1855-1856 | Olympic Peninsula lands were ceded by the
native American groups to the United States government in three separate treaties. In
exchange for most of their land, the Indians received three
reservations, money and schools as well as other aid for a period of
twenty years. (Roloff 1934; 223-24) |
1876 | John Muir, American naturalist, advocated a
national investigation of United States forest wastage which brought
about the conservation of publicly owned forest lands (Ingham 1955,
1). |
ca. 1889 | John Muir possibly suggested the creation of a
national park in the Olympic Mountains after he visited the area in
late 1889 (Morgan 1955, 196-63). |
ca. 1890 | Judge James Wickersham, explorer of the eastern
sections of the Olympic Mountains in 1889 and 1890, suggested the
creation of a national park. He wrote: "A national park should be
established on the public domain at the head waters of the rivers
centering in these [Olympic] mountains. . . . [It] should be 30 miles
wide, north and south, and 40 miles, east and west . . . containing
768,000 acres" (Wickersham 1961, 6). |
1890 | Lieutenant Joseph O'Neil, leader of the 1885 and
1890 expeditions into the Olympic Mountains, suggested the possibility
of a national park in the interior of the Olympic range. At the
conclusion of O'Neil's 1890 expedition he reported: "While the country on
the outer slope of these mountains is valuable, the interior is useless
for all practicable purposes. It would, however, serve admirably for a
national park" (U.S. Congress 1896). |
1897 | 22 February. Olympic Forest Reserve, containing
2,188,800 acres and encompassing the entire central portion of the
Olympic Peninsula, was created by President Grover Cleveland. The U.S.
Department of the Interior was charged with the responsibility of
administration [Proclamation No. 27, 29 Stat. 901] (Ingham 1955, 1). |
1900 | 7 April. Olympic Forest Reserve was reduced by
264,960 acres by presidential proclamation [31 Stat. 1962] (Ingham 1955,
1). |
1901 | 15 July. Olympic Forest Reserve was reduced by
an additional 456,900 acres by presidential proclamation [32 Stat. 1981]
(Ingham 1955, 1). |
1904 | The first concrete effort to establish a
national park on the Olympic Peninsula was made by U.S. Congressman
Francis Cushman of Washington [H.R. 10443, 58th Cong., 2nd sess.]
(Ingham 1955, 1). The proposed "Elk National Park" was to contain
393,000 acres (PAEN 1966 7 February). His efforts failed. |
1905 | Olympic Forest Reserve administration was
transferred by U.S. Congress, along with all national reserves, from the
Department of the Interior to the National Forest Service under the
Department of Agriculture (Roloff 1934, 224). |
1906 | Unsuccessful efforts were made to create a game
refuge, comprised of 393,000 acres, on the Olympic Peninsula by U.S.
Congressman William E. Humphrey [H.R. 15335, 59th Cong., 1st sess.] (Ise
1961, 383). |
1906 | 8 June. The preservation of American Antiquities
Act was passed by the Congress giving the president authority to
designate "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and
other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon
the lands owned or controlled by the government of the United States to
be national monuments. . . . [34 Stat.] (Roloff 1934, 225). |
1907 | The name Olympic Forest Reserve was changed to
Olympic National Forest: all forest reserves, likewise, became known as
national forests (Roloff 1934, 224). |
1908 | Congressman William E. Humphrey made a second
effort to establish a game refuge on the Olympic Peninsula [H.R. 14037,
60 Cong., 1st sess]. The bill failed (Ise 1961, 383). |
1909 | 2 March. Mount Olympus National Monument was
established by President Theodore Roosevelt [Proclamation No. 869, 35
Stat. 2247] embracing 610,560 acres. The primary purpose was to provide
a refuge for Roosevelt elk (Ingham 1955, 1). |
1911 | 15 July. Congressman William Humphrey introduced
a bill to establish "Mount Olympus National Park" that permitted mining,
homesteading and salvage logging under specified circumstances [H.R.
