Thousands of visitors, from all walks of life, come to Alaska and to Denali each year, to experience for themselves the sights and sounds and smells of the arctic wilderness. Some come not just to observe, but also to study, and to write of their experiences, to share with the rest of us some of what they have learned and felt here. One family, in particular, with their writings about Denali and Alaska, has left an indelible impression on both the literary landscape and the frontier of wilderness preservation.
Adolph Murie first came to Mount McKinley National Park in 1922, as a wildlife biologist. He lived and worked in the park for months at a time over the next almost fifty years, making extensive studies of wildlife behavior and interactions. In A Naturalist in Alaska, Murie presents his observations of a number of park denizens, from grizzly bear to mouse, in an endearing narrative. His account reads much like a personal diary, and his abundant excitement and enthusiasm for his subjects continues to spark the interest of today's park visitors.
Murie's Mammals of Denali is rmore concise, with a couple of pages of text and photographs for each mammal, including one (the mountain goat) that hasn't been seen in the park for almost fifty years! More anecdotal than a guidebook, many present-day visitors find this slim volume to be a perfect introduction to the wild residents of the park. For those looking for more in-depth, academic study, Murie's The Wolves of Mount McKinley and The Grizzlies of Mount McKinley are both classic, ground-breaking works.
Adolph's brother, Olaus Murie, was also an author and biologist, well known both for his research in Denali and throughout Alaska, and also for his pen-and-ink drawings. Olaus illustrated both A Naturalist in Alaska and Two in the Far North, an autobiography written by his wife, Margaret (Mardy) Murie. From her childhood in frontier Fairbanks, Alaska, to becoming the first woman graduate of the University of Alaska, to her unconventional 3:00 AM steamboat wedding to Olaus and their subsequent "honeymoon" trip (an epic three-month research expedition by boat and dogsled into the remote Brooks Range), Mardy's stories are nothing short of remarkable, making her book one of the best-loved adventure tales of all time. Together, Mardy and Olaus made a number of journeys to the far north (one with their infant first child in tow). Because of their love for the land, they became vocal proponents for the preservation and protection of wilderness, especially in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. After Olaus's death in 1963, Mardy's dedication to this work only became stronger. She was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998, and is recognized by many as the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement." She passed away just last year, at the age of 101, and continues to be fondly remembered, her words and her work living on.