1948 Map of Anchorage D-4

About this map

The Matanuska River valley and its surrounding highlands reveal a landscape of early industrial exploration and high-latitude transport routes during the late 1940s. The settlement of Chickaloon sits at the confluence of Chickaloon Creek and the main river, serving as a focal point for activity near the Glenn Highway. Upriver from the town, evidence of the area's geological utility is clear at the Coal Mine and the nearby Cable Tramway, which likely serviced the extraction efforts along the base of Anthracite Ridge. To the north, the Chickaloon River winds through the Talkeetna Mountains, its course marked by a series of remote outposts including Fourteenmile Cabin, Ninemile Cabin, and Eightmile Cabin. These numbered landmarks, alongside the Ninetyeight Bridge, underscore a history of transit and surveying in this unforgiving territory, while lakes like Bonnie Lake and Long Lake break the dense terrain of the river basin.