Denali National Park:
Five groups of northern Athapaskan people once occupied, at least seasonally, the region now within Denali National Park and Preserve. The formidable Alaska Range separated the territories of the Dena’ina and Ahtna to the south and east from the Lower Tanana, Koyukon, and Upper Kuskokwim to the north. The rugged terrain did not pose a barrier to these mobile people, who carried out trade via mountain passes and sometimes over glaciers. The remains of villages, fish camps, and trails attest to the presence of Athapaskans during historic times, when 20th century explorers, trappers and miners were first coming into the Denali area. Their place names provide a rich context for understanding traditional patterns of subsistence and settlement across the landscape.
Archeologists have found evidence for more ancient occupation at small camp sites where hunters produced and sometimes discarded their stone tools. The age of these archeological sites is often difficult to determine exactly, unless remains of charcoal or bone from old fire hearths are discovered. One of the earliest sites in Interior Alaska, the Dry Creek site, is located just outside the park boundaries. The bones of large Pleistocene mammals, such as elk and bison, were found at Dry Creek, proving beyond a doubt that ancient hunters killed species of animals which eventually became extinct in Alaska. The oldest cultural level at Dry Creek was dated to about 12,000 years before present.
Perhaps the greatest influx of people, until recent park visitation, occurred during the early 1900s gold rush to the Kantishna Hills. By the early summer of 1905, prospectors Joe Quigley and Jack Horn had found gold in paying quantities in Glacier Creek. During the next few months the rush to Kantishna was on. Several thousand prospectors flocked to the area during the summer and fall, staking claims on every creek that heads in the Kantishna Hills, but the shallow, easily accessible gold deposits were quickly mined and the region's mining population dwindled to about 50 people by the fall. Fannie Quigley, whose accomplishments ranged from hunting and mining to cooking and gardening, was one of the more colorful characters to live in Kantishna.
Mountaineering is another important theme in Denali’s history, as is the establishment of the original park, Mt. McKinley National Park, in 1917. Many of the historic buildings in Denali are located in the front county along with road corridor, and date to the first few decades after the park was established. Several cabins built as hubs for construction camps during the building of the park road (1923- 1938) were later put to use as ranger patrol cabins. The research and fieldwork of National Park Service archeologists, historians, and landscape architects continue to bring to light the details of Denali’s vibrant past.
Archeologists have found evidence for more ancient occupation at small camp sites where hunters produced and sometimes discarded their stone tools. The age of these archeological sites is often difficult to determine exactly, unless remains of charcoal or bone from old fire hearths are discovered. One of the earliest sites in Interior Alaska, the Dry Creek site, is located just outside the park boundaries. The bones of large Pleistocene mammals, such as elk and bison, were found at Dry Creek, proving beyond a doubt that ancient hunters killed species of animals which eventually became extinct in Alaska. The oldest cultural level at Dry Creek was dated to about 12,000 years before present.
Perhaps the greatest influx of people, until recent park visitation, occurred during the early 1900s gold rush to the Kantishna Hills. By the early summer of 1905, prospectors Joe Quigley and Jack Horn had found gold in paying quantities in Glacier Creek. During the next few months the rush to Kantishna was on. Several thousand prospectors flocked to the area during the summer and fall, staking claims on every creek that heads in the Kantishna Hills, but the shallow, easily accessible gold deposits were quickly mined and the region's mining population dwindled to about 50 people by the fall. Fannie Quigley, whose accomplishments ranged from hunting and mining to cooking and gardening, was one of the more colorful characters to live in Kantishna.
Mountaineering is another important theme in Denali’s history, as is the establishment of the original park, Mt. McKinley National Park, in 1917. Many of the historic buildings in Denali are located in the front county along with road corridor, and date to the first few decades after the park was established. Several cabins built as hubs for construction camps during the building of the park road (1923- 1938) were later put to use as ranger patrol cabins. The research and fieldwork of National Park Service archeologists, historians, and landscape architects continue to bring to light the details of Denali’s vibrant past.
Denali National Park: FOR TEACHERS!!!!!
Electronic Field Trips to Denali!
Discover amazing animals and their adaptations to the subarctic environment, or join a virtual climb of North America's highest peak through an electronic field trip with http://www.efieldtrips.org/
Discover amazing animals and their adaptations to the subarctic environment, or join a virtual climb of North America's highest peak through an electronic field trip with http://www.efieldtrips.org/
Fact sheet about Denali National Park: A helpful item for teachers!
DID YOU KNOW??
Did you know that Mount McKinley, located within Denali National Park and Preserve, is the highest mountain on the North American continent? Measured from the 2,000 foot lowlands to its snowy summit at 20,320 feet, the mountain’s vertical relief of 18,000 feet is greater than that of Mount Everest.
Did you know that in 1908, Charles Sheldon – a hunter and naturalist – described in his journal the idea of a park that would allow visitors to enjoy the beauty he saw while visiting Alaska. In 1917 his vision became reality, with the creation of Mount McKinley National Park.
Did you know that Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska is nearly 6 million acres and over 9,419 square miles in size?
Did you know that over 650 species of flowering plants as well as many species of mosses, lichens, fungi, algae, and others grace the slopes and valleys of Denali National Park and Preserve?
Did you know that in 1908, Charles Sheldon – a hunter and naturalist – described in his journal the idea of a park that would allow visitors to enjoy the beauty he saw while visiting Alaska. In 1917 his vision became reality, with the creation of Mount McKinley National Park.
Did you know that Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska is nearly 6 million acres and over 9,419 square miles in size?
Did you know that over 650 species of flowering plants as well as many species of mosses, lichens, fungi, algae, and others grace the slopes and valleys of Denali National Park and Preserve?
WHAT DO YOU THINK??
Is this the kind of stuff school children are interested in? How can a place like Denali National Park be implemented into the classroom?
Thanks for reading!!
