Whereas Alaska Natives have lived on the land surrounding the Denali area and used the resources of the land for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, handicrafts, and trade for thousands of years; Whereas Judge James Wickersham, of Fairbanks, Alaska, discovered gold in the Kantishna Hills following his attempted ascent of Denali in 1903, prompting a gold rush with several thousand prospectors and the establishment of successful placer and commercial mining operations that lasted for decades; Whereas explorer Belmore Browne and hunter-naturalist Charles Sheldon visited the Denali region, observed the natural splendor of Denali, and, along with Alaska’s territorial delegate to Congress, Judge Wickersham, and pioneering biological survey naturalist Edward Nelson, tirelessly advocated for Denali's protection; Whereas early proponents of national parks, such as the Boone and Crockett Club, the Campfire Club of America, and the American Game Protective and Propagation Association, sponsored early expeditions, including those of Sheldon and Brown, and advocated for the creation of a national park at Denali; Whereas, in 1910, miners from the Kantishna Hills discovered an approach by which Denali might be climbed, relying on years of observations while following quartz leads and hunting sheep in the foothills of the Denali area; Whereas Athabascan Walter Harper joined Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens, and Robert Tatum to successfully summit the highest peak of Denali in 1913, opening the door for thousands of individuals to test their own endurance and fortitude by attempting to climb the giant massif; Whereas President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Act entitled An Act to establish the Mount McKinley National Park, in the Territory of Alaska , approved February 26, 1917 (39 Stat. 938, chapter 121), for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States and the preservation of the Denali area’s scenic beauty, animals, birds, and fish