HISTORY

The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve was established on December 2, 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). The park's name came from Bob Marshall, a US Forest Service forester, who called two adjacent mountains the "Gates of the Arctic" in 1933.

The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve has significant cultural significance for several indigenous groups in northwestern Alaska such as the Inupiaq and Athabascan people. Caribou are a vital part of these groups' cultures since they lived and travelled together for at least 11,000 years.

Initially, indigenous groups lived nomadically in the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, but in the last century, people began constructing permanent villages.

In the 19th century, European settlers first came across this land to search for gold, and government scientists followed suit to explore this new, undiscovered land. 

When the park was established as a US National Park, many tourists came to explore this diverse land as well.