1950 Map of Bendeleben B-2

About this map

The Continental Divide winds through this subarctic landscape, separating the intricate drainage networks that feed the surrounding Seward Peninsula coast. To the south, the massive granite uplift of the Bendeleben Mountains anchors the terrain, giving rise to headwaters like the Tubutulik River. Much of the central and western portion of the sheet is protected within the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, a wilderness area established to preserve the remnants of the ancient land bridge that once connected Asia and North America. The map reveals a land defined by water and elevation rather than human settlement, where the meandering Koyuk River and smaller tributaries like French Creek and Knowles Creek carve through the tundra. These waterways served as the primary transit corridors for indigenous hunters and early prospectors in an era when no roads or trails were yet established across this interior.