Yesterday at the Tulare County Historical Society Annual Meeting Frank Helling, a 30-year veteran as John Muir, with his hand carved cane in his Scottish accent told the crowd “Everywhere we step is holy land.” Of course he never hiked around the world, he “san-tared” (sauntered) about because hiking is too much like work.
At one point Muir had to find employment. Although he wasn’t a shepherd, he was hired to keep tabs on Shepherd Billy, a lazy bloke. Billy rarely never bathed so his clothes became a natural walking history museum, growing thicker by the day with new additions such as pine needles, tree sap, or whatever else he wiped on them. Another employer wanted him to run a saw mill, but Muir had vowed never to cut a living tree again, but didn’t mind taking the already fallen trees to the saw mill.
Muir recounted the many famous people his path had crossed except for Louise Jackson’s mother who was 13 when she met him. Sixty-eight year old Ralph Waldo Emerson came to see him in 1871 and remarked about the Sequoia Redwoods, “These trees have a talent for being tall.” Muir quipped back, “You’re a Sequoia yourself, get acquainted with the brethren.”
Muir, the Big Tree Advocate, upon returning to Yosemite after one of his many travels, found the trees being cut down, and cried out “Repent the Kingdom of Sequoia is at hand!” He got lost in the “artificial canyons” (hallways) of a San Francisco hotel when he met with his editor, Johnson. His friend changed his writing , and removed many repetitions of the word, glorious, telling Muir, “That’s called editing.”
Muir kept his audience humorously spell-bound for probably close to an hour. I don’t know I lost track of time.
We will soon have a new TCHS website. We meet with the designer, Louise Jackson’s daughter, Laile on Wednesday. I’ve been honored to serve on that committee for the past year, so I can’t wait to see what she has to show us. 🙂 Websites, websites, websites!!! 🙂
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
12 responses to “John Muir Visits the Tulare County Historical Society During the 2013 Annual Meeting”
This is excellent, Marsha, very real and entertaining. Everywhere we step IS sacred ground.
I loved this post.
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Thanks! He was SO entertaining! I will have to find out his email and send him a link!!! 🙂
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Omigod, Marsha. I would had loved to be here, even just somebody else. Still, I would had been awe-stricken. John Muir is a person to vow to. And thank you for the awesome, awesome history read. Does he go all over the place in California?
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That’s a good question. I’ll find out!!! He was really funny – Total quotes the whole hour woven into a great tale. 🙂
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Nice post.
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Thanks so much. It was a nice program. 🙂
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What a terrific experience! We all need to be reminded. I don’t hike enough but think it will be the sport of our old age once we can’t bike anymore!
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With all this blogging I’ve been doing, I am sitting more than when I retired. About all I do is walk! Yikes!!! I haven’t gotten my life regulated quite yet!! 🙂
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I’ve seen those redwoods…amazing! Would love to have heard that talk.
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He was quite enjoyable. How have you been. I haven’t had a chance to do much visiting recently. 🙂
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I would have enjoyed this….I am sure.
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You would have. He was really funny! 🙂
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