the john muir exhibit - biography - national historic site

John Muir National Historic Site

Photo © 2001 Krista Kennell

The John Muir National Historic Site is located in Martinez, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Site preserves the Victorian residence and a part of the fruit ranch where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. While living in Martinez, Muir laid the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. Visitors today can tour the home, see Muir's "scribble-den" where he wrote his campaigning conservation articles and books, and stroll the orchards.

The newly-added Mount Wanda area, 325 acres in size, historically owned by the Muir family, where Muir used to take frequent walks with his daughters, includes the John Muir Nature Trail, featuring spring wild flowers, abundant bird life, and scenic vistas of the Carquinez straits.

John Muir's gravesite was acquired by the National Park Service in 2000, and is now available for visitation via shuttle service.

Features of the Historic Site

• Description and Visitor Information
• Bookstore
  - operated by the Site's non-profit cooperating association, the Western National Parks Association (offsite link).
• Map of Grounds (2015 plus 2018 West Hills Farm addition)
• John Muir's Gravesite - extended text, photos, links, and a video.
• Map and Driving Directions to get there

Photos of the Historic Site

• Photo Gallery by Krista Kennell - 24 photos (2001)
• Other contemporary Photographs of the John Muir National Historic Site
• Historic Photographs of the John Muir National Historic Site

Videos of the Historic Site

• Nature's Voice: John Muir at Home - 2013 John Muir National Historic Site visitor center film by Earth Images Foundation. Web site: http://earthimage.org. (YouTube)
• "John Muir: A Glorious Journey - Part 1 - 2010 John Muir National Historic Site visitor center film by America Sings -Part 1.(YouTube)
  "John Muir: A Glorious Journey - Part 2 - 2010 John Muir National Historic Site visitor center film by America Sings -Part .(YouTube)
• A Conversation with National Parks Ranger Kelli English - video by Bill Youngs. (YouTube)
• John Muir Birthday - Earth Day 2015 - video by the Digital Safari Academy. (YouTube)
• "California's Golden Parks: John Muir Home" #129".  Free streaming video available from Huell Howser California's Gold Archive from Chapman University. Huell Howser Productions, 2005. Part of Huell Howser's "California's Golden Parks" television series, this episode involves views and interviews conducted on location at John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, the Victorian residence in Martinez where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. After a brief introductory interview of National Park Service spokesman Tad Shay and a visit to Muir's "scribble den," Huell interviews the woman, Faire Sax, who, with her husband Henry, was responsible for restoring and preserving this important site, and then placing it under the protection of the National Park Service.
• John Muir National Historic Site - video by micahvdl. (YouTube)

Historic Site Publications

• Chronology of Important Events in the Life of John Muir
• The Importance of John Muir
• 26 Most Often Asked Questions -
• Environmental Living Program - for classroom groups by advance registration
• Muir Ranger Fact Sheet - For children ages 8 - 12.
• The Martinez Adobe - Fact Sheet about the 1849 Land Grant structure located near the Muir House, on the grounds of the Historic Site.
• Wildflower List
• Foundation Document Overview by National Park Service (off-site link) (PDF)
• John Muir N.H.S. Self Guiding Tour Booklet - Detailed, step-by-step guide to the John Muir National Historic Site. Available for $1.00 from John Muir Bookstore.
• Rubbisow, Ariel, John Muir National Historic Site (Tucson, AZ: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association [now Western National Parks Association], 1990). 15 pp. $3.95. A brief, highly readable biographical sketch of Muir, with color photographs of his residence in Martinez, California, now a National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service. Available from John Muir Bookstore.
• Maruca, Mary, A Kid's Guide to Exploring John Muir National Historic Site (Tucson, AZ, Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, 2000). 14 pp., illustrated, paperback, $3.95. Multiple color photographs and graphics on each page enhance this beautiful little booklet. Despite the book's title, the book is primarily a very brief biography about John Muir, with just the last one-third emphasizing his fruit ranch home in Martinez. The author and designers did a great job of making Muir a friendly, human person of interest to kids. Available from John Muir Bookstore.
• Kelley, Janice, Through the Eyes of John Muir: A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Looking at our World
  This interdisciplinary curriculum guide presents numerous lessons covering a broad spectrum of topics: various aspects of John Muir's life, agricultural and immigrant history, urbanization of farmland, nature-based investigations, storytelling, what makes a healthy forest and more. The curriculum can be used for field studies to conduct at either the John Muir National Historic Site ranch site or other farm site or nature area as an outdoor classroom, and concludes with lessons and practices to help students became stewards of the environment and "champions" in their own community. This curriculum, aligned to both Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, can be applied in and outside the classroom for students to learn how to see through the eyes of John Muir - as environmental stewards, scientists, historians and advocates. These Standards apply to grades 3 and 4. Most activities are applicable to or can be modified to meet the needs of older students.
• Moore, Phawnda, The Poet who saved John Muir's Home [Faire Sax]- 4 March 2022 (off-site link)

Off-site links: National Park Service Websites

• Official Historic Site information from the National Park Service. This in-depth website now features expanded visitor information, updates of programs and activities at the Site, a virtual tour, and a large quote collection. (Offsite link)
• Museum Collections at John Muir National Historic Site - National Park Service - photographs include portraits of Muir and his family, his Martinez ranch house and orchards, personal belongings, and specimens that he collected. (Offsite link)
• National Park Service History Electronic Library & Archive - extensive web page about John Muir National Historic Site including a large collection of brochures, documents, books, and a timeline of John Muir.
• The View From John Muir's Window (offsite link) , Newsletter of the John Muir Memorial Association - News about programs and activities at John Muir National Historic Site (offsite link)

Location and Contact information:

John Muir National Historic Site
4202 Alhambra Avenue,
Martinez, California 94553
925-228-8860

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