1956 Map of Beaver B-5

About this map

Yukon Flats dominate the central portion of this 1950s interior Alaska landscape, characterized by an intricate network of wetlands and scattered lakes. The transition from the elevated Long Ridge in the north to the low-lying basin reveals a terrain defined by hydrologic complexity rather than human infrastructure. Waterbodies such as Tishdogatumina Lake, Echoing Lake, and Savayeit Lake are prominent landmarks in this roadless expanse. Much of the territory is protected within the National Wildlife Refuge, where the West Fork of The Forks meanders through a landscape largely unchanged since the mid-century mapping. This survey, based on 1955 aerial photography, provides a precise record of a wilderness where natural drainage patterns and topographical features like the ridge provide the primary points of orientation in the absence of surveyed towns or settlements.