John Muir, Biographical Sketch

Source:

In the essay below, we will review the life of America’s foremost park advocate.

SUMMARY:  Like Andrew Carnegie, John Muir immigrated to America from Scotland.  But unlike Carnegie, he came to devote his life to preserving the wilderness, rather than transforming it into material wealth.  Because of people like Muir, we now have the National Parks and a strong wilderness preservation movement in America.

STUDY QUESTION – SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: John Muir’s passion was the American wilderness. Consider this statement in relationship to these three facets of John Muir’s life: 1) his personal engagement with the wilderness: some of the adventures he undertook throughout his life to come close to nature; 2) his study of nature:  some of the puzzles that he explored to learn more about the wilderness; and 3) his efforts to nurture respect for nature:  ways in which he worked to preserve and publicize the wilderness. (NOTE: this is a three-part question.)

IDENTIFICATION TERMS: John Muir, Tom Nixon, Dunbar, Daniel Muir, Portage, Wisconsin, Louis Agassiz, Yosemite Valley, Josiah D. Whitney, Gifford Pinchot, Hetch Hetchy, Sierra Club, “hoofed locusts.

Click on the link below to access the essay.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r18n_PiqDcZKYBRrB6P5IczyLTECz3pX/view?usp=drive_link