John Muir
A photograph of author and naturalist John Muir and his dog. California: c. 1900Underwood Archives / Getty Images
The man who helped preserve many of the United States’ natural treasures was himself Scottish. John Muir emigrated to the United States as a child when his family decided they wanted to join the Disciples of Christ, a sect stricter than the Church of Scotland. The Muirs settled in Wisconsin and became farmers. “No other wild country I have ever known extended a kinder welcome to poor immigrants,” he later wrote. Though Muir struggled with his family’s religious beliefs, he found spiritual comfort in the great outdoors. A co-founder of the Sierra Club, Muir helped establish Yosemite National Park, though he maintained strong Scottish ties (and kept his Scottish accent) for the rest of his life.