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John Muir

Naturalist and forest conservation advocate John Muir was largely responsible for the establishment of national parks such as Sequoia and Yosemite. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Scottish immigrant Muir worked on mechanical inventions, but when an industrial accident blinded him in one eye, he abandoned that career and devoted himself to nature. As early as 1876, Muir encouraged the federal government to establish a forest conservation program. The Sequoia and Yosemite parks were created in 1890 and two eloquent articles by Muir swayed public opinion in favor of federally protected national forests. Muir also influenced the conservation policy of President Theodore Roosevelt, who is shown here with Muir during a 1903 camping trip to Yosemite.

Library of Congress