Tributes to John Muir
Tributes to John Muir
John Muir has been honored in too many categories to list them all or organize them into neat categories! Here are some - everything from astronomy to zoology - including music, buildings, lakes, mountains, postage stamps, coins, institutions, trails, highways, flowers, animals, fine wine, and even fabric!
The John Muir Wilderness stretches for 100 miles along the crest of the Sierra. It is a land of lofty snow-capped mountains, deep canyons, and vast expanses of glacially carved terrain.
Places Named After John Muir
Many places all over the world are named in honor of John Muir.
FInd Out MoreMuirite is an orange-colored mineral, with a vitreous luster, in the silicate family.
Scientific Names Honoring John Muir
Minerals, plants, and animals have been given scientific names in honor of John Muir.
Read MoreCalifornia quarter designed by artist and Sierra Club member Garrett Burke.
California Quarter
The 2005 California State Quarter issued by the United States Mint, depicts naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s monolithic granite headwall known as Half Dome with a soaring California condor.
Read MoreJohn Muir was one of the 13 leaders, trailblazers and legends to be inducted in the inaugural class of the California Hall of Fame in 2006,
John Muir Inducted in California Hall of Fame
Considered the father of modern environmentalism, John Muir devoted his life to preserving California’s natural beauty. He inspired millions with his essays and books chronicling his adventures in nature.
Read MoreJohn Muir Day: April 21
On John Muir Day, all public schools and educational institutions are encouraged to conduct exercises stressing the importance that an ecologically sound natural environment plays in the quality of life for all of us, and emphasizing John Muir's significant contributions to the fostering of that awareness and the indelible mark he left on the State of California.
Read MoreJohn Muir Stamps
A 5¢ stamp honoring John Muir was issued April 29, 1964, and shows Muir among redwood trees. A 32¢ stamp showing Muir in Yosemite Valley was issued Feb. 3, 1998, in the first set of the Celebrate the Century series.
Read MoreHalls of Fame
- National Rivers Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2016. Sponsored by the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa. This site recognizes that Muir had a deep appreciation for rivers, writing "The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell."
- Immigrant Entrepreneur Hall of Fame: Sponsored by The Immigrant Learning Center.
- Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame
- California Outdoors Hall of Fame: Inducted 2002
- Mother Earth News Environmental Hall of Fame: Inducted1983.
Tributes
- John Muir Memorial Shelter ("Muir Hut"): Located on Muir Pass, John Muir Trail, Kings Canyon National Park, California. The Muir Memorial Shelter is significant as the sole commemorative structure in the United States erected to pay tribute to the pioneering role played by Muir and the Sierra Club in the American conservation movement and the stewardship of natural resources.
- Minor Planet Named for John Muir: This 1-mile diameter celestial body, now named "Johnmuir" is Solar System object number 2004PX42. It was named by its discoverer, amateur astronomer R.E. Jones, in honor of our pioneer conservationist. Seems appropriate for someone who gave his address as "Earth-Planet, Universe."
- John Muir Award: From 1961 until 2020, the Sierra Club's highest honor was the "John Muir Award." Description: "The highest award conferred by the Sierra Club. Honors a distinguished record of achievement in national or international conservation causes.
- Honors Given John Muir in his Lifetime
- Muir Glen brand Organic Tomatoes: Founded 1991, and named after John Muir.
- John Muir Tartan
- Retracing John Muir's Famous Walks: Stories of people who have retraced Muir's famous walks, including his 1,000 mile walk to the Gulf, and various rambles in California.
- Liberty Ship SS John Muir
- There are numerous roads, streets, and highways named for John Muir, including "John Muir Drive" in San Francisco County, the "John Muir Parkway" (State Route 4) in Contra Costa County, and the John Muir Highway between California's coastal cities and Yosemite. Several California cities have a street named for Muir, and even Kentucky has a John Muir Highway, Highway 90, which starts in Cave City, KY, and goes 35 miles to Burksville, KY.
Written Tributes
- Pillars of the Earth: University of Wisconsin honors four of its environmental luminaries: John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Wallace Stegner, and Gaylord Nelson
- John Muir by Lawrence Clark Powell
- The Light at the End and Beginning of John Muir's Journey by Barbara Mossberg
- John Muir: Timeless champion of nature By William R. Swagerty
- In celebration of John Muir's descendants' donation of his papers to the University of the Pacific by Loren Blackford President, Sierra Club