John Muir spent his early years on a farm near Portage at what is now the Fountain Lake Farm National Historic Landmark. Here he became an inventor­, using his mechanical abilities to put science to a practical use in his farm work. During this time he began his lifelong pursuit of an education, through his reading and interactions with friends, as well as formally through his studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

A neighbor became his early mentor, sharing with John Muir his books as well as his experience and knowledge. It was later in his life that John Muir integrated his knowledge and experience into pursuit of his environmental vision.