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The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 1998/99, The John Muir Center For Regional Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

NEWSLETTER Winter 1998-99 The Importance of John Muir's First Public Lecture, Sacramento, 1876 by Steve Pauly, Pleasant Hill, CA INTRODUCTION his article focuses on Muir's first public lecture and its importance as one of several turning points in his evolution as a public figure. The venue was the Congregational Church in Sacramento on January 25, 1876. The lecture was the fifth in a series sponsored by the Sacramento Literary Institute. Muir approached this task with fear, began poorly and with apology, finally recalled his topic, enthralled the large audience with his discussion and illustration of the current and ancient glaciers …

Cattle, Environment, And Economic Change: A History Of Cherry County, Nebraska’S Cattle Industry, From Earliest Times To 1940, Gail Lorna Didonato

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A modern cattle industry in Cherry County, Nebraska, developed as challenges of land use and pressures of economic change demanded new and flexible adaptation to the unique environment. Located in the Sandhills, a region only opened to legal white settlement after Indian removal in 1878, the area passed through phases of occupation. Open-range cattlemen drawn by lucrative local markets gave way to struggles over land use between farmers and ranchers. Early twentieth century legislation, the 1904 Kinkaid Act, designed to promote farm settlement, in the end, benefited ranchers the most. As the wedge to gain legal access to land ownership, …

The John Muir Newsletter, Fall 1998, The John Muir Center For Regional Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

Volume 8, Number 4 . I Fall 1998 NEWSLETTER The Muir Renaissance in Scotl by Graham White (Editor's note: A leading voice in the Scottish effort to wkdiscover John Muir, Graham White wrote the introduction to the Canongate collection of Muir's wilderness essays, and is completing a second volume of Muir Writings for that publisher. He can be reached at Brox- mouth Gardens, Dunbar, Scotland EH42 Iqw, or by e-mail at 101320.5 7@compuserve.com.) W. he John Muir Newsletter has invited me to outline the resurgence of interest in John Muir in the land of his birth, and to clarify various …

Cummings Guest House Register Pages 097 And 098, Usm African American Collection

We Exist Series 4: Cummings Guest House Register Excerpts

This is a detail from the Cummings Guest House Register. You can see a digital version of the full text HERE.

Cummings Guest House Register Pages 099 And 100, Usm African American Collection

We Exist Series 4: Cummings Guest House Register Excerpts

This is a detail from the Cummings Guest House Register. You can see a digital version of the full text HERE.

The John Muir Newsletter, Summer 1998, The John Muir Center For Regional Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

John Muir On Mount Ritter: A New Wilderness Aesthetic by Philip G. Terrie (Editor's note: Philip G. Terrie is Professor of English and f American Studies at Bowling Green State University, and author •f Forever Wild: Environmental Aesthetics and the Adirondack wporest Preserve (1985). This article first appeared in The Pacific Historian (1987), and is reproduced here by permission.) hile John Muir has been the subject of considerable scholarly scrutiny in recent years, we have yet to arrive at a complete understanding of his response to nature.1 One on is that we are often too eager to portray him as …

Sebastopol State Historical Park (41gu9), Seguin, Texas: Archeological Excavations, 1978-1988, Sandra R. Sauer, Art Black, Cynthia Brandimarte

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The town of Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas, was known for its numerous limecrete structures. Limecrete structures probably once numbered more than 100; now, the house known as Sebastopol is one of only two still standing. Between 1978 and 1988, archeological excavations were conducted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in and around Sebastopol. The excavations were preparatory to and in conjunction with architectural restoration of the building and development of the site as a State Historical Park. Archeological excavations were intended to evaluate only those areas impacted by the architectural restoration. Excavation units were placed primarily in and …

The John Muir Newsletter, Spring 1998, The John Muir Center For Regional Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

NEWSLETTER YOSEMITE'S POETS: JOHN MUIR'S INFLUENCE ON THE CAREER OF ANSEL ADAMS by Joshua Greenfield, Master's Candidate at Hunter College, City University of New York John Muir was one of those exceptional men whose writing touches us deeply, revealing the world which is potentially avail- Wble to us all. The quality of Muir's vision has undeniably colored my own moods and response and clarified the statements of my camera. Ansel Adams Mm Muir and Ansel Adams were the two great poets of Yosemite H alley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As novelist Wallace fltegner pointed out in a 1985 memorial …

Cultural Resources Survey For A Joing Task Force Six (Jtf-6) Action In Webb, Maverick, And Dimmit Counties, Texas, Jeffrey D. Owens, Johnna L. Buysse, Steve Gaither

