Yosemite! As if Nature had gathered her choicest treasures to draw people to her bosom, as if she had prepared in this glorious place a temple where she could be at once worshipped and cherished by her devotees.
John Muir
Explorer, naturalist, writer, and advocate for U.S. Forest conservation, John Muir became known for his articles that praised the natural world, speaking in poetic, spiritual terms about his affection for ecology and humanity’s connection to the earth, garnering a large and varied readership. He also published a grouping of essays and campaigned for the establishment of Yosemite National Park, which was created in 1890. Muir became a major figure in the creation of parks for the Grand Canyon and Sequoia regions as well.
Muir co-founded the Sierra Club in 1892, serving as its president for over two decades. In the new century, he continued to make history with his 1903 three-night camping trip with Theodore Roosevelt, which helped shape the U.S. president’s conservationist policies. Muir was also a world-traveler who, at age 73, took an extended trip to the Amazon, studying its fauna and topography and being swept away by the region’s beauty. A host of honors and accolades were bestowed upon him during his life.
