BGuthrie Photos: CA -- Martinez -- John Muir NHS

CA -- Martinez -- John Muir NHS:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. MUIRHS_130726_019.JPG: Vicente Martinez Adobe In 1849, Vicente Martinez built a two-story adobe ranch house on his portion of the Rancho Pinole. This land was inherited from his father, Don Ignacio Martinez, a Spanish officer who became Comandante of the San Francisco Presidio and later Alcade of San Francisco. In 1966 the National Park Service acquired the adobe and it is now open to the public.
2. MUIRHS_130726_021.JPG: John Muir Home Ranch home of John Muir 1838- 1914, explorer, naturalist, author and foremost advocate of forest protection and of national parks. The John Muir Trail through the High Sierra, Muir Woods National Monument and Muir Glacier in Alaska are named for him.
3. MUIRHS_130726_044.JPG: John Muir Tradition: "When I was a boy in Scotland I was fond of everything that was wild, and all my life I've been growing fonder and fonder of wild places and wild creatures." -- John Muir
4. MUIRHS_130726_047.JPG: 1838: John Muir is born in Dunbar, Scotland on April 21st. Muir later reflects that his first connections with nature came while wandering through the fields with his grandfather back in Scotland. 1849: At the age of eleven, Muir moves with his family to Wisconsin. Working to cut down the forest wilderness and turn it into farmland, Muir first experiences the destruction of nature by man. 1860: John Muir leaves his father's home and goes to the University of Wisconsin where he studies natural sciences. His inventive mind makes him an excellent student and scientist, but his mechanical aptitude and desire to explore lead him away from the classroom. Muir goes on to wander Wisconsin, Illinois and Canada while taking various jobs in industry.
5. MUIRHS_130726_050.JPG: 1867: Muir, working in a carriage shop, badly injures his eye. Later, with his eye healed, he turns aside from industry and devotes his life to nature. He begins by walking over a thousand miles from Kentucky to the Gulf of Mexico. 1868: Muir travels to California and visits Yosemite for the first time. He describes it as "the grandest of all the special temples of Nature." Muir spends as much time as possible communing with the environment and planting himself firmly out-of-doors, making himself as wild as the lands he would later protect. 1872: Muir begins writing his experiences and publishing them in magazines and newspapers. Muir's articles remind us of the travel writers of today as he encouraged his readers to visit places of great natural beauty. 1880: With his marriage to Louisa Strentzel, commonly referred to as "Louie," and his work on his father-in-law's fruit ranch, Muir decided to limit his travels. For roughly ten years, Muir devotes himself to being a husband to his wife and father to his two daughters in Martinez, California.
6. MUIRHS_130726_053.JPG: 1890: The founding of the Sierra Club and naming of John Muir as the first President-for-life signifies the growing conservationist movement and represents to this day the power that John Muir had to sway people with his words and writings. Around this time, Muir begins turning his old travel journals into books to further encourage conservation. 1901-1913: Muir leads the Sierra Club in an extended struggle against the campaign to dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley located within the fledgling Yosemite National Park. The eventual loss of this battle takes a toll on the mature conservationist who writes, "The destruction of the charming groves and gardens, the finest in all California, goes to my heart." 1903: President Theodore Roosevelt visits Yosemite with Muir and the two split away from the President's entourage to camp together for a few days. After the trip, Roosevelt, influenced greatly by Muir, uses his power as President to preserve over two hundred million acres as public land. 1914: Muir dies from pneumonia in a Los Angeles hospital while visiting his daughter, Malaria that he had acquired years before had damaged his lungs, leaving the great naturalist more susceptible. His body is brought back to Martinez where he is buried.
7. MUIRHS_130726_062.JPG: The Path to Preservation: From his home here in Martinez, John Muir fought for the creation of a nationwide system of parks to preserve America's treasures and to assure that they remained protected for all people to enjoy. Shortly after his death, the National Park Service was created for that very purpose, and hundreds of national parks have followed. Each national park tells a story or preserved a place that has national significance. he parks also tell stories for those dedicated people who devoted themselves to saving a precious place that they loved. These people have put their mark upon the American landscape for generations to come. The reminded us all of the importance of participation, and in doing so, they have realized the full meaning of American Democracy.
8. MUIRHS_130726_119.JPG: Behind the Man: The Necessity of Friendship: "To ask me whether I could endure to live without friends is absurd... to live without human love is impossible." -- John Muir, "John of the Mountains" Imagine this room full of people. Everyone is sharing stories and having a good time by the fire. John Muir sits in a rocking chair surrounded by his friends and family. The people around John Muir defined him as a person. Friends introduced Muir to science. Family supported his travels. Muir relied on support from his family and friends as he fought to protect nature.
9. MUIRHS_130726_130.JPG: Comfort and Pride in Family Life: Muir's marriage to Louie Wanda Strentzel in 1880 provided the thoughtful constant presence of a wife who understood him best, along with the responsibility of managing a ranch and orchards in the Alhambra Valley near Martinez. Louie encouraged her husband to return to his beloved mountains and work to protect wilderness. Muir was a devoted father of two daughters, Wanda and Helen.
