John Muir Research Final Exam Paper - University at Buffalo...

University at Buffalo
John Muir
Timeline and Essay
Anika Isaac

Anika Isaac
2-14-15
ENG 367
John Muir’s Path to Self-Discovery Influential Events
1838 - John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland to Daniel and Ann Gilrye Muir (Sierra Club).
John Muir’s fascination with the wilderness began when he was a young boy growing up
in Dunbar, Scotland. He would roam the fields and seashore of Dunbar and was
completely submerged in natures blissfulness. He fell in love with and became one with
nature. (The Story of my Boyhood and Youth by John Muir 1913)
1849 - The Muir family moves to the United States.
Muir’s devotion to the wilderness enhances. When he isn’t working for his father, he
wanders off into the field and countryside of Wisconsin. (The Story of my Boyhood and
Youth by John Muir 1913)
1860 - Muir exhibits his inventions at Wisconsin State Agriculture Fair
Muir, then 22 years old, leaves home and receives his first public recognition for his
inventions. (Sierra Club)
1861 - Muir enrolls at the University of Wisconsin. (Sierra Club)
1863 - Walks along the Wisconsin River to Mississippi. (Sierra Club)
1867 - Muir is temporarily blinded. (Sierra Club)
While trying to remove a machine belt with a file at the factory in which he worked, Muir
suffers a very tragic eye injury that leaves him temporarily blinded. During this
agonizing period of his life he vows that if his vision was to ever return, he would not
take it for granted anymore. When his vision returns, he sets out on a thousand mile walk
to the South America. (Sierra Club)
1868 - Muir makes his first visit and falls in love with Yosemite Valley in California. (Sierra
Club)
1876 - Muir begins to publicly campaign for forest protection and conservation. (Sierra Club)
1890 - Muir’s campaign succeeds in establishing Yosemite national park. (Sierra Club)

Muir’s articles on Yosemite are published in Century magazine which helped establish
Yosemite National Park. He also begins the campaign for Kings Canyon National Park
and for Sequoia National Park. (Sierra Club)
1892 - Muir co-founds the Sierra Club and serves as its President for the rest of his life. (Sierra
Club)
1903 - Muir tours Yosemite Valley with President Theodore Roosevelt. (Sierra Club)
1914 - Muir dies in Los Angeles from pneumonia at age 76. (Sierra Club)

John Muir: Path to Self-Discovery
“The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness,” - John Muir, a man
armed with an extraordinary amount of fascinating talents and perhaps one of the most legendary
conservationist and naturalist known to man. He is also very often referred to as the “Father of
National Parks” (Sierra Club) but, in order to fully understand and appreciate the vast majority of