To salve elks, Theodore Roosevelt created the Mount Olympic National Monument, today known as Olympic National Park.
President Theodore Roosevelt created, by presidential proclamation, Mount Olympic National Monument on February 3, 1909, with an area of 2,586.75 km². Also by presidential proclamations three presidents adjusted their limits (William Taft, on March 4, 1912, reduced 0.64 km², Woodrow Wilson, on November 5, 1915, decreased 1,267.79 km², and Calvin Coolidge, on July 1 of 1929, removed another 2.58 km²).
Finally, on June 29, 1938, Congress authorized its redesignation as a national park. In 1976, the park was designated as a biosphere reserve, and in 1981 it was included in the list of World Heritage Sites. In 1988, virtually the entire Olympic Peninsula was included in the Olympic Wilderness Area, thus expanding the protection of the elk.
