III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 55 

Recognizing February 26, 2017, as the 100th anniversary of the establishment 

of Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 6), 2017 

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself and Mr. SULLIVAN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing February 26, 2017, as the 100th anniversary 

of the establishment of Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of Alaska. 

Whereas Alaska Natives have lived on the land surrounding 

the Denali area and used the resources of the land for 

food, shelter, clothing, transportation, handicrafts, and 

trade for thousands of years; 

Whereas Judge James Wickersham, of Fairbanks, Alaska, 

discovered gold in the Kantishna Hills following his attempted ascent of Denali in 1903, prompting a gold rush 

with several thousand prospectors and the establishment 

of successful placer and commercial mining operations 

that lasted for decades; 

Whereas explorer Belmore Browne and hunter-naturalist 

Charles Sheldon visited the Denali region, observed the 


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natural splendor of Denali, and, along with Alaska’s territorial delegate to Congress, Judge Wickersham, and 

pioneering biological survey naturalist Edward Nelson, 

tirelessly advocated for Denali’s protection; 

Whereas early proponents of national parks, such as the 

Boone and Crockett Club, the Campfire Club of America, 

and the American Game Protective and Propagation Association, sponsored early expeditions, including those of 

Sheldon and Brown, and advocated for the creation of a 

national park at Denali; 

Whereas, in 1910, miners from the Kantishna Hills discovered an approach by which Denali might be climbed, relying on years of observations while following quartz leads 

and hunting sheep in the foothills of the Denali area; 

Whereas Athabascan Walter Harper joined Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, and Robert Tatum to successfully summit the highest peak of Denali in 1913, 

opening the door for thousands of individuals to test their 

own endurance and fortitude by attempting to climb the 

giant massif; 

Whereas President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Act 

entitled ‘‘An Act to establish the Mount McKinley National Park, in the Territory of Alaska’’, approved February 26, 1917 (39 Stat. 938, chapter 121), for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States and 

the preservation of the Denali area’s scenic beauty, animals, birds, and fish; 

Whereas Congress expanded the boundaries of Mount McKinley National Park in 1922, 1932, and 1980 and renamed 

that national park Denali National Park and Preserve 

after the traditional Koyukon Athabascan name for the 


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highest peak in the park, Deenaalee, meaning the High 

One; 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve protects and interprets Denali, which is the highest mountain in North 

America, at 20,310 feet, and the tallest above-water 

mountain, with a vertical relief of almost 18,000 feet 

measured from its base; 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve preserves a wild 

subarctic landscape with a rich and diverse tapestry of 

plant life and intact ecosystems where bears, wolves, caribou, moose, and Dall sheep roam as they have for thousands of years; 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve protects a wide 

array of fossils that point to an age 70,000,000 years 

ago, when dinosaurs roamed that northern land; 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve contains 2 of 

the oldest-known archaeology sites in North America, the 

oldest of which dates to just over 13,000 years old; 

Whereas glaciers still blanket 1⁄6 of Denali National Park and 

Preserve and continue to shape the landscape by carving 

mountains, feeding silt-laden rivers, and depositing rock 

and silt across the valleys; 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve was designated 

as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and has 

become a premier international tourist destination; 

Whereas, in 2016, nearly 600,000 visitors set foot in Denali 

National Park and Preserve, the greatest number of visitors in the history of Denali National Park and Preserve 

and a record number of visitors for the State of Alaska; 

Whereas key tourism partners like the Alaska Railroad, the 

cruise ship industry, air and bus tour companies, and 


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other outfitters have worked diligently to provide a wide 

array of ways in which the many visitors to Denali National Park and Preserve may experience Denali, including hiking, dog mushing, rafting, and cycling; 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve’s historic Denali 

Park Road provides visitors with unparalleled opportunities to experience and explore millions of acres of an accessible wildlife sanctuary that represents one of the 

crown jewels of the United States; 

Whereas residents of the State of Alaska continue their subsistence way of life by hunting and gathering in the majority of Denali National Park and Preserve; 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve hosts the only 

working sled dog kennel in a national park, and winter 

patrols are conducted inside Denali National Park and 

Preserve using the age-old tradition of dog mushing; and 

Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve, known for its 

breathtaking scenery and iconic wildlife, protects more 

than 6,000,000 acres of towering mountains, expansive 

valleys, glacial rivers of ice, braided streams, and 

wildland for the benefit of all people of the United States: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates and celebrates Denali Na3 tional Park and Preserve on its centennial anniver4 sary; 

5 (2) encourages all people of the State of Alaska 

6 and the United States to visit and experience this 

7 national treasure; and 


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1 (3) designates February 26, 2017, as ‘‘Denali 

2 National Park and Preserve Day’’. 

Æ 


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