10. MUIRHS_130726_145.JPG: "Mount Shasta" by William Keith
11. MUIRHS_130726_154.JPG: Brick Fireplace Original to site John Muir had this fireplace built after the original fell during the 1906 earthquake. "I've built a big fireplace, almost suitable for mountaineers, into which I roll a jolly pair of logs two feet in diameter ... making fires that flame and roar and radiate sunny heat like those we built on the frosty coyote meadows..." --- Letter to Miss Mosgrove, 1907
12. MUIRHS_130726_170.JPG: Mentor and Friend: Muir met his lifelong friend Jeanne Carr through her husband, Professor Ezra Carr, while a student at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1860s. She was a fellow botanist, spiritual soulmate, confidant, correspondent, literary critic, advisor, surrogate mother, and matchmaker. Carr introduced Muir to many of her accomplished friends William Keith, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Joseph LeConte, Albert Kellogg, Asa Gray, and his future wife Louis Wanda Strentzel.
13. MUIRHS_130726_201.JPG: Money Makes the Man: Take a look around. Are you surprised by the richness of this room? Muir spent a large portion of his life surrounded by gilded mirrors, glass chandeliers and horsehair furniture. Working on his father-in-law's fruit ranch made Muir very wealthy. When Muir passed away, his estate was worth almost $250,000, or more than $5 million by today's standards. "A large sum of money did not seem to fit somehow with the popular conception of the naturalist... in the mountains." -- Reporter on John Muir
14. MUIRHS_130726_209.JPG: Who knew John Muir made so much money? John Muir had a mind for efficiency. He looked at his father-in-law's thousands of experiments and chose the crops that would make the most money. He also worked with the railroad company to have a train line and station put in less than a mile from the house so that he could send his crops to markets quickly. Muir not only supported his family with the ranch, but used the money to fund his famous adventures and campaign for the nature he loved.
15. MUIRHS_130726_230.JPG: Knabe Square Grand Piano Louie Strentzel Muir was a skilled piano player and would often entertain guests in this room with her Steinway grand piano. Most people of this time period could not afford this kind of luxury. This piano belonged to a local music teacher and was donated to the site.
16. MUIRHS_130726_290.JPG: Taking Care of Business: Dr. John Strentzel first planted fruit trees in the area in the 1850s. He most likely used this room as his office to manage the ranch accounts. John Muir learned the family business after marrying Strentzel's daughter Louie. The work made Muir a very wealthy man, even by today's standards. "For ten years I was engaged in fruit-raising in the Alhambra Valley, near Martinez... until I had more money that I thought I would ever need for my family." -- John Muir, His Life and Letters With his finances secure, Muir provided a good life for his wife and daughters. With his family cared for, Muir could dedicate time to his writing -- writing that would help protect thousands of acres of wilderness.
17. MUIRHS_130726_332.JPG: A Bite to Eat: "As to tea, there are but two kinds, weak and strong, the stronger the better." -- John Muir, My First Summer in the Sierra In Martinez, John Muir lived well: good food, live-in cook, warm fires... This kitchen reminds us how much Muir's life changed here. As a child, Muir often went hungry. As a young man, Muir explored the mountains with just a crust of bread. But here in Martinez, Muir's stomach was full and he had time to write down his adventures -- with a strong cup of tea in arm's reach.
18. MUIRHS_130726_349.JPG: A Foundation Laid by Immigrants: "America can make Americans out of almost any people." -- John Muir, Unpublished Journal In John Muir's day, almost ten percent of the population in California was from China. They worked on the many California ranches, such as the ranch that used to be around this house. They would work day after day picking, planting and pruning fruit trees. When we step back, we realize that the people of this house were not born in the United States. This reminds us of the role that immigrants play in this country -- and how some, like John Muir, changed our country completely.
19. MUIRHS_130726_373.JPG: Friends of Muir: John Burroughs: "I love you, though at times I want to punch you or thrash the ground with you." -- Burroughs to Muir Both Burroughs and Muir have been credited with being the fathers of the conservation movement of the late 1800s. And both were good friends. They could never, however, agree on anything. They met in New York City, traveled to Alaska and extensively throughout the continental United States while corresponding regularly over the course of their lives. They became known to their friends as "The twa [two] Johnnies." Muir was a western man and had made California his home, but travelled far and wide and connected to beauty in all environments. Burroughs was an eastern man and felt deeply linked to his Catskill Mountains of New York. This, and other philosophical differences, constantly kept the two at odds with each other. When Muir missed a sunset during the Harriman Expedition to Alaska in 1889, Burroughs chided him: "You ought to have been here fifteen minutes ago, instead of singing hymns in the cabin." The reply was quick and sharp: "Aye, and you Johnnie ought to have been up here fifteen years ago, instead of slumbering down there on the Hudson [River]."
