(All answers come from the materials in the
Visitor Center library and files
unless otherwise indicated.)
-
1.
Who was John Muir?
-
He was a famous conservationist -- perhaps this country's
most famous and influential conservationist and naturalist.
If it weren't for John Muir we probably would not have Yosemite National Park.
He was also personally involved in creating
Petrified Forest
,
Grand Canyon
,
Sequoia Kings Canyon
,
and
Mt. Rainier
.
Therefore, he is often called The Father of Our
National Park System
.
John Muir founded the
Sierra Club
in 1892 and
was the president until his death in 1914.
In addition, John Muir was a writer, a lecturer, a
geologist, a botanist, a glacier expert, an explorer, a
school teacher, a Sunday School teacher, an efficiency
expert, and inventor. He was a complicated, multi-talented
man. Wanda Muir Hanna, elder daughter of John Muir,
explained her father to one of his biographers (Linnie March
Wolfe), "If you had known him, you would have seen only one
side of him, and he had many sides. No two people -- even
his closest friends ever had quite the same idea of him."
(
Son of the Wilderness
, Preface, pg. vii.
)
-
2.
What did John Muir write?
-
He wrote well over 300 magazine articles and 10 major books.
At the time of his death he was working on a book about his
travel in Alaska. He had plans and enough material in his
notebooks for ten more books.
-
3.
Why did John Muir choose to live in Martinez?
-
he married Louie Strentzel in 1880. Her family owned and
operated a large 2600 acre ranch here in Alhambra Valley.
John Muir went into partnership with his father-in-law, Dr.
John Strentzel, and for ten years directed most of his
energy into managing this large fruit ranch.
-
4.
What was this area's population in John Muir's time?
-
Martinez in 1888 - 875 people
1890 - about 1000 (records destroyed in fire)
1900 - 1,380
1910 - 2,115
(Martinez city Hall and Martinez City Museum)
-
5.
Was John Muir a wealthy man?
-
When he was young he was not wealthy. He took odd jobs to
support himself as he rambled about the United States and
Canada. He worked in sawmills, on farms, in a broom
factory, in a carriage factory, as a sheepherder. After his
marriage he became a partner in the large fruit ranch until
he felt he had made enough to take care of his family. He
then retired from active ranching and turned to writing and
working for the conservation cause. Eventually, his
writings and lectures brought in additional money.
-
6.
Did John Muir have any children?
-
Yes, John and Louie had two daughters:
Wanda, born March 25, 1881, died July 1942, 60 years of age.
(
Martinez Gazette
)
Helen, born January 23, 1886, died June 1964, 78 years of age.
(Walter Muir's file)
-
7.
Are there any descendants of John Muir?
-
Yes, there were ten grandchildren -- three are still living
as of May 1993.
Wanda married Thomas Hanna: they had six children:
John Hanna -- lives in Napa Valley
Ross Hanna -- lives in the Sacramento Valley
Richard Hanna -- deceased
Robert Hanna -- deceased
Jean Hanna deLipkau Clark
(only granddaughter) -- deceased
(Discussions with Peg Plummer)
Helen and three of her sons changed their name from Funk to
Muir in 1940. Muir Funk did not because his first name was
Muir and also because he was involved in competition for a
job at the time.
(Letter in Walter Muir's file)
-
8.
Was John Muir a religious man?
-
Yes, he was a very religious man, although he was not a
member of any established church. He saw evidence of a
divine spiritual being everywhere in nature.
(
Son of the Wilderness
, pg. 102, 103
)
-
9.
What is the square footage of the Muir House?
-
10,010 square feet according to the architect's drawing.
This includes all the porches, the attic and the basement.
-
10.
Is this the original furniture?
-
One piece of original furniture is upstairs in John Muir's
study, or his "scribble den". It is the simple flat top
desk placed in front of the north windows. John Muir spent
many hours writing at this desk. There are several other
pieces of original furniture in the house, but most of the
furnishings are just similar to those of the Muir family.
-
11.
What kind of floors are in the Muir house?
-
The floors are Douglas fir painted to look like golden oak.
The painting technique was very popular in Victorian times.
It is called wood graining or graining or feathering.
-
12.
Did Teddy Roosevelt ever visit here?
-
Absolutely not, according to Helen Muir in a letter she
wrote to her friend Hattie in 1958.
(Letter in Helen Muir's file)
-
13.
What famous people did visit John Muir in the house?
-
William Keith -- premier Californian artist
John Swett -- Superintendent of California Schools, Father of California Public School System.
Charles Keeler -- Berkeley poet and noted ornithologist
Robert Underwood Johnson -- Editor of Century magazine
William Colby -- a Sierra Club founder
John Burroughs -- famous American naturalist and wrier
-
14.
Was John Muir a draft dodger during the Civil War?
-
No, we do not feel that he was because he often wrote home
to see if he had been drafted. However, he would not
volunteer. "War is the farthest reaching and most infernal
of all civilized calamities." This was his feeling about
the Civil War in America for which he refused to volunteer.
(
Son of the Wilderness
, pg 17, 68, 90;
John Muir and His Legacy
, Fox, pg 42, 43
)
-
15.
Was John Muir really a lousy father and husband?
-
There are fragments of old gossip that pop up in
conversation from time to time. John Muir did cause
controversy because he did not lead the same sort of life as
most people in the area. However, from diaries and letters
it appears the family had a very loving and understanding
relationship. Louie Muir often urged her husband to go to
the mountains for his health. (He worked so hard and long
on the ranch he sometimes got down below 100 lbs.) Louie
was very supportive of his fight for conservation and the
traveling the cause required.
-
16.
Is there a place to have a picnic here?
-
Yes, there are picnic tables at the covered patio behind the
Martinez Adobe. This is just a small lunch area, not a
recreation area. There is no room for frisbee or ball
playing.
-
17.
How old was John Muir when he died and where is he buried?
-
John Muir was 76 years old when he died of pneumonia in a
Los Angeles hospital on Christmas Eve day in 1914. He had
been visiting his daughter Helen and her family in Daggett
when his cold developed into pneumonia.
His funeral was held in the Muir House. He is buried beside
Mrs. Muir in a small family cemetery about one mile south of
here. Louis Muir died in 1905.
-
18.
To which clan did John Muir belong?
-
The Muir family belonged to the Gordon Clan.
-
19.
What type of wood is the beautiful banister railing in the Muir House?
-
Black walnut
(wood sample report - 1981)
-
20.
What kinds of grapes are grown here?
-
Muscat -- green
Zinfandel -- dark purple
Tokay -- maroon and green
-
21.
What kind of apples?
-
Jonathan, Yellow Newton, and Gravenstein
-
22.
What is the fruit that looks like big fuzzy apples?
-
Quince
-
23.
What are those big bushes with clusters of little dark berries?
-
Elderberry
-
24.
What is the big droopy tree on the east side of the house?
-
Mourning cypress tree
-
25.
How long has this been a National Historic Site?
-
Since 1964
-
26.
What was the Hetch Hetchy?
-
Hetch Hetchy was a valley along the Tuolumne River located
northeast of Yosemite Valley. Although smaller, its beauty
was ruggedly spectacular and similar to Yosemite. Many of
those lucky enough to have seen it felt it to be more
intimate, gracious and charming.
John Muir tried to save it. However, after three wild
political battles, the Northern California (especially San
Francisco), politicians won and the Hetch Hetchy Valley was
dammed up to provide a water supply and hydroelectric power
for growing San Francisco.