theodore Roosevelt to create the National Park System by taking him on a three-day camping trip. (1903)
  • Wrote and published 12 books and more than 300 magazine articles on conservation.

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

MUIR HELPED ESTABLISH THESE NATIONAL PARKS
YOSEMITE
GRAND CANYON
RANIER
SEQUIOA
JOHN MUIR

AWARDS & HONORS

  • The U.S. government established the Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County, California. (1908)
  • John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, California (1964)
  • John Muir College at the University of California at San Diego is named in his honor (1967)
  • The John Muir Trust was formed in England to safeguard and conserve wild places in the United Kingdom. (1983)
  • The Trust created the John Muir Award (1997)
  • His image on a 5-cent postage stamp (1964) and again on a 32-cent stamp (1998)  

Information sources: Britannica, Biography, Grammys

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