The Changing Face of the Denali Country

The Denali country – which stretches from Paxson west to the Maclaren River and encompasses the Tangle Lakes – has been inhabited for over 10,000 years, with some of the earliest and most continuous evidence of human occupation in North America. In the Tangle Lakes Archeological District at least four cultural traditions are recognized: the Denali Complex (10,500 BP to 7,000 BP), the Northern Archaic Tradition (7,000 BP to 1,000 BP), the Late Prehistoric Period (1,000 BP to 1770) and the Athapaskan Tradition (1770 to present) . Modern-day Ahtna people maintain the long traditional history of living on and using the land. For them, the Tangle Lakes region is important because it is part of their traditional use area – a place to hunt caribou, moose and waterfowl and to pick berries and other edible and medicinal plants.

Since European settlement of Alaska over a hundred years ago – this country has experienced change at an accelerated pace. The new developments can be tied to the shifting cultural patterns of settlement as cities and villages replaced nomadic traditions, and cash-based economies replaced subsistence and barter. The roads and trails now bisecting the Tangle Lakes region are largely a result of the emergence and growth of two industries – mining and tourism/recreation – since 1900.

As the Denali country, including Tangle Lakes, enters its 106th century of human occupation – it’s a good time to step back and look at how and where the country has significantly changed within our modern window. It’s also a good time to examine how future change should be managed, to evaluate the importance of maintaining a legacy of an accessible, wild and abundant landscape, and to identify what resources are most important to the people that use, rely on and love these lands.

Time Line

1900 –1915: Placer gold is discovered on Valdez and Eureka Creeks . Mining begins, and supply routes developed. Above Tangle Lakes and the Clear Delta River are the transport routes to the Valdez Creek and Eureka Creek mines.

1915 – 1920: Upper Tangle Lakes Trail is abandoned after construction of the Alaska Railroad provides alternative transport for the Valdez Creek mines. Ranching begins in the Valdez Creek area with the import of reindeer, which later interbreed with the Nelchina Caribou Herd. The Rainy Creek mining camp is established. In 1918, placer mining begins in Broxson Gulch, and the Broxson Gulch Trail is established over the Clear Delta River.

1920’s: Placer mining continues sporadically and in small operations throughout the eastern portion of the Denali country. The first guided hunts occur – accompanied by limited market hunting.

1940’s: Track vehicles make their way into the middle Tangle Lakes and onto the Maclaren River.

1954 -1957: Butchers Camp (now Tangle Lakes Lodge) opens in 1954, followed by Tangle Lakes Lodge (now Tangle River Inn) and the Maclaren River Lodge in 1957. New trails arise around Tangle Lakes as a result of military maneuvers. These spawn new trails used by off-road vehicles as commercial guiding and transporting develops in the Tangle Lakes country. Lode copper is discovered on upper Maclaren. In 1956, construction begins on the Denali Highway. This road, connecting Paxson with Cantwell, near Denali National Park, is completed a year later.

1958: Road built to copper deposit near Maclaren Glacier.

1959: Alaska Statehood.

1960’s: Second lodge on Maclaren River opens and closes shortly thereafter. Tangle Lakes Lodge also closes. In the early part of the decade, a lode copper mine opens at Maclaren, closes a few years later. The upper Maclaren River, Clearwater Creek and East Fork of the Susitna River are closed to motorized access.

1970’s: Maclaren Lodge first opens for winter, attracting the first winter snowmobile visitors, and lode gold is discovered on the Maclaren River. In the mid- 1970’s, the permit system for hunting the Nelchina Caribou Herd is established.

1971: First 20 miles of the Denali Highway are paved, and the Parks Highway is built – providing alternative road access to Denali National Park. The Bureau of Land Management establishes the 455,000 Tangle Lakes Archeological District (approximately Mile 14 to Mile 45). To protect artifacts, some of which are around 10,000 years old, BLM restricts motorized access to designated routes.

1973: Tangle Lakes Lodge reopens as Tangle River Inn.

1978: Restrictions on off-road vehicles go into effect in the Tangle Lakes Archeological District.

1980’s: Congress passes the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANICLA), which includes Tangle Lakes, Tangle River and the Upper Delta River in the National Wild and Scenic River System. The Wild and Scenic River lands and waters are off-limits to state land selection, and are to remain under BLM management. ATV’s begin appearing on trails in the Tangle Lakes country. A new road is pioneered along the Maclaren River to reach the lode gold discovery. Another mining road is established from Rainy Creek to Broxson and Upper Eureka Creeks.

1990’s: Active placer mining occurs in the Eureka Creek area, tapering off by the end of the decade. Mining claims are staked around Tangle Lakes, while lode gold claims along the Maclaren River are abandoned. Moose season shortens and antler restrictions imposed for the first time in area. Off-road vehicle trails proliferate outside the regulated Tangle Lakes Archeological District.

A Window to the Past
Schandelmeier and McHenry, personal communication, 2003