Literary Contributors to John Muir’s Work by Cameron Elliot

Thank you to Museum Volunteer Cameron Elliot for researching and writing this article on literary contributors to John Muir’s work.

The naturalist, conservationist, scientist and author John Muir was and remains influential in shaping humanity’s relationship with the natural world. These developments were aided by scientists, politicians and publishers and literary professionals, whose work will be the focus here. These publications were crucial for spreading awareness, and the contributions of many of Muir’s contacts had significant real-world impact: publications such as The Century Magazine and The Atlantic Monthly, and the people involved, ensured Muir’s work was widely known, helping conservation campaigns and influencing public attitudes. Public attitudes were influential as through Muir and the publications displaying his writings, public appreciation for natural landscapes was ensured. Environmental threats to this natural beauty were also made known, which pushed the public towards supporting conservation to save nature. Other associates contributed to preserving his writings for future generations.

The Century Magazine
One of the most prolific publications containing Muir’s work, The Century Magazine was established under that name in 1881 after businessman Roswell Smith reorganised the publishing company responsible for Scribner’s Monthly, which had started in New York City in 1870. The Century specialised in current affairs, history and literature. Its popularity as an ongoing literary publication was strengthened by this wide range of subjects, contributions from prominent writers and high quality illustrations. By the 1880s its circulation had increased to 250,000 copies and this substantial readership extended across the United States of America. This huge number benefitted Muir in his work by revealing his writings to a broad national audience beyond established conservation circles to spread awareness of threatened natural landscapes.

This wider audience included readers unfamiliar with conservation issues and Muir detailing the natural environment and threats they faced, and again, helped spread awareness and encourage public support for their preservation.

The Century editor Robert Underwood Johnson was crucial in encouraging Muir to write and commissioned him, especially after Johnson’s eyes were opened in 1889 to environmental damage caused by sheep grazing while on an expedition with Muir in the Yosemite region. The following year, in 1890, Johnson edited The Treasures of the Yosemite by Muir. This work described Yosemite Valley’s natural beauty and tragic damage, which helped gain public support and contributed to the campaign for the eventual establishment of Yosemite National Park later in 1890.

Additionally, The Century published Muir’s Alaska series of writings, such as The Discovery of Glacier Bay in 1895. Glacier Bay detailed Alaska’s glaciers and natural landscape which made the public aware of the significance of Alaska’s wilderness. Johnson as one individual exemplifies the huge significance of The Century Magazine in giving Muir a network of people to commission him, circulate his work to many readers and crucially link his writing to his goals of conservation action through public encouragement.

The Atlantic Monthly
Another significant platform for Muir’s work, The Atlantic Monthly, was started in Boston, Massachusetts in 1857 with publishing adviser and writer Francis H. Underwood playing a significant role in its founding.

The magazine focused largely on politics, cultural commentary and social reform and published several important works by Muir. The established literary reputation of Atlantic Monthly, made stronger by works from reputable contributors and the topics the magazine focused on, attracted an educated readership across the country with approximately 7,000 copies circulating in 1897.

Its influence among this readership enabled Muir to bring the issues he discussed to people involved in public affairs and literary and academic circles. This communication helped up the awareness of jeopardies to the environment and encouraged support for protecting natural landscapes.

Regarding people involved with The Atlantic Monthly, Walter Hines Page, who became editor-in-chief in 1898, had been corresponding with Muir since at least 1897 and helped secure the publication of Muir’s first contribution to the magazine by commissioning his work to encourage public support for conservation.

The Atlantic Monthly published Muir’s writings on national parks and forest reservations, including The Yellowstone National Park in 1898. These writings pointed out the areas’ natural history and landscape. Page was very active in managing the publication of these works.

The advantages of the contributions of editors such as Page were that they effectively circulated Muir’s writings and general work nationwide. Similarly to figures associated with The Century, Page also worked to ensure publications articulated the importance of nature and preservation to the public for their understanding, appreciation and hopeful support.

