AMRC-b80-41-48

In 1917, Mount McKinley was established as a national park to protect the wildlife that inhabited the area, with a focus on conservation, not on developing its tourism potential. In fact, the mountain was not even included in the park boundaries. In 1980, the park's size tripled when it was expanded to include the caribou herd's wintering and calving grounds, as well as Mount McKinley itself. That year the park was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve, the name Charles Sheldon had originally wanted in 1917. Pictured is a view from the top of Mount McKinley at Explorers Peak, taken in 1910. Harry Karstens, the park's first superintendent, also was the first person to climb McKinley's south peak. Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Library and Archives.

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