The Sierra Club that he founded in 1892 is a powerful tool in the nation's continuing efforts to conserve wilderness areas. Thanks to his work to insure that valuable woodlands would be preserved, the United States Forestry Service was established. Not long after he died the National Park Service was born, taking control of our national park lands. All these organizations were founded on philosophies that John Muir developed.

As a farmer, Muir got deeply involved in the daily workings of the Strentzel farm. He began grafting procedures on sixty-five different pear varieties grown on the farm, changing them into the popular Bartlett variety. He converted several types of grapes to succulent Tokays.

Muir used the farm as a fertile teaching environment for his daughters Wanda and Helen. He would take them on walks around the acreage teaching them about the different plants growing there. He called it the "school of nature."

John Muir was a man of many talents. Perhaps a fitting eulogy for him would be a short piece written by Robert Underwood Johnson:

"He was not a dreamer, but a practical man, a faithful citizen, a scientific observer, a writer of enduring power, with vision, poetry, courage in a contest, a heart of gold, and a spirit pure and fine."

John Muir, environmentalist, plant specialist, teacher . . .and farmer.

If you have questions or comments about this story, please E-mail our Executive Producer Jerry Blair at jblair@kvie.org.