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1948 Map of Anchorage D-3

Name: 1948 Topographic Map of Anchorage D-3
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1976
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1976

About this map

The Matanuska River valley serves as the central corridor of this 1948 survey, where the Glenn Highway traces a winding path between the Talkeetna Mountains to the north and the Chugach Mountains to the south. The landscape is defined by its glacial and hydrological features, headlined by the Matanuska Glacier in the southeast corner. Human activity is concentrated along the highway, marked by small outposts like the Watchtower Inn and localized settlements including Purin and Tukmakna.

Northern reaches of the map are dominated by the high-elevation peaks of Anthracite Ridge and landmarks like Mount Monarch. The complex drainage system includes numerous named creeks such as Boulder Creek and Pinochle Creek, which feed into the main river basin. For researchers, the map provides a look at the early infrastructure of the Glenn Highway as it existed shortly after the war, including various bench marks and cabin sites near Indez Lake and Gravel Lake.