20. MUIRHS_130726_376.JPG: Friends of Muir: William F. Colby: "Never mind, dear Colby... We may lose this particular fight, but truth and right must prevail at last." -- Muir to Colby on Hetch Hetchy This budding conservation movement attracted like-minded people, both young and old. It was through the Sierra Club, an organization that Muir helped found, that Colby met the veteran conservationist. The years of fighting to save the Hetch Hetch Valley brought the two men very close to each other. Colby, fresh out of Law School, joined the Sierra Club in 1898. As Secretary of the Sierra Club, he invented the High Trips program to bring city folks out to see the mountains. This program was in perfect harmony with Muir's ideals. Most importantly, Colby's background played an integral role in the Battle for Hetch Hetchy as he advised Muir in necessary legal maneuverings. Colby is also an important source of information of who Muir was as a person as he wrote extensively about his relationship with Muir.
21. MUIRHS_130726_378.JPG: Friends of Muir: William Keith: "There's nobody like a Scotchman to see beauty." -- Muir on Keith Muir met Keith in Yosemite where he served as a guide for the young artist looking to gain access to the great vistas of the high Sierras. The two became instant friends and were calling each other "Johnnie" and "Willie" before the first night was through. Their love of nature and their deep friendship lasted for the rest of their lives. After Muir left the Yosemite Valley and started living in San Francisco, his relationship with Keith grew. The two men helped each other build their respective careers. Keith put Muir in touch with The Overland Monthly Magazine, which put Muir on as a leading contributer [sic] and Muir helped his friend by writing articles of appreciation of Keith's paintings. Muir was incredibly nervous when it came time for him to deliver his first lecture, so Keith gave to him a copy of a great mountain scape that he painted. Muir placed it behind the audience, looked back at it and his bad case of nerves disappeared.
22. MUIRHS_130726_381.JPG: Friends of Muir: EH Harriman: "What I most enjoy is the power of creation, getting into partnership with nature in doing good, helping to feed man and beast, and making everybody and everything a little better and happier." -- EH Harriman When his doctor told him he needed a rest, Harriman, and up-and-coming railroad magnate, planned a research voyage to Alaska and invited the country's most celebrated scientists, naturalists and artists with him, including Muir. The friendship that grew between Harriman and Muir would last both their lifetimes and provide for both men the support they would need in their respective lines of work. Harriman really pushed Muir to start writing his autobiography, going so far as to have Muir come to his vacation home and sit down with his own private stenographer. The result was The Story of my Boyhood and Youth, Muir, in turn, supported his friend when the government began cracking down on monopolies, especially in the railroad business. "You have done a giant's work in the past years, making the country's ways straighter, smoother, stronger, [and] safe." Muir delivered the eulogy as his friend's funeral.
23. MUIRHS_130726_383.JPG: Friends of Muir: John Swett: "Write as you talk. Stop revising so much. You make your style so slippery a man can't stand on it." -- Swett to Muir Muir was introduced to Swett after moving into San Francisco looking to start his writing career. The young principal had just spent years in Sacramento as superintendent of public instruction and had achieved a great deal of fame for fathering the public education system in California. He and his wife took Muir in as a boarder for five years and welcomed him into their family. The Swetts helped Muir throughout his career. Ever the storyteller, Muir would tell stories to the Swett's children, who called Muir "Uncle John." It was Mary Swett, John Swett's wife, who encouraged Muir to publish some of these stories. Later, Swett's experience with politics in Sacramento would help Muir with his own forays into political lobbying. But most of all, the two were close friends, and after Muir moved out to Martinez, Swett and his family followed and purchased land right next to the Muir ranch.
24. MUIRHS_130726_392.JPG: A Great Storyteller: "Meal-times were periods of relaxation, storytelling, and often uproarious fun led by the naturalist himself." -- Linnie Marsh Wolfe, Biographer Even after having settled down in Martinez, Muir would go on trips for months at a time. This made dinnertime very important to him and his family. His two daughters knew to be at the table on time when their father was home. Over dinner, Muir would tell his celebrated stories -- stories about wild animals, crazy characters and exciting adventures.
25. MUIRHS_130726_515.JPG: John Muir: Father of the National Park Service: John Muir is often titled the "Father of the National Park Service." His philosophy of balancing preservation and appreciation for nature is at the heart of the Park Service's mission to "preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations." In addition, Muir personally influenced the development of at least seven national park unit: * Yosemite National Park * Kings Canyon National Park * Muir Woods National Monument * Grand Canyon National Park * Petrified Forest National Park * Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve * Mt. Rainier National Park This three part exhibit explores Muir's role in these seven parks and highlights the role of the National Park Service in continuing Muir's dedication to preservation.
