The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 2010/2011
Page 1 transcription missing PAGE 2 John Muir Back and Newsletter Going Digital After a year, we are back! Last year we announced that we would become an "occasional" newsletter, projecting two issues per year. We only released one issue this past year. In an age of high cost of reproducti...
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Scholarly Commons
2010
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| Online Access: | https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmn/91 https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1090&context=jmn |
| Summary: | Page 1 transcription missing PAGE 2 John Muir Back and Newsletter Going Digital After a year, we are back! Last year we announced that we would become an "occasional" newsletter, projecting two issues per year. We only released one issue this past year. In an age of high cost of reproduction and mailing we have decided to follow the trail of other newsletters by going digital. Those with e mail can continue to receive at no charge the newsletter as part of a web serve list. Simply e mail us at iohnmuir@pacific.edu and we will include you in our future announcements and you will receive a PdF version of the Newsletter. Those who do not have web access, please send us a short note requesting a hard copy of the Newsletter. We suggest a donation of $10 per year for those who would like the older format as a hard copy. We are no longer reminding subscribers of a pending expiration. We appreciate any and all support of the Center. Your donation helps with many Center agendas. We continue to welcome submissions of articles focus ing on John Muir and his legacy, as well as poetry and photos of the Sierra and other places dear to John Muir's heart. Articles should be no longer than 2,000 words; but we also seek short pieces and announcements. Please submit to: W. R. Swagerty Director, John Muir Center, WPC99 University of the Pacific, Stockton CA 95211 or by e mail to wswagertv@pacific.edu Jaiya Ellis, Sustainability Coordinator for the University's three campuses, with her central office in Muir Center "26-11 $nln 1 869: OYamhte, to tne AMmmll al JlLount Jy^olLmxxAt, eX&Q&n tnauAana LeeX, nian, tne, hiatve&t paint in wle. 6, iawun&n nvn LeeX, natie. net taucnea. From Mount Hoffman John Muir My First Summer in the Sierra By Terry G if ford Your 'ramble' up from the Valley To spend a night on this bare mountain, A steep ascent of five thousand feet, Left me breathless before I turned the page. And even starting from Snow Flat I was pleased to pause on a real chair (My first in weeks of boulder- seats) Left outside by the tree-stump table Amongst the cabins of May Lake Camp. Breathless from the final scramble And the view, looking down on Half Dome, Cloud's Rest, far glaciers and Tenaya Lake, I sit quite still and meet the marmots Smiling eerily like cats as they creep Out from their crevices, expecting to be fed. Disgusted by these half-tame summit pets I turn and scree-slide down the dusty trail To bathe my legs in the clear May Lake. From: Terry Gifford, Reconnecting with John Muir (Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2006), p. 131. John Muir Event at Pacif April 13 On April 13, 2011, a special John Mur event will be held in the Janet Leigh Theater at University of the Pacific. From 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. photographer Scot Miller will give a presentation on his work in the illustration of the 100th anniversary edition of My First Summer in the Sierra. From 7:30 until 9:15 p.m., film maker Catherine Tatge of Global Village Media will give a brief introduction to her film "John Muir in the New World". This is a biographical documentary of the extraordinary life of John Muir and his influence on American history. The 90 minute film, which is sched uled to be broadcast on the PBS American Masters series on April 18, will be shown after Ms. Tatge's introduction. From 9:15 until 10:00 p.m. there will be a reception and book signing by Scot Miller. Page 3 Mike Wurtz In the archives 2010 Online Inventory of Muir Papers is Updated By Michael Wurtz Holt-Atherton Special Collections University of the Pacific Library Recently, the staff of the Holt-Atherton Special Collections had announced the addition of thousands of John Muir correspondence to the web - library.pacific.edu/ha/muir and click on digitized material. This was added to images of Muir's drawings, photographs, and journals. These digital assets have been a tremendous help to researchers around the world. However, there is still much of the collection that is not available online. Digitally scanning and loading the entirety of John Muir Papers and other collections would be a daunting task, so only