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1954 Map of Circle A-6

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Circle A-6
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Davidson Ditch parallels the Steese Highway through the northern portion of this interior Alaskan landscape, tracing a line above the Chatanika River. This man-made waterway represents a significant engineering feat for the gold mining era, designed to bring water to distant hydraulic mining operations. The terrain is defined by a dense network of drainages, including the Little Chena River and Bonanza Creek, which carve through the high ground marked by landmarks like Twin Buttes.

Surveyed in the early 1950s, the map reveals the relationship between early transportation routes and the hydrologic system. While the northern edge shows concentrated activity along the highway and ditch, the southern reaches near Anaconda Creek and Caribou Creek appear as a complex of unnamed ridges and valleys. This document is a critical resource for understanding the industrial footprint left by early 20th-century water management and its proximity to the natural courses of Fish Cr and Miller Creek.