The John Muir Newsletter, Spring 2005

• Main Author: The John Muir Center for Environmental Studies
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholarly Commons 2005
• Subjects: John Muir; Newsletter; Holt-Atherton Special Collections; University of the Pacific; Holt-Atherton Pacific Center for Western Studies; Stockton; California; John Muir Center for Regional Studies; American Studies; Natural Resources and Conservation; United States History; Atherton; Pacific; Carbonic acid
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmn/79; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmn/article/1078/viewcontent/spring05.pdf

OHN NEWi r^' T/W ______ TEE UNIVERSITY OF THE ET JO>A «^ KTON, fc* Volume 15, Number 2 SPRING 2005: A Wealth of Muir on Wealth by Michael Wurtz Archivist, Holt-Atherton Special Collections University of the Pacific Library (/ gf>9 a life km mm o^i-iL., Perhaps one of John Muir's earliest understandings about the measurement of wealth may have come as he heard his father calling down the well to him, "get in the bucket!" This fateful moment had come about because his father would not spend the money for a professional well digger and blaster. Why hire someone when you had a sturdy son to dig through the Wisconsin sandstone "from early morning until dark, day after day, for weeks and months?" On this particular morning the well had filled with carbonic acid gas. Moments after being lowered into the well for more chiseling, John had begun to lose consciousness. When he heard his father call to him, ■/(r,'i//;//i.p (a/:: IfMdul. oMfk.J/r Ml /s- 4/c '&2 Sitofap This canceled check from 1913 was from John Muir to the elite University Club in San Francisco. Muir may have joined the organization to spend more time with those who had money and power and could help him advance his cause. It would be interesting to understand how "John of the Mountains" fit in to such an urban group. Courtesy of The John Muir Papers, Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Libraries. Copyright 1984 Muir-Hanna Trust John looked up, caught a "glimpse of a branch of a bur-oak tree which leaned out over the mouth of the shaft," crawled into the bucket and was lifted to the surface and to life. As a young —. man, Muir worked in factories and invented many money-saving devices or methods. That was until he was temporarily blinded in an accident while tightening a piece of machinery. These brushes with tragedy inspired him to think more of the riches of "God's inventions," than those of industry. In February of this year John Muir's (Continued on page 3) 4<£ page 1 tetfs & Notes, Conference Announcement John ...