John Muir in the New World is a film that follows the life of the Scottish-American naturalist and places his writing, his beliefs, and his nature advocacy in the context of late 19th and early 20th century American history. John Muir has been described by his many devoted fans as a "supersalesman of Nature,"the true founder of the national parks system and the "patron saint"of the environmental movement. This documentary creates a rounded portrait of the man, the influences on him, the historical context in which he operated and the impact Muir had on the modern environmental movement. It shows the associations that made Muir a pioneering spokesman for the conservation movement in the United States. Looking specifically at the emergent field of environmental history and new scholarship on the definition of wilderness..Because so much of what Muir experienced contributed to his worldview, a chronological rendering will allow us to compare his life experiences within the story of the American experience of wilderness. From Wisconsin to Yosemite, Alaska and California --- Muir's arc is from youthful enthusiasm for nature to a fully realized relationship with the American landscape as a naturalist writer, farmer and activist.
