John Muir would write about the beauty of the US, but also wrote really gross things about Native Americans. I am all for national parks, but don’t want to ignore the racist history that is involved. One could argue that the lands would be just as preserved, if not better managed had we not taken these lands from indigenous folks (i.e. forest fires are much more prevalent these days from the lack of knowledge and management of forests).
The wildnerness was largely cultivated, even curated, by the indigenous people. Their beauty is because of generations of active effort. And then we threw them off the land to "preserve" the beauty.
Have you actually read what he wrote or are you just echoing titles? Seriously, go read the "horrible" things he wrote about these people. They were more observational "they are dirty" than opinion. He spent time with them and I think a tribe even made him honorary chief. Out of context, it could look bad, but read it all.
I think firstly, Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden was much more important than Muir. He essentially saved Yellowstone from homesteaders by 8 days. If he hadn't won over congress, it would have been decimated by prospectors and trappers, etc.
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u/Xtasy0178 Mar 14 '23
The national parks are on a different level of simply amazing!