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The unpublished works of John Muir are under copyright by the Muir-Hanna Trust.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.
