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1955 Map of Circle A-3

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Circle A-3
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

The East Fork Chena River provides the primary drainage for this interior Alaskan wilderness, as documented during the mid-1950s. The landscape is defined by its deep creek valleys and high peaks, where aviation and mining represent the few traces of human activity. A Placer Mine and associated Cabins located near Palmer Creek and Shamrock Creek suggest the small-scale resource extraction typical of the region's interior gold-bearing streams.

Logistical access to this remote terrain is centered on the Van Curlers Bar Airstrip along the riverbank, with another secondary Airstrip situated further north. Numerous named tributaries, such as Salmonfoot Creek, Mascot Creek, and Caribou Creek, carve through the high elevations, which include surveyed points like VABM 4690 Dex. This survey reflects a time when light aircraft and seasonal mining camps were the essential components of life in the upper Chena River drainage.