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1956 Map of Black River D-6

Name: 1956 Topographic Map of Black River D-6
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The Porcupine River snakes through this subarctic interior, defining a complex landscape of wetlands and shifting waterways during the mid-1950s. The map reveals the intricate network of the river's Middle Channel and numerous backwaters such as Ninemile Slough and Joe Ward Slough. Human presence is minimal and scattered, represented by isolated outposts like Shuman House, Joe Ward Camp, and a simple Cabin near Island Lake.

A Tractor Trail provides a tenuous overland connection through the marshy terrain south of Loon Lake, illustrating the specialized transportation required in this roadless wilderness. The convergence of the Black River with the Porcupine floodplain creates a dense concentration of named water bodies, including Sams Big Lake and Schrader Lake, which served as vital landmarks for bush pilots and trappers navigating the Yukon-Koyukuk region before more modern infrastructure arrived.