Creator
John Muir
Recipient
[Jeanne C.] Carr
Transcription
be in Oakland in two weeks & so I made up a package for you of lily bulbs, cones, ferns etc but she wrote me a few days ago that she was still in the valley. I find that a portion of my specimens collected in the last two years and left at this place & Hopeton are not very well cared for & I have concluded to send them to you. I will ship them in a few days by express & I will be down myself perhaps in about a year. If there is anything in these specimens that the Dr' Carr make use of in his lectures tell him to do so freely of course The purple of these plains & of this whole round sky is very impressively glorious after a year[in margin: in the deep rocks. People all thriving [illegible] are beginning to hear of "Dr. Carr" he accomplishes a]00523 [1870] Tuolumne river two miles below La- Grange Nov 4thDear friend Mrs Carr Yours of Oct 2d reached me a few days since, The Amazon & Andes have been in all my thoughts for many years & I am sure that I shall meet them some day ere I die, or become settled & civilized & useful I am obliged to you for all of this information I have studied many paths & plans for the interior of South America but none so easy & sure ever appeared as this of your letter I thought of landing at Guayaquil & crossing the mountains to the Amazon float to Para, subsisting on berries & quinine but to steam along the palmy shores with[in margin: wonderful amount of work. My love to Allie & to the Dr & I am ever most cordially yours John Muir]
company & comforts is perhaps more practical though not so pleasant. Hawthorne says that steam spiritualizes travel but I think that it equally degrades & material- izes travel, however flies & fevers have to be considered in this case, I am glad that Ned has gone, the woods of the Purus will be a grand place for the growth of men It must be that I am going soon for you have shown me the way - people say that my wanderings are very mazy & methodless but they are all known to you in some way before I think of them you are a prophet in the concerns of my little outside life, & pray what says the spirit about my final escape fromYosemite You saw me at these rock altars years ago & I think I shall remain among them untill you take me away. I reached this place last month by following the Merced out of the valley & through all its canons to the plains above Snelling - a most glorious walk - I intended returning to the valley ere this but Mr Delaney the man with whom I am slopping at present, would not allow me to leave before I had plowed his field & so I will not be likely to see Yosemite again before January when I shall have a grand journey over the snow Mrs Yelverton told me before I started upon my river explor- ations that she would likely(Address to Snelling for the next few months)
[Original letter in mounted set of letters to Mrs. Carr, #48].Tuolumne river, two miles belowLa Grange, Nov. 4th, [1870].Dear friend Mrs. Carr:Yours of Oct. 2d reached me a few days since. The Amazon and Andes have been in all my thoughts for many years, and I am sure that I shall meet them some day ere I die, or become settled and civilized and useful.I am obliged to you for all of this information. I have studied many paths and plans for the interior of South America, but none so easy and sure ever appeared as this of your letter. I thought of landing at Guayaquil and crossing the mountains to the Amazon, float to Para, subsisting on berries and quinine, but to steam along the palmy shores with company and comforts is perhaps more practical, though not so pleasant. Haw thorne says that steam spiritualizes travel, but I think that it squarely degrades and materializes travel. However flies and fevers have to be considered in this case.I am glad that Ned has gone. The woods of the Purus will be a grand place for the growth of men. It must be that I am going soon, for you have shown me the way. People say that my Wanderings are very mazy and methodless, but they are all known to you in some way before I think of them.You are a prophet in the concerns of my little outside life, and pray what says the spirit about my final escape from Yosemite? You saw me at these rock altars years ago, and I think I shall main among them until you take me away.I reached this place last month by following the Merced out of the valley and through all its cañons to the plains above Snelling —- a most glorious walk. I intended returning to the Valley ere this, but Mr.Delaney, the man with whom I am stopping at present, would not allow me to leave before I had plowed his field and so I will not be likely to see Yosemite again before January,when I shall have a grand journey over the snow.Mrs. Yelerton told me before I started upon my river explorations that she would likely be in Oakland in two weeks, and so I made up a package for you of lily bulbs, cones, ferns, etc., but she wrote me a few days ago that she was still in the Valley.I find that a portion of my specimens collected in the last two years and left at this place and Hopeton are not very well cared for, and I have concluded to send them to you. I will ship them in a few days by express, and I will be down myself perhaps in about a year. If there is anything in these specimens that the Dr. can make use of in his lectures tell him to do so, freely, of course.The purple of these plains and of this whole round sky is very impressively glorious after a year in the deep rocks.People all throughout this section are beginning to hear of Dr. Carr. He accomplishes a wonderful amount of work. My love to Allie and to the Dr., and I am,Ever most cordially yours,John Muir[Year 1870 supplied because of reference to Mrs. Yelverton]
Location
La Grange, [Calif]
Circa Date
[1870] Nov 4
Source
Original letter dimensions: 20.5 x 25 cm.
Recommended Citation
Muir, John, "Letter from John Muir to [Jeanne C.] Carr , [1870] Nov 4." (1870). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 1358.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/1358
Resource Identifier
muir02_0349-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 02, Image 0349
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
Copyright Status
Copyrighted
Copyright Statement
The unpublished works of John Muir are copyrighted by the Muir-Hanna Trust. To purchase copies of images and/or obtain permission to publish or exhibit them, see http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections/Fees-and-Forms-.html
Owning Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Copyright Holder
Muir-Hanna Trust
Copyright Date
1984
Pages
3 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
