John Muir and the Bidwell: Rambles and Botanizing in Northern California
Location
Feather River Inn
Start Date
4-5-2001 7:30 AM
End Date
6-5-2001 12:30 PM
Description
This paper/slide presentation (approx. 80 slides) will examine the long-term friendship between John Muir and the Bidwells, as well as the events of the summer of 1877. During that summer John Muir, Asa Gray Harvard's renowned botanist, and the Bidwells traveled together for several weeks exploring the mountains in northern California and looking for rare wildflowers.
My presentation is based on over forty years of personal correspondence between Muir and the Bidwells. Their 1877 expedition to Mt. Shasta was the beginning of a beautiful and enduring friendship. During this trip Muir and the Bidwells became wilderness compatriots and from this time onward they also became regular correspondents. In his letters to the Bidwells, Muir reveals much about himself, mulls over his impending marriage, worries about his health, and also displays a sharp wit as well. His correspondence with Annie Bidwell ranges in topics from Muir's poor horseback riding skills, glaciation in the Lassen Peak area, to evidence supporting the theory of biological evolution.
After their 'wild ramble' in the mountains, Muir stayed on in Chico with the Bidwells and was given a thorough tour of their working ranch/farm, called Rancho Chico. Muir and John Bidwell spent several days in the saddle exploring the vast holdings of Rancho Chico and by the time Muir returned to Martinez he was knowledgeable about the latest agricultural methods and techniques used on California's premier ranch.
When it came time for Muir to return home to Martinez his mode of transportation was predictably unconventional. John Bidwell had a small boat built for Muir so that he could float home via the Sacramento River. Muir's unorthodox departure and his riverine adventures are recounted in minute detail to the Bidwells in a series of letters sent to them by Muir. Remarkably, contained within one of the letters is a self-portrait of Muir that he penciled during his river trip. This self-portrait, which up until now has seen by only a few people familiar with the Muir/Bidwell correspondence, will be part of my slide presentation.
John Muir and the Bidwell: Rambles and Botanizing in Northern California
Feather River Inn
This paper/slide presentation (approx. 80 slides) will examine the long-term friendship between John Muir and the Bidwells, as well as the events of the summer of 1877. During that summer John Muir, Asa Gray Harvard's renowned botanist, and the Bidwells traveled together for several weeks exploring the mountains in northern California and looking for rare wildflowers.
My presentation is based on over forty years of personal correspondence between Muir and the Bidwells. Their 1877 expedition to Mt. Shasta was the beginning of a beautiful and enduring friendship. During this trip Muir and the Bidwells became wilderness compatriots and from this time onward they also became regular correspondents. In his letters to the Bidwells, Muir reveals much about himself, mulls over his impending marriage, worries about his health, and also displays a sharp wit as well. His correspondence with Annie Bidwell ranges in topics from Muir's poor horseback riding skills, glaciation in the Lassen Peak area, to evidence supporting the theory of biological evolution.
After their 'wild ramble' in the mountains, Muir stayed on in Chico with the Bidwells and was given a thorough tour of their working ranch/farm, called Rancho Chico. Muir and John Bidwell spent several days in the saddle exploring the vast holdings of Rancho Chico and by the time Muir returned to Martinez he was knowledgeable about the latest agricultural methods and techniques used on California's premier ranch.
When it came time for Muir to return home to Martinez his mode of transportation was predictably unconventional. John Bidwell had a small boat built for Muir so that he could float home via the Sacramento River. Muir's unorthodox departure and his riverine adventures are recounted in minute detail to the Bidwells in a series of letters sent to them by Muir. Remarkably, contained within one of the letters is a self-portrait of Muir that he penciled during his river trip. This self-portrait, which up until now has seen by only a few people familiar with the Muir/Bidwell correspondence, will be part of my slide presentation.