Other Literary Collections
Lastly, there were many other very important contributors, both individuals and publications, such as the Sierra Club Bulletin journal, first published in 1893 in San Francisco, California, by the Sierra Club, which John Muir helped found in 1892. The Bulletin was dedicated to environmental conservation, natural history, wilderness expeditions, scientific research and mountaineering.

First, very important for preserving Muir’s work after he died was William Frederic Badè, the Bulletin editor from 1910 to 1922. Badè was also Muir’s literary executor, tasked with collating, organising and publishing Muir’s writings and unpublished works. Carrying out this duty, Badè collected nearly 2,000 letters, massively aiding Muir’s legacy by revealing many important communications, culminating in Badè producing the 1923–1924 two-volume work The Life and Letters of John Muir, containing a lot of information about Muir’s adventures and projects. Badè additionally edited four posthumously published books by Muir inlcuding A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf in 1916, telling of when Muir journeys through the American south in 1867 and Steep Trails in 1918 when Muir travelled through the west. Both of these works detail the wildlife, plants and natural environment.

Secondly, regarding Muir’s passion for spending time outdoors, the writer Harriet Monroe, who participated in Sierra Club outings by 1908, provided first-hand literary portrayals of Muir she picked up during outings. One example was their camping expedition in 1908, leading to the subsequent publication of ‘Camping Above the Yosemite’ in 1909, and in 1916, her tribute ‘An Appreciation,’ published in the Sierra Club Bulletin, in which Harriet described Muir’s famous passion for wildlife.

Two other major figures in Muir’s life personally as well as professionally were the Carrs, Jeanne and her husband Ezra. Jeanne became Muir’s mentor shortly after meeting him in 1860 in Wisconsin upon being impressed by his inventions. Also, her husband, Ezra, introduced Muir to new scientific knowledge as a University of Wisconsin professor of chemistry and natural sciences. Through the Carrs’ connections, Muir’s literary network was easily expanded. For example, a very useful contact was the Harvard University naturalist Louis Agassiz, to whom Jeanne sent Muir’s glacier letters in 1872. The letters contained Muir’s research on the possibility of Yosemite Valley being shaped by glaciers.

All of these contributions aided Muir in expanding his literary influence far beyond even major news outlets. This was aided by the individuals mentioned, who variously documented, circulated and preserved his writings, not just for the general public but also for the world. The work of professionals such as Badè made sure that Muir’s vast writings, correspondence and general material were available even after his passing for future benefit.

The Need for Literary Presence
All of these contributions through individuals and the distribution of literary publications were vital in supporting Muir’s real-world practical goals, including advocating during his lifetime for the protection and preservation of the natural environment. Reaching out to the public as well as to educated, powerful and influential individuals helped Muir expand his sphere of influence considerably. He positively encouraged public support for conservation, benefited from the expertise of intellectuals and gained assistance from influential individuals. There are more written materials available below to read more about the people and publications that helped John Muir!

References and further reading
National Park Service 2025 article called ‘Who Was John Muir?’ on the John Muir National Historic Site website. https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/who-was-john-muir.htm?utm

National Park Service article called ‘People’ on the John Muir National Historic Site website. https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/people.htm?utm

National Park Service article called ‘John Muir and President Roosevelt’ on the John Muir National Historic Site website. https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/john-muir-and president-roosevelt.htm?utm

National Park Service 2024 article called ‘John Muir and Yosemite’ on the John Muir National Historic Site website. https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/john-muir-and-yosemite.htm?utm

National Park Service article called ‘John Muir’s Books and Publications’ on the John Muir National Historic Site website. https://home.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/john-muir-s-books-and-publications.htm?utm

New York Public Library article called ‘Century Company records’ on the Archives and Manuscripts section of the website. https://archives.nypl.org/mss/504?utm

New York Public Library article called ‘The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine’ on Digital Collections section of the website. https://old-digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/the-century-illustrated-monthly-magazine?utm

John Muir 1890 work called ‘The Treasures of the Yosemite’ published by The Century Magazine, 40(4), pp. 483–500. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/202/?utm

