Muir lived in Indiana from the spring of 1866 through June, 1867, working in a carriage-parts factory. He spent what little free time he had exploring the nearby forests for their botanical treasures. When an industrial accident temporarily blinded him, he wrote, "I bade adieu to all my mechanical inventions, determined to devote the rest of my life to the study of the inventions of God."
John Muir Remembered in Indiana with New Historical Marker by Lori Hazlett, The Indiana Sierran, (Fall, 2004) (off-site link) - Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter members celebrate the dedication.
John Muir Marker to Be Erected in Indianapolis - The Indiana Sierran, Spring, 2004. (off-site link) - Background about the marker
John Muir in Indiana(PDF) by Harold W. Wood, Jr. - required research paper submitted to Indiana Historical Bureau in support of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter request for a commemorative historical plaque in Indianapolis.
"A Genius in the Best Sense: John Muir, Earth, and Indianapolis" by Catherine E. Forrest Weber, in Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Vol. 5, no. 1, Winter 1993. A review of Muir's life, with a focus on his early inventions and his time spent in Indiana, including his friendships with Catharine Merrill and her nephew Merrill Moores. Nicely illustrated with Muir portraits and his drawings of inventions. The issue of Traces that includes this article is available as a back issue from the Indiana Historical Society, 315 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, IN 46202-3299; or by calling 1-800-IHS-1830.
While in Indiana, John Muir met and was cared for in his illness by Catharine Merrill, one of the first woman professors in America.