12532, 62 Cong., 1st sess.] (Ise 1961, 384). The bill failed. |
1912 | 12 February. Senator Wesley L. Jones of Washington introduced a
companion bill to H.R. 12532 to establish Mount Olympus National
Park [S. 5257, 62 Cong., 2nd sess.] (Ingham 1955, 1; Ise 1961,
384). The bill failed. |
1912 | 17 April. President Howard Taft eliminated 160
acres from the monument by Proclamation No. 1191 [37 Stat. 1737] to
relieve homesteader Robert E. Voorhies of legal entanglements caused by
the original proclamation (Ingham 1955, 10). |
1915 | 11 May. President Woodrow Wilson reduced the
size of Mount Olympus National Monument by approximately one-half
[Proclamation No. 1293, 39 Stat. 1726]. With the advent of World War I
some argued that there was an urgent need for timber supplies,
including spruce for airplane construction (Ingham 1955,
1011). |
1916 | 25 August. The National Park Service was created
in the Department of the Interior and given custody of all existing
national parks and some national monuments. Mount Olympus National
Monument remained under the jurisdiction of the National Forest Service
in the Department of Agriculture. |
1926 | 26 June. Representative Albert Johnson
introduced a bill to establish Olympic National Park keeping the
existing boundaries of the monument intact [H.R. 13069, 60 Cong.]
(Ingham 1955, 14). The bill failed. |
1929 | 7 January. President Calvin Coolidge excluded
one section from the monument, presumably to relieve a homestead claim
of a private individual [Proclaimation No. 1862, 45 Stat. 2984] (Ingham
1955, 16). |
1933 | 10 June. Mount Olympus National Monument was
transferred from the National Forest Service, Department of Agriculture,
to the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, Department of the
Interior, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt [Executive Order No. 6166]
(Ingham 1955, 17). |
1935 | 28 March. Representative Mon C. Wallgren of
Washington introduced the first of three bills to establish "Mount
Olympus National Park." The proposed bill would have abolished the
monument and created an enlarged national park of 728,360 acres [H.R. 7086,
74, Cong., 1st sess.]. The bill failed (Ingham 1955, 19). |
1936 | 3 July. The Olympic Primitive Area was dedicated
by Acting Secretary of Agriculture M. L. Wilson. It comprised approximately
239,000 acres and was located entirely within Olympic National
Forest, but primarily contiguous to the eastern and southern boundaries
of Mount Olympus National Monument. A greater part of this area was
later included in Olympic National Park (NFS ONF 1936 10 September; Wood
1968, 84). |
1937 | 15 February. Representative Mon C. Wallgren
introduced a new bill [H.R. 4742, 75 Cong., 2nd sess.] which reduced the
size of the proposed "Mount Olympus National Park" by about 142,000
acres and eliminated originally proposed areas in the Bogachiel, Queets
and Quinault drainages on the west side. The bill failed (Ingham 1955,
22-23). |
1937 | September. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
visited the Olympic Peninsula and conferred with political leaders and
National Forest and Park Service representatives at Singer's Tavern
(Lake Crescent Lodge) to discuss the size of the proposed park. |
1938 | 29 June. Olympic National Park, encompassing
682,000 acres, was established after Representative Wallgren introduced
his third bill in Congress. The bill, as amended, contained a provision
permitting the president to later expand the area of the newly created
Park up to 898,292 acres by proclaimation [H.R. 10024, 75 Cong., 3rd
sess.; Public Law No. 778; 52 Stat. 1241] (Ingham 1955, 23-24; Ise
1961, 389). |
1938 | July and August. At the request of Interior
Secretary Harold Ickes, Irving Brant, then chief editorial writer for
the St. Louis Star Times, investigated areas that might be added
to the Park. Brant made ten recommendations for enlargement of the Park
(Ingham 1955, 25-26). |
1940 | 2 January. President Roosevelt enlarged Olympic
National Park by adding 187,411 acres [Proclamation No. 2380, 54 Stat.
2678] (Ingham 1955, 28; Ise 1961, 389). |
1940 | President Roosevelt authorized the Public Works
Administration to acquire a strip down the Queets River Valley and
along the Pacific Ocean shore (Ingham 1955, 28). |
1941 | 8 March. The State of Washington ceded exclusive
jurisdiction over the area included in Olympic National Park (Gallison
Collection ca. 1977). |
1942 | 6 March. U.S. Congress accepted the State of
Washington cession of the jurisdiction. The act made provisions for the
protection and regulation of wildlife, property and scenery [H.R. 6559,
76 Cong., 3rd sess.; S. 1333,; H.R. 4336, 77 Cong., 1st sess.; 56 Stat.
135] (Ise 1961, 390-91). |
1942 | 22 December. Senator Henry M. Jackson
reintroduced an earlier bill that provided for the acquisition of
private, state and county lands. The bill passed [S. 1511, 76 Cong. 1st
sess.; H.R. 7191, 77 Cong., 2nd sess.; 56 Stat. 1070] (Ise 1961,
391). |
1943 | 29 May. President Roosevelt added 20,600 acres
in the Morse Creek watershed at the north edge of the Park, at the
request of local Port Angeles residents and public officials
[Proclaimation No. 2587, 57 Stat. 741] (Ise 1961, 390). |
1945 | 9 October. Senator Warren Magnuson introduced a
bill to provide prospecting and mining rights for the indefinite
future. The bill died [H.R. 7449, 77 Cong., 2nd sess.; H.R. 3084, 78 Cong., 1st
sess.; S. 1470, 79 Cong., 1st sess.] (Ise 1961, 391). |
1946 | 15 June. Secretary of the Interior Julius A.
