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The Cruise of the Corwin: Muir's Final Great Journey
In spring of 1881 John Muir set out on the ship "Corwin" for a journey of 15,000 nautical miles from San Francisco into the Arctic sea. The purpose of the voyage was to search for three ships that had been lost in the area, and to verify the local fleet's compliance with international seal and otter hunting regulations. Muir went along because of his fascination with glaciers. He was also drawn by the call of one of the world's last unexplored coastlines. This turned out to be Muir's last great foray into the wilderness, as he became a settled farmer afterwards.
236 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1917
About the author
John Muir
646 books1,457 followersJohn Muir was far more than a naturalist; he was a secular prophet who translated the rugged language of the wilderness into a spiritual calling that saved the American soul from total surrender to materialism. Born in 1838 in the coastal town of Dunbar, Scotland, Muir’s childhood was a blend of seaside wanderings and a brutal religious upbringing. His father, Daniel Muir, was a man of uncompromising faith who forced John to memorize the New Testament and most of the Old Testament by age eleven. When the family immigrated to the frontier of Wisconsin in 1849, this iron-fisted discipline continued on their farm. However, for the young Muir, the "Book of Nature" began to rival the Bible. He saw the divine not just in scripture, but in the black locust trees and the sun-drenched meadows of the midwest.
The pivotal moment of Muir’s life occurred in 1867 while working at a wagon wheel factory in Indianapolis. A tool slipped, piercing his cornea and leaving him temporarily blind in both eyes. Confined to a darkened room for six weeks, Muir faced the terrifying prospect of a life without light. When his sight miraculously returned, he emerged with a clarity of purpose that would change the course of American history. He famously wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." He immediately set out on a 1,000-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico, beginning a lifelong odyssey of exploration.
Muir eventually found his "true home" in California’s Sierra Nevada. To Muir, the mountains were not mere piles of rock, but "the range of light." He spent years as a shepherd and guide in Yosemite, living a life of extreme simplicity—often traveling with nothing but a tin cup, a crust of bread, and a volume of Emerson’s essays. His scientific contributions were equally profound; he defied the leading geologists of the day by proving that the Yosemite Valley was carved by ancient glaciers. While the state geologist, Josiah Whitney, dismissed him as a mere "shepherd," the world’s leading glaciologists eventually recognized Muir’s genius.
His transition from explorer to activist was born of necessity. Seeing the "hoofed locusts"—domestic sheep—devouring the high mountain meadows, Muir took up his pen. His landmark articles in The Century Magazine and his 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt became the catalysts for the modern conservation movement. Under the stars at Glacier Point, Muir convinced the President that the wilderness required federal protection. This meeting laid the groundwork for the expansion of the National Park system and the eventual return of Yosemite Valley to federal control.
As the co-founder and first president of the Sierra Club, Muir spent his final years in a fierce philosophical battle with Gifford Pinchot. While Pinchot argued for "conservation" (the sustainable use of resources), Muir championed "preservation" (the protection of nature for its own sake). Though he lost the battle to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, the heartbreak of that loss galvanized the American public, ensuring that future "cathedrals of nature" would remain inviolate. John Muir died in 1914, but his voice remains ubiquitous, reminding us that "into the woods we go, to lose our minds and find our souls."
The pivotal moment of Muir’s life occurred in 1867 while working at a wagon wheel factory in Indianapolis. A tool slipped, piercing his cornea and leaving him temporarily blind in both eyes. Confined to a darkened room for six weeks, Muir faced the terrifying prospect of a life without light. When his sight miraculously returned, he emerged with a clarity of purpose that would change the course of American history. He famously wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." He immediately set out on a 1,000-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico, beginning a lifelong odyssey of exploration.
Muir eventually found his "true home" in California’s Sierra Nevada. To Muir, the mountains were not mere piles of rock, but "the range of light." He spent years as a shepherd and guide in Yosemite, living a life of extreme simplicity—often traveling with nothing but a tin cup, a crust of bread, and a volume of Emerson’s essays. His scientific contributions were equally profound; he defied the leading geologists of the day by proving that the Yosemite Valley was carved by ancient glaciers. While the state geologist, Josiah Whitney, dismissed him as a mere "shepherd," the world’s leading glaciologists eventually recognized Muir’s genius.