John Muir 1895 work called ‘The Discovery of Glacier Bay’ published by The Century Magazine. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/224/?utm

Library of Congress article on The Atlantic on their website. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0011230/?utm

Sedgwick 2009 article called ‘A History of the Atlantic Monthly, 1857–1909’ on Yankee Humanism at High Tide and Ebb. Amherst on the University of Massachusetts Press website. https://www.umasspress.com/9781558497931/a-history-of-the-atlantic-monthly-18
57-1909/?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 4 March 1897 in the John Muir Correspondence section of the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2206/?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 29 October 1897 in the John Muir Correspondence section of the University of the Pacific section. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2026/?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 19 February 1898 in the John Muir Correspondence section of the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2068/?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 23 February 1898 in the John Muir Correspondence section of the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2070/?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 24 March 1898 in the John Muir
Correspondence section of the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2077/?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 29 October 1897 in the John Muir Correspondence of the University of the Pacific Website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2026/?utm

Biodiversity Heritage Library article on the Sierra Club Bulletin. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/69320?utm

Sierra Club article on William Frederic Badè in the John Muir Exhibit. https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/people/bade.aspx?utm

The Bancroft Library 1996 article called ‘William Frederic Badè papers, 1871–1936’ on the Online Archive of California website. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf1779n565/?utm

Kimes and Kimes 1986 article called ‘John Muir: A Reading Bibliography’. Entry 366 on the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/425/?utm

William Frederic Bade 1924 work called The Life and Letters of John Muir, specifically 2 volumes on the Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company website. https://www.yosemite.ca.us/john_muir_writings/the_life_and_letters_of_john_muir/?utm

John Muir 1916 work published after his death called A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf which was edited by William Frederic Badè on the Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company website.
https://www.yosemite.ca.us/john_muir_writings/a_thousand_mile_walk_to_the_gulf/?utm

John Muir 1918 work published after his death called Steep Trails which was edited by William Frederic Badè on the Boston on the Houghton Mifflin Company website. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/326?utm

Harriet Monroe 1909 work called ‘Camping Above the Yosemite’ published in the Sierra Club Bulletin, now on their website. https://archive.org/details/sierraclubbu719091910sier?utm

Harriet Monroe 1916 work called ‘An Appreciation’ published in the Sierra Club Bulletin, now on their website. https://archive.org/details/sierraclubb1019161919sier?utm

National Park Service article called ‘Jeanne C. Carr’ on the John Muir National Historic Site website. https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/historyculture/jeanne-c-carr.htm?utm

Letter to John Muir from Jeanne Carr on 2 October 1872 in the John Muir Correspondence section of the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/1484/?utm

1890 work called ‘The Treasures of the Yosemite’ by John Muir published in The Century Magazine, available in the University Libraries section on the University of the Pacific website.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/202/?utm

National Park Service article called ‘Education: The Importance of John Muir’ on the John Muir National Historic Site Website. https://www.nps.gov/jomu/learn/education/education-the-importance-of-john-muirhtm?utm

Encyclopedia article called ‘Atlantic Monthly’. https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/atlantic-monthly?utm

Historical Study published by Boston University called ‘The Development of the Atlantic Monthly’ in the Boston University Libraries section on the OpenBU website. https://open.bu.edu/bitstream/2144/18798/1/developmentofatl00dela.pdf?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 27 May 1897 in the John Muir Correspondence section on the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2248/?utm

Letter to John Muir from Walter Hines Page on 30 December 1897 in the John Muir Correspondence section on the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2047/?utm

Part in the book The American Scholar on page 355. called ‘Magazines for Everybody’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson. https://modjourn.org/wp-content/uploads/1956/01/magazines-twentieth-centur
y.pdf?utm

1898 work by John Muir called ‘The Yellowstone National Park’ published in The Atlantic Monthly, now on their website. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1898/04/the-yellowstone-national-park/?utm

1897 Work by John Muir called ‘The American Forests’ in pages 145-157 and published in The Atlantic Monthly which is available in the Universities Libraries section on the University of the Pacific website. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/234/?utm

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