News Release

New Featured Exhibit: “In Her Words; A Glimpse into the Lives of the Muir-Strentzel Women”

Date: April 16, 2018
Contact: Ann Roos, 510-232-5050 x6643

(Martinez, CA) – John Muir National Historic Site is unveiling a new exhibit, “In Her Words; A Glimpse into the Lives of the Muir-Strentzel Women”, on display in John Muir’s Victorian home starting April 21, 2018, coinciding this year’s Birthday/Earth Day celebration. The exhibit is free of charge and included in guided and self-guided tours of the Muir-Strentzel House during regular operating hours.

The letters, diaries, and artifacts of John Muir and his family help us to better understand what life was like in the Muir-Strentzel House. “In Her Words” employs these fascinating items from the park museum collection to explore the important role Muir’s female family members played in his success as a rancher, author, and conservationist, and to highlight the talents, education, and independent spirit of the women correspondents.

John Muir was a farmer, inventor, botanist, geologist, explorer, mountaineer, writer and pioneer of nature conservation. He was born in Dunbar, Scotland, on April 21, 1838. As a child he developed a deep love of the natural world. This grew into a lifelong journey, both physical and spiritual, of exploration, revelation, hardship and wonder. In 1849, Muir's family immigrated to the United States, starting Fountain Lake Farm near Portage, Wisconsin. Later, Muir moved to California and visited the Yosemite Valley, sparking his efforts to preserve wilderness areas throughout the country. Today, Muir is remembered as a pioneer of the modern conservation movement and is considered a key founder of the national park system in the United States.

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Created in 1964, John Muir NHS preserves the home, landscapes, and gravesite of conservationist and national park advocate John Muir. John Muir NHS, located at 4202 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553, is open seven days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission to the site is free of charge. For more information, please visit the park website at www.nps.gov/jomu, like us on Facebook, call [phone] or email e-mail us.

The National Park Service has more than 20,000 employees who care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.