John Muir

John Muir was a restless child who was drawn to nature, despite this pursuit going against his strict religious upbringing. His family immigrated from Scotland to the U.S. in 1849 and at age 22, Muir attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied botany and geology. After an accident while working at a sawmill nearly blinded him, Muir became determined to follow his dream of exploring nature. Muir traveled to places such as the Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada mountains, writing essays and books about these adventures, and formed the Sierra Club, the prominent conservation organization in the U.S. Muir devoted much of his later life to preserving Western forests, petitioning Congress to establish the Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.