What was Denali National Park called when it was created in Alaska in 1917?

Denali National Park was called Mount McKinley National Park when it was created in Alaska in 1917.

President Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation establishing Mount McKinley National Park on February 26, 1917. The original park protected part of the Alaska Range and included the mountain then officially known by the Mount McKinley name.

The park expanded substantially over time. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act combined the original park with Denali National Monument and created the present Denali National Park and Preserve, with both park and preserve lands.

The mountain’s name has been politically contested for decades. “Denali,” an Indigenous name meaning “the high one,” became the official federal name in 2015, while the park’s modern legal name remained Denali National Park and Preserve. The historical 1917 park name is therefore distinct from today’s designation.