Krug dedicated Olympic National Park at Rosemary Inn on Lake Crescent
(PAEN 1946 14 June). |
1946-1949 | Several bills were introduced to Congress
to reduce the size of Olympic National Park. They include: |
1946 | 29 May. Senator Warren Magnuson introduced a
bill that excluded about 6,000 acres of privately owned land
[S. 2266, 79 Cong.]. The bill died (Ingham 1955, 3). |
1947 | 26 February. Senator Warren Magnuson introduced
a bill that eliminated 18,185 acres in the Quinault
watershed [S. 711, 79 Cong.]. The bill died (Ingham 1955, 3). |
1947 | 24 March. Representative Fred Norman introduced a bill that
eliminated 56,000 acres of rain forest including areas in the Quinault
Valley [H.R. 2750, 80 Cong.]. The bill died (Ingham 1955, 3). |
1947 | 24 March. Representative Henry M. Jackson
introduced a companion bill that eliminated 56,000 acres of rain forest
[H.R. 2751]. The bill died (Ingham 1955, 3). |
1947 | 7 July. Senator Harry P. Cain introduced a bill
that eliminated the same acreage [S. 1240, 80 Cong.]. The bill died
(Ingham 1955, 35). |
1948 | 19 May. Representative Russell Mack and Senator
Harry Cain submitted resolutions calling for the creation of a committee
to investigate the Park boundaries [H. Con. Res. 203; S. Con. Res. 203,
81 Cong.]. The resolutions died. |
1949 | 10 January. Senator Harry P. Cain reintroduced
his earlier resolution [S. Con. Res. 5]. The resolution died (Ise 1961,
392-93; Ingham 1955, 30-36). |
1951 | 9 January. Representative Henry M. Jackson
introduced a bill to allow for exchange of timber in the Park for
private land [H.R. 1197, 82 Cong.]. The bill died (Gallison Collection
ca. 1977). |
1952 | 16 June. Representative Russell Mack introduced
a bill to amend the 1916 National Park Service Act (Section 3) to
prevent the exchange of real property in a park for park timber. The
bill died (Gallison Collection ca. 1977). |
1953 | 6 January. President Harry Truman added 47,753
acres to the Park, including the Coastal Strip, the Queets Corridor and
a section of the Bogachiel Valley [Proclamation No. 3003, 67 Stat. C27].
This acquisition implemented Secretary of the Interior Ickes
authorization for use of Public Works Administration monies to acquire
sections of the Coastal Strip and the Queets Valley (Ingham 1955,
36-37). |
1957 | 28 February. Representative Donald Magnuson
introduced a bill [H.R. 4964] giving the secretary of Interior authority
to exchange surplus national park lands in the Queets Corridor and the
Coastal Strip for privately owned lands within Olympic National Park.
The bill was amended to exclude 3,536 acres of agricultural land in the
Quinault Valley (Gallison Collection ca. 1977). |
1957 | 29 July. A large portion of the Quinault area
was transfered from Olympic National Park to Olympic National Forest by
a bill introduced by Representative Russell Mack [H.R. 8931, 85 Cong.]
(Gallison Collection ca. 1977). |
1958 | 11 June. Senator Henry M. Jackson introduced a
companion bill [S. 1191] to Magnuson's H.R. 4964, that authorized the
secretary of Interior to exchange approximately 6,608 acres of land
adjacent to the Queets Corridor and the Coastal Strip for privately
owned lands within the boundaries of the Park. |
1961 | The secretary of Interior appointed a committee
to investigate the desirability of including Quinault Lake property in
Olympic National Park (Gallison Collection ca. 1977). |
1976 | October 21. The secretary of Interior was
authorized to include in the Park not less than 200 feet of the
shoreline around Ozette Lake, and to exclude from the Park private lands
and publically maintained roads adjacent to Quinault Lake. This law also
made provisions for the acquisition of privately owned land within the
exterior boundaries of the Park and for the transfer of land from any
federal agency to the Park [Public Law 94578, Sec. 320]. |