1963 Map of Chignik B-6

About this map

Bristol Bay defines the northwestern shoreline of this coastal Alaskan landscape, where the tides of the Bering Sea meet a complex network of glacial and alluvial drainages. Mapping of this area relied on photogrammetric methods from aerial photography taken between 1957 and 1962, documenting a period when the interior remained largely unsurveyed by ground crews. The low-lying terrain is dominated by the sprawling waters of Wildman Lake and the meandering course of Ocean River, which flows through a region of swamps and intricate water systems. To the south, the Muddy River and Fracture Creek carve through the land, illustrating the shifting hydrography of the Alaska Peninsula. This 1963 field-annotated record provides a detailed view of an undeveloped wilderness where land lines represent predetermined but unmarked locations, serving as a baseline for the remote geography of the Seward Meridian.