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In an effort to aid United States Border Patrol efforts to combat smuggling and illegal immigration in south Texas, road improvements have been proposed along the U.S.-Mexico international border in three south Texas counties by Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6). JTF-6 Operation Number JT513/515/425-98 consists of a single action in Webb, Maverick, and Dimmit counties, Texas. This action includes the repair/upgrade of approximately 211.0 km (131. 1 mi) of existing roads, the construction of roughly 176.7 km (109.8 mi) of new roads (totaling 387.7 km (240.9 mi), the excavation of three borrow pits, the construction of an equipment storage area, …

"Introduction" To European Immigrants In The American West: Community Histories, Frederick C. Luebke

Department of History: Faculty Publications

European immigrants are the forgotten people of the American West. Their stories are not told in the many books, paintings, and movies that have created the mythic West. Immigrants did not easily fit the image of the West as the bastion of unfettered individualism and self-reliance-a region peopled by the free, brave, and pure-battling against the urbanized, industrialized, a,nd economically dominant East. Nor do European immigrants populate the pages of frontier history. Ever since Frederick Jackson Turner opened the field a hundred years ago, general histories of the American frontier have tended to ignore them. Grounded on the Turnerian notion …

John Wister (1829-1900), Active Iron Industrialist, Raymond Dilissio

People and Places

John Wister was born on July 15, 1829 at Belfield (now sometimes called the Peale House), located here on campus. John was born to William Wister and Sarah Logan Wister; Sarah’s father, William Logan Fisher, originally bought the house from colonial painter Charles Wilson Peale. John was the second oldest of six boys in the family.

Peale And Jefferson: Correspondence From Belfield, Dave Tavani

People and Places

The correspondence between Charles Willson Peale and Thomas Jefferson, while Peale lived at Belfield, is a very interesting window into the lives of two great American men. Peale and Jefferson were friends from revolutionary times--in fact Peale painted Jefferson’s portrait. Jefferson initiated the correspondence with a letter to his friend Peale dated August 20, 1811 and also wrote the last surviving letter, which is dated August 26, 1820.

The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 1998, The John Muir Center For Regional Studies

Muir Center Newsletters, 1981-2015

mm IWinter 1998 NEWSLETTER Writing or Living? John Muir's Writerly Identity and Ambivalence by Randall Roorda, University of Missouri, Kansas City (Editor's note: As many fans of John Muir realize, Muir was not comfortable with writing for publication. This analysis of that ■'issue is a revision of a paper presented earlier to the Western Literature Association. We wish to thank the State University of lew York Press for permission to print this excerpt from the forthcoming book, Dramas of Solitude: Narratives of Retreat in American Nature Writing, by Randall Roorda.) lite aspect of John Muir's lite I offer is that …

Frances Anne Kemble (1809-1893), Natalie Karelis

People and Places

Frances Anne Kemble was born into a theatrical family in London, England, on November 27, 1809. Her roots in the theater were well established at her birth, her aunt being the renowned actress Sarah Siddons and her father, Charles Kemble, the renowned Shakespearean actor.

The National League For Woman's Service, Lydia Stieber

People and Places

St. Mutien’s Christian Brothers’ Residence, located on La Salle University’s South Campus, was once one of the busiest centers in Germantown. In 1917, this building was known as "Little Wakefield" and was a demonstration center for one of most active branches of the National League for Woman’s Service.

Sarah Logan Fisher Wister (1806-1891), Monica Shields

People and Places

Sarah Logan Fisher Wister was born May 18, 1806 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Her parents were William Logan Fisher and his first wife, Mary Rodman. Little, if anything, is known about her childhood because the authors of the greatest quantity of information known about her were her son and her granddaughter.

William Rotch Wister (1827-1911), Dave Stanoch

People and Places

William Rotch Wister, born on December 7, 1827, was raised along with his siblings at the Belfield estate. William derived his "Rotch" name from the Rodmans and Rotches, relatives in Massachusetts who were the first people to settle the island of Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts.

Ella Eustis Wister Haines (1879-1969), Kristen Terranova

People and Places

Ella Eustis Wister was born on August 30, 1879 to William Rotch Wister and Mary Rebecca Eustis, at Mrs. Wister’s mother’s home in Milton, Massachusetts.

Sarah Logan Wister Starr (1873-1956), Jeff Thompson

People and Places

Named after her grandmother, Sarah Logan Fisher, Sarah Logan Wister was born in Pierre County, Duncannon, near Philadelphia in 1873. Her Father John Wister descended from the wealthy Wisters of Philadelphia, while her mother descended from James Logan, Secretary to William Penn during the early colonial period.

"Waldheim" And Its Inhabitants, Justin Cupples

People and Places

Remnants of the foundation of the former "Waldheim" mansion are still in existence. One can still trek into the small patch of woods between the Neumann Halls Dormitory and the La Salle University commuter parking lot, and take a gander at the ruins of the home of historically significant people.

