JOHN THOMAS MUIR

Background
Born April 21, 1838. Died December 24, 1914. Moved to a small farm near Portage Wisconsin in 1849 called "Fountain Lake Farm."

Background(continued)
Age 22, attended UW Madison. 1864, fled to Canada with brother to avoid the Army Draft and spent time in the woods of Lake Huron

Causes to become preservationist
Worked as a sawyer at a wagon factory in Indianapolis for $22 a week, injured his eye and afterward he decided to pursue nature

Start of nature
September of 1867, walked about 1000 miles from Indiana to Florida and said that "My plan was simply to push on in a general southward direction by the wildest,leafiest,and least trodden way I could find."

California
Traveled to California and fell in love with Yosemite, "He was overwhelmed by the landscape, scrambling down steep cliff faces to get a closer look at the water falls, whooping and howling at the vistas, jumping tirelessly from flower to flower." said Teddy Roosevelt

California(continued)
Lived in Yosemite for several years, became expert on the area and started finding new features, essentially gave congress all the ideas that turned Yosemite into a national park

CONTROVERSIES

• Gifford Pinchot
• Conservation/Preservation
• Battle of Hetch Hetchy dam

Gifford Pinchot
Head of the U.S Forest Service, wanted national forests in stead of parks, believed in conservation, not preservation

Conservation
Idea that a certain chunk of land has many uses like recreation, ranching, farming, harvesting timbers,

Preservation
Idea that a certain chunk of land should be left alone and interfered with as little as possible while allowing the public to enjoy it

Hetch Hetchy dam
Built in Hetch Hetchy valley to provide water to a growing San Francisco, Muir strongly opposed, national debate

Thesis- John Muir forever changed the United States with his beliefs and actions.

Argument one
Muir changed the way most Americans thought of land and resources, and created a demand for more national parks.

Argument two
Since the Hetch Hetchy valley incident, no other national park has been intruded upon like Yosemite

Argument three
Muir co-founded the Sierra club which helps preserve our National Parks with the help of its more than 2.4 million members.

Tributes to John Muir
California state quarter, Mount Muir, Muir's peak, Muir Glacier, John Muir Wilderness, Muir pass, Muir Woods National Monument, Muir beach, John Muir College, and many other small things, even an asteroid