Honoring the states we serve · California

The John Muir House: Home of the Father of the National Parks

On a hillside in Martinez, California, stands a white Victorian mansion surrounded by palms and orchards. For the last 24 years of his life it was home to John Muir, the naturalist and writer whose words helped create Yosemite National Park and inspired Americans to protect their wild places.

The white Italianate Victorian John Muir House in Martinez, California, with a rooftop cupola and tall palm trees — John Muir House · Martinez, California. Photo: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0

Who was John Muir?

John Muir was born on April 21, 1838, in Dunbar, Scotland. In 1849 his family immigrated to the United States and started a farm near Portage, Wisconsin. As a young man he walked about 1,000 miles from Kentucky to Florida, a journey he later described in A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, and soon afterward he made his way to California.

In the Sierra Nevada he found his life's calling. Muir explored Yosemite, studied its glaciers and forests, and wrote about them with a passion that reached readers across the country.

A voice for wild places

Muir's magazine articles helped persuade Congress to create Yosemite National Park in 1890. Two years later, in 1892, he helped found the Sierra Club and was elected its first president, a role he held for the rest of his life. In 1903 he camped in Yosemite with President Theodore Roosevelt, and their conversations under the stars helped shape the president's commitment to conservation. Today Muir is often called the "Father of the National Parks."

Not every battle was won. Muir fought for years to save Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, but in December 1913 President Woodrow Wilson signed the law that allowed it. Muir died a year later, on December 24, 1914.

The house in Martinez

In 1880 Muir married Louisa Strentzel, whose father, Dr. John Strentzel, owned a large fruit ranch in the Alhambra Valley. Dr. Strentzel built the Italianate Victorian house in 1883, and John and Louisa moved into it in 1890. Muir managed the family's orchards and vineyards, and in his study he wrote hundreds of articles and several of his books.

In 1964 the house became the John Muir National Historic Site, cared for by the National Park Service. The site also includes the historic Vicente Martínez Adobe and Mount Wanda, a nature preserve named for one of Muir's two daughters.

Planning your visit

Address: 4202 Alhambra Avenue, Martinez, CA 94553.
Hours and programs: check the National Park Service website before you go.
Nearby: the trails of Mount Wanda, the Martinez waterfront on the Carquinez Strait, and the wider San Francisco Bay Area.

Making a home in California

From the Bay Area to Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and the Central Valley, California remains a place where families come to build a future. Beyond Financing, Inc. is licensed in California as a mortgage broker. Whether you are buying your first home, are self-employed, or file taxes with an ITIN, our team will compare programs from several lenders and explain every step in English, Português or Español.

Talk with our team Estimate a monthly payment

More stories from the states we serve →

Sources

National Park Service, John Muir National Historic Site
Wikipedia, "John Muir" and "John Muir National Historic Site"

Part of our series honoring the communities in the nine states where Beyond Financing, Inc. is licensed. Beyond Financing, Inc., NMLS #2394496. Equal Housing Opportunity. This is not a commitment to lend; all loans are subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not affiliated with the National Park Service, the Sierra Club, or Beyond Finance, LLC.