John Caspar Wister (1887-1982), Andy Gwiazda

People and Places

John Caspar Wister, who was, as the Philadelphia Inquirer so aptly described him, the "dean of horticulturists" in the UnitedStates, was born on March 19, 1887, to William Rotch Wister and Mary Rebecca Eustis in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

William Logan Fisher (1781-1862), Michelle Dillin

People and Places

William Logan Fisher, industrialist, author, and "Philadelphia patriarch" bought the "Belfield" estate from the Peale family in 1826. He lived at "Wakefield" and established the Wakefield Mills Manufacturing Company. In its prime, the Wakefield Mills, powered by steam and water, produced an estimated nine-tenths of all hosiery and fancy knit goods in the United States.

Mary Channing Wister (1870-1913): An Unknown Legend, Eric M. Augenstein

People and Places

Most articles and stories about Mary Channing Wister start out like this: "Mary Channing Wister, the wife of the novelist Owen Wister, author of The Virginian. . . ." For some people, being affiliated with a famous spouse or other family member is a great honor. There is much more to Mary Channing Wister, though, than just having a famous husband.

Wisters And Fishers In The Civil War, Jen Merritt

People and Places

The Wister and Fisher families who lived on or near what is today La Salle's campus were prominent members of their community and many of them served diligently during the Civil War.

Frances Anne Wister (1874-1956), Bob Delp

People and Places

One of the first leadership positions that Frances Anne held was as vice president of the Women’s Civic Club of Philadelphia (c. 1907). She served as vice president for the rest of her life, except for a period of seven years (1922-29), when she served as its president. It was her sister, Mary Channing Wister, who founded the Women’s Civic Club, but when she died, Frances Anne continued it and kept it running. The Civic Club was responsible for bringing about electric street lighting to the city of Philadelphia.

Fanthorp Inn State Historical Park (41gm79), Grimes County, Texas: Archeological Excavations, 1983-1989, Susan R. Sauer

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This report summarizes archeological investigations conducted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at Fanthorp Inn State Historical Park from 1983 to 1989. This work was necessary to accompany architectural restoration of the inn as it appeared during the period between 1850 and 1867. Since restoration was completed, Fanthorp Inn State Historical Park in Anderson, Grimes County, has been run as an interpretive site representing a transportation and communication center of the mid-nineteenth century. The archeological excavations were intended to evaluate the areas impacted by the architectural restoration and to determine the appearance of the grounds during the mid-nineteenth century. …

Lake Sam Rayburn Archaeological Site Inventory And Monitoring Project, Velicia Hubbard

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In January 1995, the East Texas Archeological Society (ETAS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) agreed to cooperate in a partnership project to inventory and monitor archaeological sites along the Lake Sam Rayburn shoreline. A Letter of Intent (LOI-095-02) was formulated and signed, stating that:

the participants are mutually interested in fostering integrated problem solving among heritage resource managers regarding historic preservation issues, with special emphasis on training and information sharing. The Forest Service [and the COE] will gain additional information on the condition and location of archeological …

Decorated Caddoan Ceramics From Two Sites On The Elm Fork Of The Trinity River, Dallas County, Texas, Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Caddoan pottery is widely distributed as items of trade and exchange across the northern and eastern parts of the state of Texas (and indeed in several other states outside Texas), although specific information on the amounts and/or kinds of Caddoan pottery actually recovered in such non-Caddoan archaeological contexts is still quite spotty. Over the last several years, l have been compiling this ceramic information where it is available (i.e., in the published literature, from unpublished papers, and in the collections of avocational archaeologists) as part of a broader study of prehistoric Caddoan interaction and trade with neighboring groups. In this …

Historic European Trade Goods From The Willis Place #2 (41bw147) Site In Bowie County, Texas, Timothy K. Perttula, Jay C. Blaine

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In this paper we report on possible historic European trade materials found at the Willis Place #2 site (41BW147), an aboriginal site along the Red River a few miles west of Texarkana, Texas. The possible trade materials were recovered in the 1970s by the landowner, Mr. Julian Cranfill, from a ''fire pit" (or hearth?) exposed during plowing of a natural levee a short distance from the current channel of the river.

Reconstruction Of The Part Vegetation On The Headwaters Of The Piney Creek Watershed In Houston And Trinity Counties, Texas, Velicia R. Hubbard, David H. Jurney

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The National Forests and Grasslands of Texas began a project in 1994 for ecosystem management involving multiple disciplines in an holistic approach to resource inventories. We first began with an intensive archival study of the forest acquisition files and the General Land Office (GLO) files in an effort to identify the western limits of the longleaf pine at the time of initial Anglo-American settlement ca. 1850. Vegetation information was gleaned from this work along with an understanding of the historical occupation of the area, aided by plotting this information onto USGS 7.5' maps overlain by the historic Tobin landownership maps. …