Pocket Compass, Used by John Muir in His Travels in Canada, 1864-1866

John Muir (1838-1914) was one of America's most influential naturalists and conservationists. Muir's love of the natural world blossomed in early adulthood when he began to study botany. In the mid-1860s, Muir explored the wilds of southern Ontario examining the diverse plant life. According to family reminiscences, John and his younger brother Daniel used this compass on one of their first wanderings in Canada.