1960 Map of Anchorage B-4

About this map

Knik Glacier and its massive neighbor Marcus Baker Glacier dominate this glacial landscape at the boundary of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough. The survey illustrates the complex drainage systems formed by ice and meltwater, specifically the positioning of Lower Lake George and Inner Lake George near the terminus of the Colony Glacier. At this mid-century moment, the vast Knik River valley serves as a primary corridor, with the map identifying a remote Landing Strip north of Gannett Glacier. Waterways like Metal Creek and Fourteen Creek cut through the high elevations, while the broad Grasshopper Valley provides a rare break in the ice-fields. The detailed notation of crevasses across the major ice sheets provides a historical baseline for studying the shifting morphology of the Alaskan interior prior to later-century changes.