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John Muir Journals (discovery layer)

These journals were written by John Muir between 1867 and 1913. They include his 1867-1868 "thousand mile walk," his early years in Yosemite, extensive travels in Alaska, his 1903 world tour, and his 1911-1912 voyage to South America and Africa. The journals offer a unique perspective on Muir's life and experiences in his own words and drawings.

Some of the journals are filled with miscellaneous notes and jotted writings, while others feature diary-like narratives. Similarly, some journals contain only text while others, especially those from his Alaska trips, are full of drawings that reflect the places Muir visited.

Many, but not all, of the digitized John Muir journals are transcribed. Portions of the journals can be difficult to read because of faded writing, but the zoom feature enables users to magnify pages and improve their legibility. Join our Muir Journal Transcription Project to help.

The "titles" assigned to each journal are taken from the published Guide and Index to the Microform Edition of the John Muir Papers, 1858-1957. These titles convey the general content of each journal, but many of the journals contain a wealth of information beyond the subject indicated in the title. It may be helpful to consult the John Muir chronology for more information on where Muir was during the periods when he was writing various journals.

The unpublished works of John Muir are under copyright by the Muir-Hanna Trust. To purchase copies and/or obtain permission to publish or exhibit items from the John Muir Papers, visit our fees and forms page.

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August 1913 [Journal 78]: Island Park, Idaho Trip

John Muir
August-October 1911 [Journal 75]: Trip to South America, Part I

John Muir
November 1911-March 1912 [Journal 77]: Trip to South America, Part III and Trip to Africa

John Muir
October-November 1911 [Journal 76]: Trip to South America, Part II

John Muir
February-April 1909 [Journal 73]: Arizona Trip

John Muir
July 1909 [Journal 74]: Sierra Club Outing to Yosemite and Hetch Hetchy

John Muir
June-July 1907; June-July 1908 [Journal 72]: Yosemite Trip with Sierra Club; Sequoia Trip with Sierra Club

John Muir
July-October 1906 [Journal 71]: Tree Studies

John Muir
July-September 1905, February 1906 [Journal 70]: Tree Notes on Petrified Forest

John Muir

[Tree] Notes on Pet’d [Petrified] Forest
January-May 1904 [Journal 69]: World Tour, Part V

John Muir
August-November 1903 [Journal 67]: World Tour, Part III

John Muir
July-August 1903 [Journal 66]: World Tour, Part II

John Muir
June-July 1903 [Journal 65]: World Tour, Part I

John Muir
November 1903-January 1904 [Journal 68]: World Tour, Part IV

John Muir
January 1902 [Journal 63]: Arizona Trip

John Muir
July-August 1902 [Journal 64]: Kern River, etc.

John Muir

(A Pad for a Penny, Keystone Stationery, One Cent) Kern River Etc. etc. for Auto
July-August 1901 [Journal 62]: Tuolumne Meadows Trip with Sierra Club

John Muir
June-July 1901 [Journal 61]: Trips to Boulder Creek and Giant Forest

John Muir
July-August 1899 [Journal 60]: Harriman Expedition to Alaska, Part III

John Muir
June-July 1899 [Journal 59]: Harriman Expedition to Alaska, Part II

John Muir
May-June 1899 [Journal 58]: Harriman Expedition to Alaska, Part I, San Franciscio to Harriman Fjord

John Muir
August-September 1897 [Journal 57]: Trip with Sargent and Canby to Alaska

John Muir
July-November 1897 [Journal 56]: Botany Trip with Sargent and Canby

John Muir
August 1896 [Journal 53]: From San Francisco to Alaska and Return, the Osborn Trip

John Muir
August-September 1896 [Journal 54]: Forest Field Studies

John Muir