“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” – John Muir
Environmentalist and activist John Muir is often called “The Father of Our National Parks” because of the influence he had on the early national park system. Muir was born in Scotland but moved to the United States as a child. He became particularly enamored with California, specifically Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. His writings about these areas and the spirituality and beauty of nature were very influential in the creation of future national parks. In The Yosemite, John Muir writes about the beauty and grandeur of Yosemite Valley. Muir was a strong advocate for the preservation of this area and petitioned the government to designate it as a national park. His efforts were successful; Yosemite National Park was established in 1890. One quote from this book concludes this exhibit well: “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike” (Muir 1912, 256). The national parks are important to the United States because they preserve unique natural features. But this quote by Muir also reminds us that the national parks do more: the national parks are places where people have deep spiritual experiences and have the opportunity to connect with nature in extraordinary ways. This quote captures the essence of why the national parks are so important to the United States’ culture.