the most useful and significant items are made available via the web at this time. In addition to all the new online material, we have updated the John Muir Papers finding aid. A finding aid, sometimes referred to as a finding guide, could be considered an inventory, table of contents, index, and annotated bibliography all in one. Collections that are the size and scope of the Muir Papers cannot be easily itemized. Atypical six inch box can hold over a thousand individual documents. To list and describe each of those items would take a great deal of time. Archivists have chosen to organize collections along the lines of what the creator (in this case, John Muir) intended. Once we have created the categories (such as letters, drawings, published materials, etc.) we describe them in slightly more specific terms, such as by date or location or subject. Then the researcher must request the items by folder or box. The online material represents the richest portion of the John Muir Papers. However, it is a minority of all the Muir material. The microform project that was completed in the 1980s includes much more of the collection, but still not every item. The entire collection resides at Holt- Atherton Special Collections in the University of the Pacific Library. How can the researcher find out about what is in the materials that are not accessible via the web or microform? The online finding aid is the answer. It lists the contents to every folder in the collection. For example, researchers will find that the Papers contain most of the collected bibliography of Muir as listed in Kimes' John Muir: A Reading Bibliography. They will also find photographs that have been donated to the collection since the microform project was completed. In addition, the collection includes Muir biographer William F. Bade's transcriptions of many of Muir's Journals, as well as Bade's collected reminiscences, and personal letters. One can also find Linnie Marsh Wolfe's correspondence and papers as she wrote her biography of Muir, and her transcriptions of some of Muir journals. Papers from the Strenzel and Muir family including legal and business papers for the Muir ranch in Martinez are also available. There is also poetry to and about Muir; John Muir's clipping files that he kept on many different topics and memorabilia that includes Muir's odds and ends such as passenger lists, maps and botanical information from trips he took around the world. Researchers can also find a few real jewels within the John Muir Papers that have never made it to microform or online including photographs of construction of the Half Dome Cables Trail in 1919 and clippings on early California agriculture that were probably collected by Muir and his father-in-law, John Strentzel. To get to the finding aid for the John Muir Papers, visit library.pacific.edu/ha/muir/find and click on "Finding Aid of the John Muir Papers." From the above website, researchers are invited to click on "Related Collections." Here, researchers can see over a dozen finding aids to other Muir related collections that the University of the Pacific Library holds. Page 4 Charles E. Swann's Military Map of Kentucky and Tennessee www.davidrumsey.com &heJve, \A nathlna, nuyce, eXaauenl in. JLatwie, than a nvoumXain fivtteam, ana Void, id, tne, Ia/iaI s eXleA, daw. . . (continued from page 1) Muir's choices of routes, and through comparison to modern maps. Some of the maps examined were George Woolworth Colton's 1869 "Map of Kentucky and Tennessee,"9 A.J. Johnson's 1866 "Map of Kentucky and Tennessee,"10 as well as all the relevant, internet- available maps from the collections of the Library of Congress11, the David Rumsey collection of historical maps12, and the historical map archive of the University of Alabama.13 These comparisons show that the best available map from the era of Muir's walk is Charles E. Swann's 1863 "Military Map of Kentucky and Tennessee."14 Also valuable because it gives the names and characteristics of roads, is N. Michler's 1862 "Map of Middle and East Tennessee.15" The 1863 map "Mountain Region of North Carolina and Tennessee" by W. L. Nicholson and A. Lindenkohl16 has almost twice the scale and was useful for confirming the previous two maps. Finally, the "General Topographical Map" by Julius Bien & Co. was issued by the United States War Department in 1895, but it was part of an "Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 1861- 1865" and seems to show features as they existed in 1865, not 1895. Sheet XV is the relevant map.17 None of these maps show features with the accuracy and scale with which we are familiar today. None of them show elevation contours; however the "General Topographical Map" of Julius Bien mentioned above depicts mountain- David Rumsey Map Collection r.,n, I