26. MUIRHS_130726_521.JPG: What Exactly is a National Park? There are many different designations that make up the National Park Service. Most of the designations are determined by Congress. The President alone can designate a 'national monument' without Congress. The name chosen for a park is usually based on what kind of resource it is (seashore, battlefield, etc), but sometimes there are too many resources to give the park a clear title. Below are the different designations in the National Park Service. How many different types of National Parks have you visited? What type are you at today? * National Park: Large natural places, usually with significant historic assets. * National Monument: Any area of natural or historic significance on government lands can be made national monuments by the President. * National Preserve: Similar to National Parks, but these allow hunting, mining, or consumptive use activities. * National Historic Site: Contains a single historic feature related to a subject of national importance. * National Historical Park: Grouping of areas of historic importance that extend beyond a single property or building. * National Memorial: Commemorative of a historic person(s) or event(s). * National Battlefield: A general title for all preserved battlefields. * National Cemetery: There are 14 national cemeteries in the National Park Service. * Natural Recreation Area: Can include a large reservoir and/or have significant natural and historic areas. Usually used for parks with many possible designations. * National Seashore: Natural or developed areas found along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. * National Lakeshore: All are along the Great Lakes. * National River: Can include national river and recreation area, national scenic river, wild river, etc. * National Parkway: Intended for scenic motoring along a protected corridor and often connecting cultural sites. * National Trail: Scenic and historic trails, covering over 3,600 miles currently. * Affiliated Areas: Recognized areas that draw on technical or financial aid from the National Park Service. * Other Designations: There are some unique titles, such as the White House.
27. MUIRHS_130726_598.JPG: The view from the alcove
28. MUIRHS_130726_682.JPG: Carriage House: The carriage was a major means of local transportation around the turn of the century. Muir never owned an automobile and preferred to walk whenever possible. The Muir/Strentzel Ranch had at least three horse drawn buggies that the family used to travel around the Alhambra Valley. The buggy you see here was owned by a local rancher. The carriage house provided storage for the carriage as well as harness and tools. It was constructed around 1891 with large front doors to admit the carriages. The building was recently restored using historic photographs as a guide. Photograph circa 1891
29. MUIRHS_130726_685.JPG: "Spring winds are sweet with the scented buds and flowers they have passed over." -- John Muir The windmill seems to have originated in Persia (modern day Iran) in the tenth century AD. It began as a grinding mill with sails mounted on a vertical axis, and was introduced into Europe during the time of the crusades. The so-called Dutch windmill was nearly as common in England, France and other countries where strong winds prevailed and water power was not available. The windmills in use when John Muir was a fruit rancher (as seen in this photo, circa 1885) converted the wind to mechanical energy to pump, grind, compress or agitate. Today's modern windmills use mechanical energy to generate electricity for our rapidly increasing needs that compete with out rapidly diminishing fossil fuel resources. The bridge and fishpond in the photograph had been removed before the beginning of John Muir's residency in 1890.
30. MUIRHS_130726_714.JPG: Muir's Martinez: Finding a Focus: Years of exploring the Sierra Nevada and the Alaskan coast led John Muir to a simple conclusion: God is Nature and Nature is God. The Divine could be found in the smallest dewdrops and the tallest trees. Mountaineering had become his pathway to revelation and worship, and shaped his view of the world. In 1878 Muir left his self-imposed exile and returned to society. He eventually settled in Martinez, California, where he started a domestic life as a fruit rancher, husband, and father. Making a Difference: It was in Martinez that Muir developed the financial mobility, political influence, and activist voice that propelled him to champion the turn-of-the-century conservation movement in America. Muir's success on the ranch afforded him the time to write, travel, and put forward his ideas for protecting natural wonders. The books Muir penned in his study helped many Americans understand the utmost importance of preserving and protecting our natural areas. Muir described a spiritual connection to Nature that readers could deeply relate to. Through business and social connections, Muir promoted the idea of a system of National Parks and helped create the Sierra Club, thus setting a standard that would shape the growing conservation movement. Leaving a Message: Here in Martinez, we can see John Muir's life in full, from his humble beginnings as a Scottish immigrant to his emergence as the "Wilderness Prophet," and as one of the fathers of the American Conservation movement. We also see the legacy he left behind, reminding us of the sublime beauty of nature and the importance of preserving that beauty for generations to come.
31. MUIRHS_130726_717.JPG: John Muir National Historic Site: A potent combination of science and poetry, Muir's writing has connected millions of people to the glory of nature. His passion helped to protect some of America's most beautiful places including Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Mount Rainier. John Muir viewed the natural world as an essential part of our being and the deepest source of our spiritual life. This vision lies as the very core of what has become our treasured and protected national parks. "The power of Imagination makes us infinite." -- John Muir
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Wikipedia Description: John Muir National Historic Site
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The John Muir National Historic Site is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Martinez, Contra Costa County, California. It preserves the 14-room Italianate Victorian mansion where the naturalist and writer John Muir lived, as well as a nearby 325 acres (132 ha) tract of native oak woodlands and grasslands historically owned by the Muir family. The main site is on the edge of town, in the shadow of State Route 4, also known as the "John Muir Parkway".

