Poaching increased after World War II . At the same time , Alaskan territorial interests sought to have the monument disestablished or reduced in size to allow mining and fishing , because the activity at the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes had declined , and because the Park Service had made no effort to develop the monument for visitors . These proposals were turned aside , and in 1950 a seasonal ranger was assigned to Katmai . William Nancarrow built a small camp at Brooks River . By the mid-1950s the Park Service embarked on its Mission 66 program to expand visitor services . Katmai was to receive a headquarters at King Salmon , a visitor center at Valley Junction in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes , ranger stations , campgrounds , modest roads and dock facilities on the lakes . An airstrip was also proposed for Brooks Camp . The airstrip was not built , but a road from Brooks Camp to the valley was built . In the early 1960s a road was proposed that would run across the peninsula through the park , connecting to King Salmon . The Park Service was opposed . The 1964 Alaska earthquake stalled the proposal for several years , resurfacing in 1968 with local support . However , the Park Service opposed the plans and the road project was set aside . In the meantime headquarters facilities were developed at King Salmon . In 1967 the state of Alaska set aside the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary with under protection to safeguard the bear fishing grounds on the river , adjacent to Katmai . McNeil River was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1968 . In the 1990s a state game refuge , with was established to the north of the sanctuary to protect Chenik Lake , which supported a smaller fish run , attracting bears . The refuge and the expanded sanctuary have remained closed to hunting , despite an unsuccessful 2005 attempt by Governor Frank Murkowski and again in 2007 by Sarah Palin 's Board of Game . Recently there have been proposals to merge the sanctuary and refuge into Katmai
1964 Alaska earthquake
1964 Alaska earthquake
Katmai National Park and Preserve