ous terrain through the use of hachures. The earliest maps that would today be considered topographic maps are the 30 minute quadrangles18 issued by the US Geological Survey in the 1890s. These were surveyed two or three decades after Muir's walk, so they need to be used judiciously and in connection with the Civil War- era maps. Reconstructing the route In order to reconstruct Muir's probable route, A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf and Muir's journal for the trip were searched for geographical clues, then a reasonable route was traced out on Civil War-era maps. That information was then transferred to topographical maps from the 1890s, and then transferred to modern maps. The result of this process has been recorded on Google maps.19 To see this map, go to http:// maps.google.com/ Click on "search options." On the drop-down menu, select "User-created maps." Type in "John Muir Cumberland." Click on "search maps." Then click on "John Muir's Crossing of the Cumberland" to see Muir's route and places visited along the way. This process is for the most part easier than it sounds, and while it cannot be and does not pretend to be exact, most individuals performing the process would come up with a very similar route; however a researcher possessing detailed local historical and geographical knowledge could probably improve the end result. According to Muir's journal and A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf, Muir passed through Burkesville, Kentucky on September 8. He (i.nriivil inttncjf.-Tphk.-il m,sp. Sh^r-1 XV. lull us Hkn A Co.r I itfe., \.Y. (EH'J] ifw:*) The author found this map of the Cumberland drawn in 1895, but represents this area from the Civil War, to have provided the most detail of that area from the time that Muir passed through. (captured from the David Rumsey Map Collection website) page 5 Google rn a PS John Muir Cumborl and Search Maps 6M Cmrtiom UlMUX Save 1oM» Mans Jolin Muir's Crossln-g of Hie Cumberland My cost estimation ti4 ihe route t aken b| John Muir when he crossad tho Cumberland Plateau on 10.11, and 12 September 1 ST. Thw was pan of Mun'i wilh horn Lour*rfle. Kairtiicky.to Cedar h>jr. Fkwde. 0>s.cnfced ^ Ins boor: *A Thousand-Mae Walk To 1h* GuT Red poioLert re-piesert towns v.s*ed bj Mini. Qfue> poeTtera iapres*nl ailee to w* too"** to 901 b tew* of what Muir saw in 1867 Map by Dan Si yei. 7Z eiawa - Publ ic C» *!»d on Aug 38.2QB - Updated Mat 31 By Dan Slyer PM* Ineirtip-Will* tHrtrt»nt fftjftaaili KY Mun pasted through on 8 Septeenoir 1967 tjaraeslawn. 1H Muir passed through on 10 Seplerribe r 1887. ftnonuoirion. TH Howe ghost Irjwn Hur passed through in Che fflafleee] ol 17 Senteenbei 1967 t Kingston TN Mlui tie (Bit ten the night, of 1? Senlembar 1867 / Mull'. Wllle tnybesl eetlnwiion of the roule liken by John Mue wSoo ha ciassed the Cnmberland Placeau on 10. 11. and 12 Seplernoor 1867. This best eelmiatBd mule mosltp follows moderrt-datr roaoH, tot or places (a tf'T'""' Blurts, rocknSut*s, natoril avclves. fpapa Cmk Sale Malum fraa 5tal* Natuul Area Jkichee and watereat* In Ihe 1356 Wwibuig (uadranuje, this lit! was called simply "The Wideirwss" 5 John Muir Cgmbe dand The author posted this "user-created map" of John Muir's 1867 route through the Cumberland on Google maps. The map includes clickable points with information and photographs of places that Muir had visited. Instructions for finding this map online are included in the article. crossed the state line into Tennessee "towards evening"20 on September 9. The next day, "after a few miles of level ground"21 Muir walked upgrade with occasional views in which "Kentucky was grandly seen"22 for "six or seven hours"23 to reach the top of the Cumberland Plateau. He passed through Jamestown and as previously mentioned, spent the night with a blacksmith and his wife. On September 11 he walked a "long stretch of level sandstone plateau"24 and was "compelled to sleep with the trees in the one great bedroom of the open night."25 Finally, on September 12 Muir breakfasted in Montgomery and descended the east slope of the Cumberland Mountains. He "forded the Clinch"26 and "reached Kingston before dark."27 The Civil War-era maps show several routes from Burkesville to Jamestown, but the most direct route, the route that would be more in Kentucky than in Tennessee,28 the only route that would give a view north to Kentucky while climbing the plateau, and the only route that is level until one long steady climb to the top of the plateau, is the route through Albany, Kentucky and Pall Mall, Tennessee. In the author's opinion, the only plausible ^oute from Jamestown to Montgomery is the Pile Turnpike. Montgomery, now a ghost town but then the Morgan County Seat, was then located on the upper reaches of Emory River, just west