Elk from Yellowstone National Park were reintroduced to Rocky in 1913-1914. NPS. History of Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park. North American elk, or wapiti, were once plentifulin the Rocky Mountain National Park area. As Euro-Americans settled the Estes Valley, they hunted elk intensively, sending much of the meat to market in Denver. By 1890 few, if any, elk remained.