John Muir, American conservationist in 1907

“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

On this day in 1838 naturalist and conservationist John Muir is born. He was the founder the Sierra Club, America’s oldest, largest, most influential grassroots environmental organization. Muir was influential in the creation of the first US National Parks System and US forest conservation, the Muir Woods National Monument in California is named after him.

Without conservationists like Muir, there would be no parks in the US. No Yosemite, with it’s Old Faithful geyser. You an I both know Old Faithful would’ve been plugged up and paved over with a mall on top of it were it not for the efforts of those who bothered to fight to preserve the natural wonders of this land for future generations.

Below is the trailer for American masters: John Muir in the New World

Watch the full episode. See more American Masters.