of Wartburg. From Montgomery to Kingston, the only practicable route is east through Wartburg, then branching southeast at Crooked Fork and proceeding northeast of Bitter Creek. This road reaches Emory Iron Works on the watercourse variously known as Emory Creek, or Little Emory Creek, or Little Emory River (its modern name). This route then descends through a gap in Wal- den Ridge on the left bank of the Little Emory, and finally fords the Emory and Clinch Rivers in the lowlands east of the plateau. In the text of A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, the "eloquent. mountain stream"29 crossed by Muir on September 12 is identified parenthetically as the Emory River. However the mountain stream is unnamed in his journal. The gorge of the Emory River, as it descends from the plateau, is so rugged that no road followed it in 1867 and no road follows it even today. The author asserts that the name was inserted incorrectly either by Muir or by editor William Frederic Bade long after the trip,30 and that the eloquent mountain stream is actually the Little Emory River. JLe Page 6 A y^/^ •&&** w '*ZSZ~L^M~ —S5 PAGE 7 Cystopteris (bladder fern) One of the plants mentioned by Muir From: luirig.altervista.org seat of Jamestown. Indeed, even today the telephone book shows that there are three households named "Livingston" in Jamestown. And all of them live near the author's estimated route south of downtown Jamestown! At this point the author reached a dead end toward a solution of the blacksmith question, as many Fentress County records were lost during a 1905 courthouse fire. However, a determined seeker armed with local records and local knowledge might be able to uncover more. A visit today In his thousand-mile walk, Muir sought out "the wildest, leafiest, and least trodden way I could find."34 The geographical route Muir took is no longer particularly wild, leafy, or untrodden. Anyone wishing to recreate Muir's journey will need to take side trips away from Muir's geographical route to glimpse his spiritual route through the wild, the leafy, and the least trodden. "John Muir's Crossing of the Cumberland"35 suggests more than two dozen sites to visit, from waterfalls to overlooks to springs to virgin forests. It is interesting to note that the "thousand- mile" route taken by Muir is not the route taken by the present-day John Muir Trail, which runs for 42 miles in the Cumberland Plateau through Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and adjoining Pickett State Forest. Nor is it the route taken by the John Muir National Recreation Trail, which runs for 21 miles along the north bank of Hiwassee River within Cherokee National Forest in eastern Tennessee. These two trails were named to acknowledge Muir as an early naturalist walker in the area, not to recreate his precise route. Acknowledgement The author is grateful for the help of Willie R. Beaty, President of the Fentress County Historical Society in Jamestown, Tennessee, who suggested some profitable avenues of investigation. Also to Wil Reding of Kalamazoo, Michigan who with his wife Sarah Reding retraced the thousand-mile walk route on 5 May to 25 June 2006, suggested improvements to a late draft of this article. ENDNOTES 1. Digitized images of Muir's notebooks are available through http://librarv.pacific.edu/ha/ digital/muiriournals/muiriournals.asp See journal number 1, images 9 through 13. 2. John Muir, A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, ed. William Frederic Bade (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916). Reprinted in John Muir, The Wilderness Journeys, ed. with introduction by Graham White (Edinburgh: Canon- gate Classics, 1996) 3. Ibid., (1916), p. 17; (1996), ed. White, p. 9. 4. Ibid., (1916), p. 22; (1996), ed. White, p. 11. 5. Ibid., (1916), p. 29; (1996), ed. White, p. 14. 6. Bonnie Johanna Gisel, ed., Kindred and Related Spirits: The Letters of John Muir and Jeanne C. Carr, (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2001), pp. 57-59. 7. Muir, op. cit., (1916), p. 15; (1996), ed. White p. 8. 8. Ibid., (1916), p. 30; (1996), ed. White, p. 15. Muir's Houghton-Mifflin editor, William Frederick Bade identified the river in brackets as [Emory River]. 9. George Woolworth Colton's 1869 Map of Kentucky and Tennessee (scale 1:1,584,000) is available through http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/ us states/kentuckv/index.html It shows a road running from Montgomery, Tennessee to Kingston, Tennessee, along the west bank of the Emory River. The road shown on this map supposedly crossed Obed's River just before that river joins with Emery's River. Modern names for these rivers are Obed River and Emory River. Modern maps show that this supposed road would have to descend a 400-foot cliff to reach the Obed and then immediately ascend a 400-foot cliff on the other side. Colton's map also shows Clear Creek emptying into the Obed upstream of Daddy's Creek, whereas modern maps show that the reverse is correct. No other map of that era shows this road. 10. A.J. Johnson's 1866 Map of Kentucky and Tennessee (scale 1:1,521,000) is available at the same web site listed in note #9. It shows a road direct from Kingston, Tennessee to Madisonville, Tennessee. 