An Evening With John Muir—Enacted by Historical Performer Lee Stetson

Here’s a little-known fact: John Muir, the internationally renowned author, naturalist and conservationist visited South Pasadena in 1889, long before he was acclaimed as the father of national parks in America.

Now, imagine if Muir returned to South Pas—in spirit if not quite in flesh—and regaled locals with tales of his adventures across the Sierras. Wouldn’t you—regardless of whether you’re an incorrigible traveler or not—jump at the opportunity to see the legendary “tramp” in action?

Okay, so here’s your chance: At 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, the South Pasadena Public Library Community Room, located at 1115 El Centro St., will come alive with "The Spirit of John Muir," a living history performance about Muir performed by Lee Stetson, who regularly portrays Muir at Yosemite National Park and was featured in the Ken Burns PBS "National Parks: America's Best Ideas" series. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. No tickets or reservations required.

A resident of Mariposa County, where he serves on the Board of Supervisors, Stetson is a celebrated historical performer acclaimed for his one-man play, “Conversations with a Tramp: An Evening with John Muir.” Since 1983, the stirring production has been presented every summer in Yosemite National Park, not to mention across the United States and the world. 

Conversations with a Tramp depicts Muir’s last dramatic battle to preserve the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Valley, part of the Yosemite National Park, but threatened by San Francisco’s desire to construct a dam there, covering it in water hundreds of feet deep, City Librarian Steve Fjeldsted tells South Pasadena Patch. “I’ve seen first-hand what a fine introduction ‘Conversations with a Tramp’ is to both Muir the Man and the profound lover of wildness,” Fjeldsted explains, adding: “Muir’s righteous anger at the ‘temple destroyers’ is tempered by his hearty good humor, and his relating of a number of his most extraordinary wilderness adventures, including his remarkable tree ride in a Sierra windstorm.”

Fjeldsted also provides a little background about Muir for those who might not be so familiar with this son of the Sierras. Muir was born in Scotland in 1838 and, like so many others, came to the United States in 1849. He went on to found the Sierra Club, perhaps the nation’s most important environmental organization, and has been known for decades as the most influential American naturalist and conservationist.

During one of his many travels, Muir explored the nearby San Gabriel Mountains and a peak there is named after him, according to Fjeldsted. In fact, Muir became friends with South Pasadena’s Donald and Margaret Collier Graham, and planted a lemon eucalyptus tree that still survives at their Wynyate estate. Muir died in Los Angeles in 1914 and was named the “Greatest of All Californians” by the California Historical Society in 1976.