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1951 Map of Black River

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Black River
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

Black River meanders across this interior landscape, which was mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey and the International Boundary Commission in the years following World War II. The terrain is defined by a dense network of waterways, including the winding Porcupine River and the Little Black River, where historical sites like Chalkyitsik and Joe Ward Camp mark the sparse human presence in this region. The Arctic Circle line cuts directly through the center of the sheet, providing a precise geographic reference for this northern territory.

Remote outposts such as Shuman House and Salmon appear along the riverbanks, representing the limited settlement patterns of the mid-century. To the east, the United States Canada border is delineated by a string of vertical angle benchmarks (VABM) that trace the boundary line through the highlands. This survey provides a look at the hydrography of the Orange Creek and Salmon Trout River basins before more modern infrastructure arrived in the Alaskan interior.