History:

Mansion:

The mansion was built in 1883 by Dr. John Strentzel, Muir's father-in-law, with whom Muir went into partnership, managing his 2,600-acre (1,100 ha) fruit ranch. Muir and his wife, Louisa, moved into the house in 1890, and he lived there until his death in 1914.

Conservationist:

While living here, Muir realized many of his greatest accomplishments, co-founding and serving as the first president of the Sierra Club, in the wake of his battle to prevent Yosemite National Park's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, playing a prominent role in the creation of several national parks, writing hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and several books expounding on the virtues of conservation and the natural world, and laying the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

The home contains Muir’s "scribble den," as he called his study, and his original desk, where he wrote about many of the ideas that are the bedrock of the modern conservation movement.

Archive and Landmark:

The Muir house was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1960.

It became a National Historic Site in 1964, is a California Historical Landmark #312 and National Historic Landmark, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1988 nearby Mount Wanda Nature Preserve was added to the Historic Site.

John Muir National Historic Site:

The John Muir National Historic Site offer ...More...
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2013 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used my Fuji XS-1 camera but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000 and Nikon D600. Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Memphis, TN, Jackson, MS [to which I added a week to to visit sites in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee], and Richmond, VA), and my 8th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including sites in Nevada and California). Ego Strokes: Aviva Kempner used my photo of her as her author photo in Larry Ruttman's "American Jews & America's Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball" book. Number of photos taken this year: just over 570,000.
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