1954 Map of Baird Inlet A-5

About this map

Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range dominates this landscape in the mid-1950s, revealing a complex aquatic ecosystem in the Bethel region. The terrain is defined by an intricate network of countless unnamed tundra ponds and wetlands, centered around the expansive Dall Lake in the northern portion of the map. This area represents a massive deltaic environment where water and land are nearly indistinguishable, a characteristic common to the coastal plains of western Alaska during this era of survey. The Kivvak River meanders through the central-western section, providing a primary drainage route through the saturated plains. A surveyed Base Line bisects the quadrangle horizontally, marking the foundational work of the Army Map Service and the Geological Survey as they documented this remote territory using photogrammetric methods from 1953 aerial photography.