(ABC 6 News) – The bald eagle is now, legally, the national bird, and there’s no place more excited about it than Wabasha, MN – home of the National Eagle Center, where dozens gathered Monday to recognize the moment they helped correct history.

It all started with a simple discovery and became a national movement.

“I think it’s just unbelievable just one individual, the force of one man brought this about,” said American Legion Post 50 Commander Catherine Gallenberger.

That man being Preston Cook, the one found the original mistake that kick-started this project.

“I discovered we did not have a national bird when I was doing research on a book about 15 years ago,” Cook said.

His revelation?

More than 200 years ago, as Congress laid the foundations of the country, the created the national seal bearing the image of a bald eagle, with no mention of it as a national bird.

Even after all this time.

“Meanwhile, we have a national mammal, the bison, a national tree, the oak, and a national flower, the rose,” said Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL), who sponsored the bill in the Senate.

“It was an omission that happened that no one picked up on,” said Cook. “Through 118 Congresses, 248 years, everyone just assumed it was our national bird and they left it at that.”

For decades, Cook had collected all things eagle – a life’s work totaling over 40,000 individual items, less than 1% of which is on display at the center.

That dedication, however, took a turn with this breakthrough.

“I sat on it for 15 years,” Cook said. “Last year, I turned 78 and I said, ‘Well, okay, I better do it know or it’s never going to happen.'”

Now, after a year of effort, the moment finally arriving.

A satisfying ending for the project of a lifetime.

“It’s really been a part of my life to pursue, as much as I can, every aspect of the eagle, so I’m really happy that we had the kind of support that we had,” said Cook.”

The work isn’t over for Preston Cook, or the eagle center.

They have plans to expand more exhibits into downtown Wabasha, showing more of Cook’s expansive collection.