John Muir at his desk, John Muir National Historic Site / National Park Service

April is a month full of notables: Easter, my birthday, the month both Isle Royale National Park and Voyageurs National Park were established, and the month during which John Muir and Ulysses S. Grant were born. Ulysses S. Grant signed legislation establishing Yellowstone as the United States’ first national park, and there’s a Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, in Missouri. California is home to John Muir National Historic Site, and Muir’s writings “convinced the U.S. government to protect Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon and Mt. Rainier as national parks.”

So, this quiz and trivia piece is all about these particular April notables (sans Easter and my birthday). Test your knowledge first before reviewing the answers at the bottom of this piece.

1. John Muir converted one of his bedrooms into a private retreat for his writings. He called this retreat his:

               a) man cave

               b) scribble den

               c) writing room

               d) pen den

2. True or False: John Muir was co-founder of the National Park Foundation.

               a) True

               b) False

3. True or False: John Muir was born in Ireland.

               a) True

               b) False

Ulysses S. Grant (middle), Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site / National Park Service

4. Ulysses S. Grand met his future wife, Julia Dent, at her family home, “White Haven.” “From 1854 to 1859 the Dents, Grants and an enslaved African-American workforce lived on the property.” White Haven was not painted white. What is its actual color?

               a) blue

               b) yellow

               c) red

               d) green

5. True or False: President Grant was an opponent of the 15th Amendment, which states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any State, on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

               a)  True

               b) False

6. The Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site “contains several hundred trees that are spread throughout the property. The vast majority of trees currently standing were planted at various points during the twentieth century, but there remains a Black Oak tree on the southern end of the property that was planted around 1829. There are also numerous tree types on the property that are rarely seen in Missouri.” One such rarely-seen tree is the:

               a) sweetgum

               b) Bradford pear

               c) white pine

               d) dawn redwood

7. Mushrooms can be found in many national parks and protected lands, including Voyageurs National Park. Of the mushrooms and fungus that grow in Voyageurs National Park, the most commonly seen might be:

               a) turkey tail

               b) birch bolete

               c) both of the above

               d) neither of the above

Serene beauty, Voyageurs National Park / National Park Service

8. In 2002, Voyageurs designated a number of visitor destinations within its boundaries. “These destinations can be reached only by boat and provide visitors with an opportunity to learn about the park and its significance. Many of these destinations are historic structures that are being preserved by the National Park Service and may be in various stages of development.” How many visitor destinations does this national park have?

               a) 9

               b) 11

               c) 13

               d) 15

Lake Superior Basin geologic cross section, Isle Royale National Park / National Park Service

9. Look at the image above. “The current land mass of Isle Royale is the result of a … fold in rock layers that formed the Lake Superior basin. One end of the fold forms Isle Royale, while the other forms the Keweenaw Peninsula.” This rock layer fold is known as:

               a) an anticline

               b) a syncline

               c) a monocline

               d) a z-cline

A rocky shoreline with kayakers, Isle Royale National Park / National Park Service

10. True or False: Approved modes of transportation in Isle Royale National Park are car, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking.

               a) True

               b) False

Trivia

Hardscrabble and howitzers, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site / NPS-David Newmann

“When Ulysses S. Grant resigned from the military in 1854, he longed to spend time with his wife Julia and their young children. His plans shifted to supporting his family by farming at the White Haven property. Establishing himself as a successful, independent farmer included the construction of his own house … Grant completed much of the work himself, shingling the roof, building the stairs, and laying the floors.” According to Julia Dent Grant: "I got out all my pretty covers, baskets, books, etc., and tried to make it look home-like and comfortable, but this was hard to do. The little house looked so unattractive that we facetiously decided to call it Hardscrabble." To read more about “Hardscrabble,” click here.

Looking for dragonfly larvae, Isle Royale National Park / National Park Service

“Great Lakes Network parks, including Isle Royale, are part of the national Dragonfly Mercury Project, in partnership with the University of Maine, the NPS Air Resources Division, and parks across the country. By measuring methylmercury contamination in dragonfly larvae, we can learn about contamination throughout the aquatic food web. Larval dragonflies are collected annually from four of the island’s inland lakes––Angleworm, Harvey, Richie, and Sargent.” To learn about the National Park Service’s Inventory & Monitoring Network, and current monitoring programs at Isle Royale, click here.

Voyageurs reenactors at rest, Voyageurs National Park / National Park Service

“Voyageurs, a hearty group of strong, adventurous French-Canadian men … were pivotal in opening the Northwestern United States. Their historic route from Grand Portage to the Lake Athabasca region passed through what is now Voyageurs National Park. They carried trade goods as they headed west from Grand Portage at the beginning of season, when the lakes thawed. While traveling through the area, they used canot de nord, or North Canoes.” To learn more about Voyageurs of the fur trade, click here.

Quiz Answers

1b

“Muir converted one of the bedrooms into his private retreat, calling it the Scribble Den. Here, at his desk, Muir wrote, and consolidated his well-renowned reputation as a preservationist,” among other things.

2b False

John Muir and a group of professors co-founded the Sierra Club on May 28, 1892. Lady Bird Johnson, along with philanthropist Laurance Rockefeller, were visionaries who lobbied Congress to establish the National Park Foundation.

3b False

John Muir was born April 21, 1838, in Dunbar, Scotland. Dunbar is about 28 miles east of Edinburgh.

White Haven, present day, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site / National Park Service

4d

“Previous Dent family residences in England and Maryland were called ‘White Haven,’ so the familiar name carried over to this property. The Paris Green color dates to the 1870s, and was quite popular during that era. Paint sampling and historic store ledgers confirm that this was indeed the color of the house. Some of the original paint is visible on the back porch, inside the mud room.” To read more FAQs about White Haven and the land surrounding it, click here.

5b False

President Ulysses S. Grant was a proponent (an advocate for) the 15th Amendment. This amendment was ratified February 3, 1870, and President Grant wrote to Congress on March 30, 1870 explaining his perspective on the meaning of the 15th Amendment for the future of the United States. To learn more about Grant and the 15th Amendment and to read his letter to Congress, click here.

6d

The dawn redwood is a deciduous conifer – a needle-leaved tree that turns a russet-brown in the autumn then loses its needles.

7c

Both turkey tail and birch bolete are commonly seen within Voyageurs National Park. To see what other mushrooms are common within the park and to learn more about mushrooms and other fungi, click here.

8c

There are 13 designated visitor destinations within Voyageurs National Park’s boundaries. To learn more about these sites, click here.

9b

Syncline is the name given to this particular fold in rock layers that formed the Lake Superior basin, of which Isle Royale National Park is a part. To learn more about the geology and soils of Isle Royale, click here.

10b False

“To preserve its wilderness integrity, vehicles and wheeled devices (except wheelchairs) are not allowed on Isle Royale National Park. The approved modes of transportation include hiking, boating, canoeing, and kayaking.”

References

In addition to information from the NPS.gov sites for these park units, I used the following for references:

https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=1783

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=914

Note: Different websites may have different dates regarding national park establishments. So, I used this NPS publication as my standard.