Back to Unit 2Biography
John Muir

John Muir cared about nature. National Parks still help preserve nature today.

John Muir


 California Standard 2.2.4 Compare and contrast basic land use in urban, suburban, and rural environments in California.  

John Muir was born in Scotland. When he was eleven years old, he and his family moved to the United States. They settled in Wisconsin.

As a young man, Muir had an accident that left him blind for about a month. When he got his sight back, he promised to use his eyes to study nature.

Muir is sometimes called the "Father of the National Park System." Yosemite National Park was one of his favorite national parks.
 

Try This

People who care about nature and the environment are sometimes called "green." How green are you? Did you know that recycling helps conserve natural materials? Did you know that houses can use heat from the sun to warm up water?

Play a game to test your knowledge of "green" living.

The Big Picture

Our water, air, and earth are all precious resources. We must treat them with care. Find out about what you can do to protect the Earth.

Primary Sources

In a book called Our National Parks, John Muir wrote this about California, "When California was wild, it was the floweriest part of the continent."