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John Muir was born in Scotland to parents Ann and Daniel Muir
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When Muir was 11, his family immigrated to Wisconsin. They lived on a farm near Portage.
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After a factory incident that nearly left him blind, Muir decided to learn about the natural world. This prompted him to study natural sciences at the University of Wisconsin. But after two and a half years of higher education, Muir decided that he'd rather spend his life enrolled in what he called the "University of Wildness".
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Muir first visits the site that will become his legacy and is immediately in love.
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Muir returns to the Yosemite valley and finds a job as a ranch hand and then a shepherd. During his time as a shepherd, he sketched the plants, animals, and mountain scenery of the valley. these illustrations would later be published in his novel 'My First Summer In The Sierra'
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Muir begins working at a new sawmill built in the valley owned by James Mason Hutchings. During this time he built his Yosemite Creek cabin. Muir quit in 1871 after disagreements with Hutchings regarding Muir's newfound status as a Yosemite spokesperson.
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Two months after leaving the sawmill, Muir wrote hist first article to be published. After this article on glaciers was published in the New York Tribune, Muir's reputation as a gifted naturalist began to form, and many influential artists of the day began to work with him.
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Through the 1870's as his fame grew, Muir became focused on natural landscape and wilderness preservation. In his 1876 article, "In God’s First Temples: How Shall We Preserve Our Forests?” Muir criticized California legislatures for failing to protect the dwindling wilderness.
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Muir married Louisa Strentzel in 1880, and, due to Louisa's fear of bears and lack of expert climbing ability, the Muir's trips to Yosemite became few and far between.
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Three months after his wedding, Muir traveled to Alaska as a correspondent for the San Francisco Bulletin looking for the lost ship USS Jeanette. He repeated this trip the following year, and eventually published his recollections form the trip in 1917, titled 'The Cruise of the Corwin'.
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Muir historically ascended Mount Rainier in Washington, as well as continuing his Alaskan adventures.
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Muir spent the 80's focused on the damage to natural areas surrounding the Yosemite Grant, most of which was caused by livestock. In 1889, Muir took the editor of Century Magazine Robert Underwood Johnson to Tuolumne Meadows to see the damage for himself.
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Johnson's article regarding his Yosemite visit inspired a bill in the U.S Congress that proposed creating a National park for the original Yosemite Grant and surrounding areas. This became a reality in 1890
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John Muir created the Sierra Club, a group of naturalists dedicated to the protection and preservation of the natural world, which he remained president of until 1914. The Sierra Club is still around today.
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The Sierra Club fought to preserve the Hetch Hetchy Valley from the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Dam for twelve years. Eventually however, they were defeated. This is considered to be John Muir's greatest failure.
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President Theodore Roosevelt visits Yosemite with John Muir as his Guide. Muir was so persuasive that, three years later, the Yosemite Grant was reinstated.
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Christmas Eve, 1914. A little over a year since the Hetch Hetchy disaster, John Muir passed away. Along with Yosemite, he worked to preserve the Grand Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, and his work has left a lasting impact on America for generations.
