The Denali National Park is celebrating 100 years in existence after its 1917 establishment when it was called Mount McKinley National Park. It was original 1.9 million acres of land but now covers 6.2 million acres.
In addition to protecting the land itself, the Alaskan park also protects the animals that live there, such as the moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, and grizzly bears.
The official name change to Denali was approved by Obama after years of dispute. The park was originally named after President McKinley but he never visited Alaska, let alone the park itself. Denali means “the high one” in the native Athabaskan language, and was chosen by Charles Sheldon who lobbied to protect the land.
