In that year [1865] John Muir offered to buy from his brother … a sanctuary for the wildflowers that had gladdened his youth. His brother declined to part with the land, but he could not suppress the idea: 1865 still stands in Wisconsin history as the birth-year of mercy for things natural, wild, and free.

February: Good Oak, p. 15-16. - A Sand County Almanac, 1949 - "January Thaw", "February: Good Oak" & "March: The Geese Return"