Creator
Edmond S. Meany
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
10 Sept. 1912Mr. John MuirMartinezCaliforniaMy dear Friend:Three friends desire me to send you their greetings: Robert Moran who was one of the crew of the Steamer Gertrude on the Stickeen River in 1879. He remembers you, Rev. S. H. Young and the dog. E. S. Ingraham was with you during the ascent of Mount Rainier in August 1888. when the now famous Camp Muir was named. He is now a leader of the Boy Scount movement in this part of the world. He was in our camp on Mount Rainier a little while this summer. Prof. Trevor Kincaid who was with you as a member of the Harriman Expedition to Alaska in 1899. The greeting from each is cordial and heartfelt.You probably have not followed Mr. Moran's career. Always industrious, he developed a large and prosperous ship-building business, retiring therefrom a few years ago with considerable wealth. He had been a breadwinner for a large family while quite you so he is now enjoying his only "boyhood." He has acquired more than 4000 acres on Orcas Island, including a forest, two beautiful lakes, a creek, water-falls, shore lands and most of Mount Constitution <2400 feet high>. On a rocky shore, at a place he calls Rosario, he has built05272
2a veritable palace of concrete, teak-wood floors, mahogany doors, bronze hinges, etc. In the home he has placed a magnificent pipe organ which he plays with electrical appliances. His cattle and horses are equally well housed and to one side he has a fine machine shop where he works or plays as he wishes. It is one of the show places in this State and he is visited by many excursions. For four years The Mountaineers Club has made a three-day trip there the last of each August. He protects the animals, birds, trees, and flowers, trying to save all the natural beauties.He has now concluded that he wishes to give to the State of Washington 2500 acres of his estate including the mountain and much of its beautiful surroundings as a State Park. He asked me to organize a party of University men to help in the work. I arranged for them to go with the Mountaineers on a chartered steamer. There were 107 of us. We had a beautiful time and between numbers on the pipe organ I read to the entire party your cordial letter of 14 August. This caused Mr. Moran to tell me about meeting you on the Stickeen in 1879, and then he turned earnestly to me and said: "If Muir ever comes to Puget Sound you be sure to bring him here." I would most certainly delight in doing that very thing.As soon as I reported this to the Mountaineers they began asking if I did not think it possible to get you to visit us. Please let me know if you can come and, if so, when. We can arrange the matter of expenses.05272
3One other item: I have been reading "The Spell of the Rockies" and was delighted with the many touches of Muir in the book. Mills and I have become friendly through correspondence. The Mountaineers have illustrated lectures on the third Friday of each month. At one of those meetings this winter I desire to give such a lecture on "Muir and Mills, American Mountaineers." I can have pictures made of and from your books but I also would like a portrait of you and some of the snap-shots made of you in the woods and mountains. I do not wish to put you to any expense for such pictures. If you will kindly let know know who has the negatives I will deal with the parties.Our Club has between 400 and 500 members and I want everyone of them to know and love you as I do.Yours faithfullyEdmond S. Meany05272
Location
Seattle, Washington
Date Original
1912 Sep 10
Source
Original letter dimensions: 28 x 21.5 cm.
Recommended Citation
Meany, Edmond S., "Letter from Edmond S. Meany to John Muir, 1912 Sep 10." (1912). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 6358.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/6358
Resource Identifier
muir20_1295-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 20, Image 1295
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
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
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.
Pages
3 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
