Olympic National Park, Washington

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Stewart R. Udall
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE George B. Hartzog, Jr.
NATURAL HISTORY HANDBOOK NUMBER ONE
This publication is one of a series of handbooks explaining the natural history of scenic and scientific areas in the National Park System. It is printed by the Government Printing Office and may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C., 20402. Price 30 cents.
By GUNNAR O. FAGERLUND
NATURAL HISTORY HANDBOOK SERIES No. 1 WASHINGTON, D. C., 1954 (Revised 1965)
Olympic National Park, established on June 29, 1938, and containing about 1,400 square miles, is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
The National Park System, of which this park is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and enjoyment of its people.
A superintendent, whose address is 600 East Park Avenue, Port Angeles, Wash., 98362, is in immediate charge of the park.
Created in 1849, the Department of the Interior—America’s Department of Natural Resources—is concerned with the management, conservation, and development of the Nation’s water, wildlife, mineral, forest, and park and recreational resources. It also has major responsibilities for Indian and territorial affairs.
As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department works to assure that nonrenewable resources are developed and used wisely, that park and recreational resources are conserved, and that renewable resources make their full contribution to the progress, prosperity, and security of the United States—now and in the future.
Here is truly a living wilderness nurtured by the ocean! The Olympic Mountains stand first in line against the moisture-filled Pacific winds. These winds, rising and cooling on the western slopes, drop 12 to 18 feet of rain and snow on forest and mountain each year. Two extraordinary conditions result—a temperate-climate rain forest and an abundance of permanent ice bodies at comparatively low altitudes. Many rushing streams return the water from snowfields, glaciers, and forest slopes to the sea. A complete and endless circuit of water from ocean to land and back to the ocean may be observed from a single mountain vantage point. One can hardly fail to notice a water cycle of this magnitude and completeness or to appreciate its great influence on the Olympic scene.