His transition from explorer to activist was born of necessity. Seeing the "hoofed locusts"—domestic sheep—devouring the high mountain meadows, Muir took up his pen. His landmark articles in The Century Magazine and his 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt became the catalysts for the modern conservation movement. Under the stars at Glacier Point, Muir convinced the President that the wilderness required federal protection. This meeting laid the groundwork for the expansion of the National Park system and the eventual return of Yosemite Valley to federal control.
As the co-founder and first president of the Sierra Club, Muir spent his final years in a fierce philosophical battle with Gifford Pinchot. While Pinchot argued for "conservation" (the sustainable use of resources), Muir championed "preservation" (the protection of nature for its own sake). Though he lost the battle to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, the heartbreak of that loss galvanized the American public, ensuring that future "cathedrals of nature" would remain inviolate. John Muir died in 1914, but his voice remains ubiquitous, reminding us that "into the woods we go, to lose our minds and find our souls."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 15, 2023
Was given this as a very fine first edition for my birthday. Interesting to read some of Muir's words for an area outside of the Sierras, if problematic given the descriptions and treatment of the natives they met and traded with during their voyage. Can't help but wonder if the Smithsonian still has the hundreds of skulls collected from burial grounds in their collection . . .
January 13, 2014
A wonderful diary of a fantastic journey. Muir was so far ahead of his time in human rights and conservation, topics that are often discussed in his telling of this exploration of the Artic.
January 4, 2015
Took me a year to get through this one. Pages on pages of descriptions about glaciers and reindeer with a few gems of truth every chapter or two.
March 22, 2021
I really enjoyed every page of this book. It certainly is not for everyone — it takes a special fascination in the Arctic region, peoples, and animals to make it all the way through this book. If that describes you, than this is your book!
It’s a pretty interesting trip, reading this book in 2021, when the narrative is being written in 1881. This really is a tale about a dying people, and dying species, in a land that will be rapidly changing, unbeknownst to it’s author. I found this to be incredibly fascinating and heart breaking all the way throughout.
Many reviewers will say it took them forever to get through it, that it was boring, that it is just an encyclopedia, etc. I found it to be be incredibly compelling, awakening, and life giving. 5/5 recommend!
It’s a pretty interesting trip, reading this book in 2021, when the narrative is being written in 1881. This really is a tale about a dying people, and dying species, in a land that will be rapidly changing, unbeknownst to it’s author. I found this to be incredibly fascinating and heart breaking all the way throughout.
Many reviewers will say it took them forever to get through it, that it was boring, that it is just an encyclopedia, etc. I found it to be be incredibly compelling, awakening, and life giving. 5/5 recommend!
January 13, 2019
This journal of an arctic cruise in the 1870s was a bit hard to read because of the descriptions of exploitation of whales, polar ears, caribou etc by the explorers as well as the indigenous people of the region. It was however a fascinating account of the search for lost whaling ships and John Muir's description of the glaciers and other natural entities
October 29, 2020
The cruise of the Corwin
The notes from this cruise/writer were mainly concerning geological and horticultural findings . It would be interesting reading for those kind of students I think.
The notes from this cruise/writer were mainly concerning geological and horticultural findings . It would be interesting reading for those kind of students I think.
June 18, 2017
John Muirs recounts his Arctic journey and documents a world disappearing before his eyes
December 8, 2015
This is strictly for people with a deep interest in Arctic flora, fauna, geology , and anthropology. There are some interesting vignettes about Arctic whalers and native populations and both sides of the Bering strait, and also Muir's ascent of Siberian mountains, but also many dry passages.
April 6, 2025
I was excited to read this but I was expecting something else. Lots of talk of plants and glaciers.
Very dry to read
Very dry to read
April 30, 2017
A wonderful window into the world of John Muir.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews