It has been designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1849, Muir's family immigrated to the United States, starting a farm near Portage, Wisconsin, called Fountain Lake Farm. He never lost his Scottish accent since he was already 11 years old when he and his family emigrated to America. He returned to Scotland on a trip in 1893, where he met one of his Dunbar schoolmates and visited the places of his youth that were etched in his memory. He greatly admired the works of Thomas Carlyle and poetry of Robert Burns he was known to carry a collection of poems by Burns during his travels through the American wilderness. He held a strong connection with his birthplace and Scottish identity throughout his life and was frequently heard talking about his childhood spent amid the East Lothian countryside. It was during this time that he became interested in natural history and the works of Scottish naturalist Alexander Wilson.Īlthough he spent the majority of his life in America, Muir never forgot his roots in Scotland. As a young boy, Muir became fascinated with the East Lothian landscape, and spent a lot of time wandering the local coastline and countryside. "His father believed that anything that distracted from Bible studies was frivolous and punishable." But the young Muir was a "restless spirit" and especially "prone to lashings". : 25, 37 Author Amy Marquis notes that he began his "love affair" with nature while young, and implies that it may have been in reaction to his strict religious upbringing. In his autobiography, he described his boyhood pursuits, which included fighting, either by re-enacting romantic battles from the Wars of Scottish Independence or just scrapping on the playground, and hunting for birds' nests (ostensibly to one-up his fellows as they compared notes on who knew where the most were located). His earliest recollections were of taking short walks with his grandfather when he was three. He was the third of eight children: Margaret, Sarah, David, Daniel, Ann and Mary (twins), and the American-born Joanna. His parents were Daniel Muir and Ann Gilrye. John Muir's Birthplace is a four-story stone house in Dunbar, Scotland. His father bought the adjacent building in 1842, and made it the family home. : 403 On April 21, 2013, the first John Muir Day was celebrated in Scotland, which marked the 175th anniversary of his birth, paying homage to the conservationist.Įarly life Boyhood in Scotland Muir was born in the small house at left. According to author William Anderson, Muir exemplified "the archetype of our oneness with the earth", while biographer Donald Worster says he believed his mission was "saving the American soul from total surrender to materialism". Muir was noted for being an ecological thinker, political spokesman, and environmental advocate, whose writings became a personal guide into nature for many people, making his name "almost ubiquitous" in the modern environmental consciousness. "Muir has profoundly shaped the very categories through which Americans understand and envision their relationships with the natural world", writes Holmes. As a result, his writings are commonly discussed in books and journals, and he has often been quoted by nature photographers such as Ansel Adams. Holmes, believes that Muir has become "one of the patron saints of twentieth-century American environmental activity", both political and recreational. John Muir has been considered "an inspiration to both Scots and Americans".
The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings has inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas.
As part of the campaign to make Yosemite a national park, Muir published two landmark articles on wilderness preservation in The Century Magazine, "The Treasures of the Yosemite" and "Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park" this helped support the push for US Congress to pass a bill in 1890 establishing Yosemite National Park. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. The Sierra Club, which he co-founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park, and his example has served as an inspiration for the preservation of many other wilderness areas.
His letters, essays, and books describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, have been read by millions. John Muir ( / m jʊər/ MURE April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was a Scottish-born American : 42 naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States.
0 kommentar(er)