11. http://memorv.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/ gmdhome.html 12. http://www.davidrumsey.com/ 13. http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/ historicalmaps/index.html 14. Charles E. Swann, "Military Map of Kentucky and Tennessee," 1863, scale 1:350.000 Available throughhttp:// www.davidrumsey.com/maps2433.html http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3951s.cs0216800 no tonxx^A, •pa/i/tiou.- ta/ttu, -\\kia, tWtXu-, qa, unviaOG^n. Had Muirwalked this same route 143 years after he did, he would have plenty of food options. This Hardee's fast food restaurant on the Knoxville Highway in Wartburg, TN is probably only a few steps off the "thousand mile walk to the Gulf." (Used with permission from the Fisherman's Quartet website http:// thefishermansquartet.com November 18,2010 Page 8 Schrankia, (sensitive briar) One of the plants mentioned by Muir kansasnativeplantsociety.org 15. N. Michler, "Map of Middle and East Tennessee," 1862, scale 1:235,000. Available through http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/ g3962t.cws00162 16. W.L Nicholson and A. Lindenkohl, "Mountain Region of North Carolina and Tennessee," 1863, scale 1:633,600. Available through http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3900.cw0053000 17. Julius Bien & Co., "General Topographical Map," sheet XV, United States War Department, 1895. Scale 1:633,600. Available through http://www.davidrumsev.com/detail?id=l-l- 26982-1100281 18. These U.S. Geological Survey 30 minute quadrangles (scale 1:125,000) are relevant: Wartburg, Tennessee, "Edition of Mar. 1896. Topography by A.E. Murlin. Surveyed in 1893." Briceville, Tennessee, "Edition of July 1896. Topography by J.F. Knight and E.C. Barnard. Surveyed in 1888-91." Loudon, Tennessee, "Edition of Oct. 1895. Topography by F.M. Pearson 1884-5. Topography by C.E. Cooke 1891." Kingston, Tennessee, "Edition of Mar. 1891. Topography by F.M. Pearson. Surveyed in 1884-5." Available through http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/ us_states/tennessee/topos/30mintopos.html 19. "John Muir's Crossing of the Cumberland." Available through http://maps.google.com/ Search "User-created maps" for "John Muir Cumberland." 20. Muir, op. cit, (1916), p. 15; (1996), ed. White, p. 7. 21. Ibid., (1916), 22. Ibid., (1916) 23. Ibid., (1916). 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid., p. 15. 26. Ibid., 27. Ibid. (1916), (1916), p. 16; (1996), ed. White, p. 7. p. 16; (1996), ed. White, p. 8. p. 16; (1996), ed. White, p. 8. p. 26; (1996), ed. White, p.13. pp. 29-30; (1996), ed. White, (1916), p. 31; (1996), ed. White, p.16. (1916), p. 32; (1996), ed. White, p.16. 28. About 25 miles in Kentucky and 10 miles in Tennessee, to the base of the plateau at Pall Mall. 29. Muir, op. cit, (1916), p. 30; (1996), ed. White, p. 15. 30. Although most of A Thousand-Mile Walk to The Gulf is a journal, written as the walk proceeds, some parts are clearly anachronisms added long after the walk terminated. The entry For September 13, 1867 describes "seeking the way to Philadelphia (in Loudon County, Tennessee)." But in fact Loudon County was not established until 1870. The entry for October 3,1867 describes Mr. Cameron's Vision for a future in which "electricity will do the work of the world," and then remarks that "nearly all that he foresaw has been accomplished." These anachronisms are pre sent in the 1916 published book but not in the source journal (described in note #1). It is not clear whether they were added by Muir or by editor William Frederic Bade, but in either case they were added long after the fact, when memory had undoubtedly faded. 31. Muir, op. cit, (1916), p. 31; (1996), ed. White, p. 15. 32. The microfilm for this census has been electronically scanned by HeritageQuest Online and is available through http://www.Heritage0uestOnline.com 33. Muir, op. cit, (1916), p. 22; (1996), ed. White, p. 11. 34. Ibid., (1916), p. 2; (1996), ed. White, p. 1. 