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Adolph Murie: Denali's Wilderness Conscience Item Type Thesis Authors Franklin, Linda S. Download date 26/09/2021 08:03:21 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8561 ADOPH MURIE: DENALI S WILDERNESS CONSCIENCE By Linda S. Franklin RECOMMENDED: Advisory Committee Chair Head( Program in Northern Studies APPROVED: €an, College of Liberal Arts £■£ 'C y^< l>CAA. r- f'l^ Dean of the Graduate School / / ,v/ /6,J - c ^ i Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ADOLPH MURIE: DENALI’S WILDERNESS CONSCIENCE A THESIS Presented to the Faculty Of the University o f Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment o f the Requirements for the Degree o f MASTER OF ARTS By Linda S. Franklin, B.S. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2004 © 2004 Linda S. Franklin Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1422358 Copyright 2004 by Franklin, Linda S. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI® UMI Microform 1422358 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Denali National Park, Alaska substantially owes its stature as Alaska’s premier wilderness park to Adolph Murie. Forty years after he retired as park biologist Murie still influences the perception and management of Denali National Park. Murie’s development from childhood to esteemed scientist and wilderness advocate followed a linear progression. His rural upbringing under the tutelage of his older brother, Olaus Murie, cultivated his desire to be a biologist and his appreciation for wild places. His academic training in animal ecology solidified his belief that the management o f natural areas must consider all species as essential and equally valuable. His pioneering wildlife studies as one o f the National Park Service’s first biologists changed national opinion. He led the opposition against plans for extensive construction and development in Denali National Park during the Mission 66 era. In doing so he left the imprint o f his wilderness ethic on the park. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page....................................................................................... i Title Page...............................................................................................ii Abstract................................................................................................iii Table of Contents.................................................................................iv List o f Figures...................................................................................... vii List o f Tables....................................................................................... vii List o f Appendices ............................................................................. viii Acknowledgements ...............................................................................ix Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Murie’s first trip to the park ............................................................. 1 A trip to Denali today ........................................................................3 Thesis statement and literature ........................................................ 7 Thesis chapters .................................................................................. 9 Chapter One: Beginnings o f a Naturalist ............................................11 Wilderness values .............................................................................11 Childhood on the Red River ............................................................ 14 Olaus mentors Adolph ..................................................................... 17 Adolph becomes Olaus’s assistant in Alaska .................................. 21 Murie’s academic training ............................................................... 27 Murie’s early ecological studies ...................................................... 30 Chapter Two: Career as an Ecologist ..................................................35 Murie joins the Park Service’s new Wildlife Division .....................35 Facade management and predator control .................................... 36 Murie’s coyote study in Yellowstone Park ...................................... 39 Wolves of Mount McKinley............................................................. 41 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. V World War II changes Wildlife Division ..........................................44 Wolves o f Mount McKinley gains attention.................................... 46 Family ties and home life ................................................................ 51 Murie dedicates himself to Mount McKinley National Park 53 Chapter Three: Murie’s Wilderness Values and Mission 66 .............. 57 Mission 66: facilities for travelers in cars ....................................... 57 Preservation versus use................................................................... 60 Mission 66 plans for Mount McKinley National Park .....................63 Murie’s criticism of Mission 66 proposals ......................................66 Repercussions for Murie .................................................................. 73 Murie returns to McKinley with roadwork underway ....................77 Murie’s transition to wilderness conscience ................................... 80 Growth in opposition, led by Murie ................................................81 The move toward preservation ....................................................... 86 Murie’s final park years ..................................................................90 Chapter Four: Murie’s Legacy at Denali .............................................93 Wolf study and boundary extensions .............................................93 Limited roadside development and park road character ..............94 Controlled park access and the bus system ................................... 97 Backcountry management............................................................... 99 Wilderness management ............................................................... 102 Proposed new backcountry management plan.............................104 Conclusion........................................................................................ 107 References......................................................................................... 110 Government documents ................................................................ 110 Archival Materials..........................................................................I l l Interviews by author......................................................................112 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vi Other Interviews.............................................................................113 Periodicals ...................................................................................... 113 Unpublished Materials ...................................................................114 Books.............................................................................................. 115 Privately Published Materials ........................................................ 118 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Alaska .................................................................... 64 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Mission 66 proposals ...........................................................89 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. viii LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A. Denali National Park and Preserve Map ...................119 Appendix B. Milepost locations along the Denali Park Road ........120 Appendix C. Adolph Murie’s Publications .....................................121 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS So many people helped in the completion of my thesis. Special thanks to Louise Murie MacLeod “Weezy” for sharing her memories o f her husband, Adolph Murie; to Jan Murie for his perspective on his father; to Adolph Murie’s nephew Martin Murie who generously sent me letters from his personal collection.