“Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life.”
Hi everyone, Ken here, Welcome to "ThisHouse"!!
In the late 1800s, John Muir began exploring America’s vast, untapped wilderness.
In his biography, it is stated that “he was overwhelmed by the landscape,
scrambling down steep cliff faces to get a closer look at the waterfalls,
whooping and howling at the vistas, jumping tirelessly from flower to flower.”
He explored the vast lands of the interior until his 40’s, when he fell in love with and married
Louisa Strentzel, whose father owned a 2,600 acre fruit orchard in San Francisco’s Bay Area.
In 1890, he partnered with his Father-in-Law and went to work at the orchard where he was gifted a
large Italianate home which had been built in 1883. The 14 room house’s symmetrical façade
was graced by large bay windows on either side of a stretched, hexagonal verandah.
Following the quoins to the frieze, bulls-eye windows were neatly placed between corbels,
and crowning the structure, a cupola offers views beyond the orchards,
past the native grasslands, and into the native oak woodlands.
As we explore the house, we will see a mix of new and old photos
to more accurately paint a picture of what life was like for the Muirs.
Entering the home, we arrive in the stair hall where a Greek revival style staircase
is capped by a tapered, octagonal newel post. Though the wallpaper
has been removed over the years, the warm wood tones invite us in to explore further.
To one side we will find the west parlor serving as a music room. The marble fireplace, set below a
gilded mirror and paired with a striking, red damask wallpaper create a lively ambiance. And
in the center of the room, a crystal chandelier is suspended from an ornate plaster medallion
and centered on a bay window trimmed near the top with corbels supporting arching millwork.
From here we can turn around and make our way through the pocket doors to find the Library.
The library is clad in floor to ceiling wood paneling with
free standing, glass pained book cases.
Back towards the front of the house, we will find the east parlor, considerably more homy
with a large brick hearth offering a more humble retreat from the other formal rooms.
Next we will see the study, also referred to as John’s “Scribble Den” where he reflected
on his time in nature. Here he wrote hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles along with
letters and books calling on the powers-that-be to preserve the vast wilderness. His arguments
became so refined, and his logic so sound, that his writings were used as a guide for founding
the National Parks Service, earning john the title of “The Father of the National Parks.” It is also
in this house that he founded the Sierra club, which today has chapters in each of the 50 states.
Continuing along, we will find the bedrooms,
staged with period accurate furniture and textiles. And on each of the beds,
we can see the clothing that the John and his wife would have worn in their house.
While the third floor remains unfinished, we can take a peek
at the furniture sitting in storage and imagine what this room could have become.
Further up, resting in the Cupola’s rafters,
a bell could ring out over the land to signal the start or end of a day’s work.
John lived out the rest of his life in this house, passing away in 1914. Just two years later,
and based on his arguments for conservation, the National Parks Service was born to preserve
and protect the wilderness for the enjoyment of future generations. Had he not intervened
at such a pivotal time in history, Yosemite Park’s Hetch Hetchy Valley would have been dammed and its
beauty lost forever. Thanks to him, we can enjoy these natural wonders with the assurance that they
will still be around for the next generation. Today, The John Muir National Historic Site,
which includes the house and surrounding landscape, is open to the public to explore.
Did you have a favorite room? Or maybe you would rather tell me about your favorite national park
or nature reserve? Either way, let me know about it down below in the comments section.
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