35."John Muir's Crossing of the Cumberland" op. cit. h&aan -true oacqavL al -truej:a, entered, nvw eueA. Page 9 Bade Family at Muir Symposium, 2010 John Muir: Naturalist & Scientist Symposium held at Pacific, April 23-24, 2010 This past spring, Muir Center hosted the fifty- eighth California History Institute from April 23 through 24. Co-sponsored by the University Library and others, this gathering was special in that it was one of several "Inaugural Series Events" in honor of Pacific's twenty-fourth president, Pamela A. Eibeck, who became leader of the institution in 2009. Attended by over three hundred, including Muir-Hanna family members and many Muir specialists, Dr. Bonnie J. Gisel opened the symposium with her "Essay on John Muir's Phenomenal Science," an overview of what was available to Muir and the people in science who were his greatest influences and mentors. A botanical session followed with presentations by Dean Taylor, botanist of Yosemite and the Jep- son Herbaria on "The Flora of Yosemite: What Muir Didn't Know; What We Don't Know." Pacific Archivist Michael Wurtz shared "Muir and the Big Trees of Calaveras" prior to a luncheon keynote by Dr. Richard Beidleman, Professor Emeritus, Colorado College, on "Icons in the Life of John Muir." The afternoon session informed all of Muir's glacier research in Yosemite by NPS geologist Greg Stock and summaries of student research at Pacific by undergraduates in "John Muir's World." Prior to a book signing and reception featuring Muir-Hanna Winery of Napa, Ken- tuckian Dick Shore (a Pacific alumnus and retired zoologist) shared "Muir through the eyes of a sometimes scientist" with a dramatic first- person interpretation of Muir-the-scientist. Saturday's presentations opened with an Environmental Education Session led by Scotland's Graham White, who updated all on Muir's impact in the United Kingdom. Harold Wood followed with a summary of Muir's presence on the world-wide-web and the internet. Catherine Tatge, producer of many PBS documentaries, shared a segment of her forthcoming American Masters production, "John Muir in the New World," to air April 18, 2011. Professor Donald Worster, Muir's most recent biographer, shared thoughts on "John Muir and the Religion of Nature" as the luncheon keynote, sponsored by Phi Beta Kappa. Officers in Pacific's division of Student Life shared what is going on at Pacific to promote environmental stewardship in the unique freshman program, M.O.V.E. (Mountain, Ocean, Valley Experience) and in a new effort across campus to promote environmental sustainability. Royal Robbins, a pioneer in mountain climbing and well known for his outdoor clothing brand, reminisced about climbing in Yosemite and credited John Muir with many "firsts" as well as many philosophies held dear by mountaineers since Muir's time. Barbara Mossberg, President Emerita of Goddard College and Director of Integrated Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay, wrapped up the symposium with reflections on Muir and his "Spirit of Joy." All gathered after in the University Library for the unveiling of photographer Stephen Joseph's panoramic view of Muir Woods, which graces the wall on the second floor, a spectacular vista as if flying through the woods as a bird might see the trees. The symposium concluded with a commitment to return to John Muir's life and legacy in 2014, the 100th anniversary of his death. &he, MinvnaMum, concluded, vlivb a camnxitm&nl la teXwm ta H'ofm JILuiA, a, tile, and laaacii in 201 4, the, 1 OO-tn. anniAleAAauu. hiA aeaUi. Bill Swagerty with Ross Hanna at the Joseph photo unveiling portion of the John Muir Symposium Page 10 John Muir Highway Dedication Ribbon cutting ceremony at John Muir Highway Dedication, June 5,2010 On June 5, 2010, around three hundred dedicated John Muir enthusiasts gathered in Coulterville to launch California's newest historic highway. Named for John Muir, twenty-eight miles of Highway 132 from Coulterville east to where it merges with Highway 120 now comprise Mariposa County's John Muir Highway. Only miles from the north entrance to Yosemite National Park, Muir followed what is now Highway 132 on his second journey to Yosemite in 1869. Coulterville has not changed a great deal since Muir's time and remains a small village where tourists join local residents at historic buildings still standing since the nineteenth century. Species of pine, especially yellow and sugar, permeate the air today as in Muir's time when he stopped at Greeley Mill, noting "the fragrance of the sugary sap is delicious and scents the mill." The result of combined efforts of local conservationists and promoters of sustainable agriculture and geotourism, John Muir Highway was the idea of Ken and Teri Pulvino, who caretake land along Greeley Hill Road (132) and operate Birders Homestead, a bed and breakfast in the midst of habitat once celebrated by Muir and home to many species of trees, birds, vernal pools and native grasses. A parade and pageant were part of the gathering, which brought together several of Muir's Hanna family descendants, actor Lee Stetson, and Santa Cruz-based bookbinders and artists, Peter