John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland, the 3rd of 8 children in a strict religious household. In 1849 he and his family immigrated to the United States, settling on a farm in Wisconsin. At 22 Muir enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and though he did not graduate, he studied chemistry, geology and botany. After traveling around the country taking jobs at saw mills, in 1868 at age 30 Muir arrived in San Francisco and walked to Yosemite. In the summers he worked at a local saw mill and gave guided tours of Yosemite Valley. He married Louisa Strentzel in 1880 at the age of 42 and they had two daughters.
In 1890 San Francisco mayor James Phelan[1] proposed that a dam along the Tuolomne River be built to stabilize the City’s water needs. Muir was vehemently opposed to the idea of water submerging Hetch Hetchy Valley, considered by many to be as spectacular as Yosemite.
On May 28, 1892 Muir and attorney Warren Olney co-founded the Sierra Club at Olney’s offices at 101 Sansome Street. The Club’s charter stated three missions: 1) to explore, enjoy and render accessible the mountain regions of the Pacific Coast, 2) publish information regarding those mountain ranges and 3) enlist government support in preserving the forests and other natural features of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Muir was voted in as President, a position he would keep until his death. Olney was voted in as Vice-President and his offices became Club headquarters. The Club’s first order of business was a campaign to transfer Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove from state to federal control.
In 1901 Sierra Club hosted its first annual trip with 100 members hiking around Yosemite for a month. In the following years Club members hiked throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Muir attended almost all of these trips.
In 1903 Muir, aged 65, and President Theodore Roosevelt went alone on a three day camping trip through Yosemite Valley. The men thoroughly enjoyed each-other’s company and in 1906 Roosevelt signed into law the creation of Yosemite Valley National Park. But that year was also the year of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires[2], fueling San Francisco’s desire for a new water source. While Muir was still vehemently opposed to the idea, Olney, who lived in the City and was tired of the corruption surrounding San Francisco water rights, supported the proposal. Their disagreement became so fierce that it ultimately ended their friendship. Olney resigned after serving on its Board for 17 years and the Club’s headquarters moved from Olney’s offices to 2101 Webster Street in Oakland .
The Sierra Club ultimately lost their battle over the preservation of Hetch Hetchy Valley when, in 1913, the land was granted to San Francisco as a water source.
A prolific writer, Muir published his first book, The Mountains of California, in 1894. He wrote 12 books and countless essays. In his writings he talked about the value of nature for its spiritual qualities, calling nature his “home”.
John Muir died of pneumonia on December 24, 1914 at the age of 76. At the time of his death the Sierra Club was working on the development of a 210-mile hiking trail from Yosemite Valley, through Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, to the summit of Mount Whitney. Originally called the High Sierra Trail, the name was changed to the John Muir Trail. Approximately 160 miles of this trail follows the same route as the Pacific Crest Trail[3].
A Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter[4] was established in 1924 and included San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and San Mateo Counties. Today, the Sierra Club has 64 chapters and 3 million members across the nation. Its current mission is “to explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth”.
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[1] James Phelan: story coming February 7th [2] 1906 Earthquake and Fires: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=2849 [3] For permits and trip planning, visit http://www.pcta.org [4] Visit them at http://www.sierraclub.org
