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An in-depth portrait of John Muir, the founder of the U.S. National Parks and the founder and first president of the Sierra Club John Muir was the founder of the U.S. National Parks and a towering figure in the history of that country's involvement with ecology. Born into a harsh home in Dunbar, Scotland, he would often escape to revel in the birds and wildlife of the area. When his father suddenly uprooted the family and moved to the United States, the oppression he associated with his childhood continued—and so did his involvement with the natural world. Despite the difficulty of his formative years Muir grew up to be a man of great joy—first an inventor and then an explorer, he found his haven in the mountains of Sierra Nevada.