and Donna Thomas, who followed Muir's route to Yosemite from San Francisco in 2007. A picnic lunch was sponsored by the Pulvinos on their property, believed to be one of Muir's stops for observations of nature, known to all who have read My First Summer in the Sierra. Bill Hanna and Lee Stetson at John Muir Highway Dedication, June 5,2010 ux^AiAe, JILuaa, & vx/oeAA,- enceA chAanict&a in hiA iauA,- Jixnune/i u\. nal zJKm (S\aaI &^ Uve, &ieA/ia, PAGE 11 Rediscover John Muir's Botanical Legacy at the Bedford Gallery January 9-March 27,2011 News & Notes You are invited to celebrate the opening of Nature's Beloved Son Rediscovering John Muir's Botanical Legacy Curated by Bonnie J. Gisel Photographs by Stephen J. Joseph Thursday, January 13, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek Enjoy wine and hors d'oeuvres provided by the Bedford Gallery Guild. $5 general admission, free for Friends of the Bedford. John Muir was a botanist throughout his life and his fondness for the nature and beauty of plants contributed significantly to his understanding of the need to preserve wilderness. Yet this aspect of the well-known conservationist's passions is little known. In the spirit which John Muir embraced the botanical world, the traveling exhibition, which is based on the Heyday book with the same title, Nature's Beloved Son: Rediscovering John Muir's Botanical Legacy traces Muir's travels to Canada, Indiana, the American southeast, California, and Alaska, and presents vivid images and specimens of the actual plants that Muir held in his hands, carried in his pockets, and preserved for all time. The exhibit will run from January 9 through March 27, 2011. For more information, please visit The Bedford Gallery at http://www.bedfordgallery.org/current.htm New Juan Bautista/ De Anza NHT Exhibit at John Muir National Historic Site! September 25 marked the unveiling of the first full-scale Anza Trail Exhibit in Martinez, California! This multi-sensory experience engages visitors through evocative images and interactive displays. Grand opening festivities included fun family activities, live music and dance, and a celebration of the diversity of people whose lives were changed by the Anza Expedition. For more information call (925) 228-8860. Michael Branch writes High Country News blog essays Muir scholar Michael Branch recently began writing a monthly blog essay called Rants from the Hill for High Country News. These short essays are posted mid-month and concern life in the high country of Nevada's western Great Basin desert. The first of these essays "Greetings from Nevada" can be found at http://www.hcn.org/blogs/range/greetings- from-nevada-l-july-2010?src=mc Yosemite Conservancy and the 35th Annual Fall Gathering Yosemite Conservancy is the new nonprofit formed by a merger of the Yosemite Association and the Yosemite Fund. The Conservancy has a long history in Yosemite with over 100 years of combined experience supporting the park. Yosemite Conservancy can make a difference in what one sees in the park because they are the only philanthropic organization that is dedicated exclusively to Yosemite. The Yosemite Conservancy has funded over 300 projects through $55 million in grants to help preserve and protect the park. The work of the Conservancy can be found in every aspect of the visitor experience from trail restoration, bear-proof lockers and canisters, habitat restoration, outdoor education and so much more. Annually the Yosemite Conservancy recruits over 400 volunteers to work in the park to repair trails, remove invasive species and provide visitor information. At the 35th Annual Fall Gathering on October 2 at Wa- wona, Yosemite Conservancy donated $5.9 million to Yosemite. Superintendant Neubacher accepted on behalf of Yosemite National Park Service and celebrated with supporters. For more information on the Conservancy, visit park bookstores or check out their new website at www.yosemiteconservancy.org Qjhe, OjoAemitc ^-onAe/i- \iancu. had, lunded- aie/i 300 p/vaicctd, ttviauah $55 miXtlon in We're on the web http://pACIFIC.EDU/x7391.XML THE JOHN MUIR CENTER University of the Pacific 3601 Pacific Avenue Stockton, California 95211 Phone: 209.946.2527 Fax: 209.946.2318 E-mail: wswagerty@pacific.edu I The John Mu Center The John Muir Center promotes the study of John Muir and environmental- ism at the University of the Pacific and beyond. Center Objectives As one of California's most important historical figures, John Muir (1838- 1914) was a regional naturalist with global impact. His papers, housed in the library's Holt-Atherton Special Collections, are among the University's most important resources https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmn/1090/thumbnail.jpg |
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