Stop 11: Martinez Adobe

Martinez Adobe.

NPS photo/Luther Bailey

Transcript for the John Muir NHS Cell Phone Tour

Stop Number 11

More than a place for business, thie property formed the centerpiece on which Muir’s family life was built.

This adobe building in front of you is the oldest in Martinez. It was built by Vincente Martinez in 1849. During Muir’s time ranch managers used the adobe as their home. One of these men was Thomas Hanna, who married Muir’s oldest daughter Wanda. The short distance between the adobe and the house allowed Muir to spend time with his daughter and later grandchildren, building strong family ties that Muir valued.

Muir wrote to an old friend about his family and the sun setting on his life:

“It is now seven years since my beloved wife vanished in the land of the leal. Both of my girls are happily married and have homes and children of their own. Wanda has three lively boys, Helen has two and are living at Daggett, California. Wanda is living on the ranch in the old adobe, while I am alone in my library den in the big house on the hill where you and sister Kate found me on your memorable visit long ago. 

As the shadows lengthen in life’s afternoon, we cling all the more fondly to the friends of our youth. …”

John Muir died on December 24, 1914. 

After his passing, Muir’s daughters sold the house and the land that was used as a fruit ranch. The Muir home and the Martinez adobe went through five different owners before being designated as a National Historic Site in 1964. The site now gives you insight into John Muir’s life as a rancher, father and husband, which is inseparable from his accomplishments as a writer and preservationist. As you walk back to the entrance, consider how the ground you are walking on supported one of nature’s most devoted defenders, John Muir.