John Muir National Historic Site

John Muir National Historic Site is a memorial and a museum of the type of National Historic Sites in Martinez, California. It preserves the Victorian home of the writer, naturalist, conservationist and nature Philosophens John Muir ( 1838-1914 ).

The spacious building with 14 apartments and bedrooms was built in 1883 by Muir's father, Dr. John Strentzel. Muir headed to the wedding with Louie Strenzel 1880-1891 the large orchards of Strenzel family, and smaller areas, which he had bought himself. The work was largely done by Chinese workers. Muir put all his strength into the management of the establishment, optimized cultivation methods and the varieties grown and complained about the hard work. He and his wife moved in 1890 after the death of his father in the house and lived there until his own death in 1914. Having its own plantations were very successful, Muir was able in 1891 to retire from the business and handed over the company to his brother. He took his writing again, that was completely asleep during the years of management and was on the scientific topics beyond the successful natural philosophers. The following year he was instrumental in the founding of the Sierra Club. Muir spent the rest of his life in this house and moved his three children on here. Nevertheless, he said in an often quoted sentence: " Going to the mountains is going home" ( Going to the mountains is going home ). His expressed therein notion of wilderness as an ideal is also fed back to its previous hard work in the managed, designed landscape.

The building and the approximately 3 -acre orchard are now on Highway CA 4 and in 1964 designated as a National Historic Site and placed under the administration of the National Park Service. In 1992, once again acquired a good square kilometers from the site of the former Strenzels. The area lies on the other side of the highway in the hills of Muir's daughter named after Mount Wanda. It is covered with a loose oak forest.

In the house an exhibition on the life and work of John Muir is set up, which also includes his study. There, almost all the works of Muir created, the space is largely in its original condition. The visitor center also offers irregular tours of the house and the land.