Juan Bautista de Anza NHT

Well, I keep taking it down to the wire, but we did manage to get out to a National Park Service site the last weekend in February (even if I’m writing about it in March). Somewhat fitting for the NPS Centennial this year, we visited the home of one of the pivotal figures in the founding of the National Parks, John Muir. The site preserves the historic home of John Muir, Muir’s fruit orchards, and the Martinez adobe. Across the street, there are trails up “Mount Wanda”, named after one of Muir’s daughters, if you need to get your hiking fix.

The John Muir NHS is just off of Highway 4 in Martinez, CA. A bit ironic that this tribute to one of the great naturalists is right across from a gas station and adjacent to a highway, but on the bright side, great to have his legacy preserved in this little patch of land. You enter the estate through the visitor’s center, where the rangers were very friendly and will play a video upon request (as will likely be a theme this year, we skipped the video since the baby was strapped in the carrier). On the timeline display, you can see some of Muir’s achievements (and “could-have-beens” – cool to see a small photo of Hetch Hetchy Valley).

From there, it’s a short walk up the hill to Muir’s 3-story (+ bell tower!) home, which offers exhibits about Muir and the NPS on every floor. The rangers also lead a tour through the house (we were there on Sunday, and the talk was at 2). I learned that Muir was originally from Scotland and attended the University of Wisconsin before moving out West. He was relatively well-off and reportedly ran a good business off his orchards, which he inherited from his father-in-law. He spent several years in Martinez, later in life returning to spend more and more time in the Sierras with his conservation efforts. An older exhibit in the attic showcased his relationship with Teddy Roosevelt, cemented during one fateful camping trip together in Yosemite.

The grounds are well-kept and include not only the fruit trees, but a little patch of redwoods and a giant sequoia planted by Muir himself. It is not quite as giant as the ones in their prime climate (or perhaps because it’s only ~100 years old?), but that didn’t stop one other visitor we saw hugging it 🙂 Many of the trees were blossoming on the day we visited, and according to the website, you’re free to pick a piece of fruit or two other times of the year. We packed a picnic and had a lovely lunch under the redwoods.

At the end of the estate, there is the Martinez adobe, built in 1849 and the oldest structure in Martinez. Inside, there is an exhibit about the Anza expedition (traced by the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail). Sometimes you don’t really appreciate how historical events like this line up chronologically – the expedition, which was an attempt by the Spanish to gain a foothold in Alta California, coincided with the American Revolution in the 1776! Juan Bautista de Anza started in Mexico, crossed the Sonoran Dessert, and made his way to San Francisco. I don’t believe he made it up to Martinez, but the adobe highlights the influence of the expedition on local building styles.
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