1952 Map of Circle B-4

About this map

The Steese Highway carves through the interior Alaskan interior, crossing the high point at Twelvemile Summit and connecting the regional waterways. This 1952 survey, field annotated during the mid-century, reveals the early infrastructure and hydraulic geography of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the surrounding wilderness. The landscape is dominated by the complex drainage systems of the North Fork Birch Creek and South Fork Birch Creek, which served as critical landmarks for early prospecting and travel. Evidence of resource extraction is found near Eagle Creek at a Placer Mine, while the higher elevations are marked by Table Mountain and Pinnell Mountain. The transition between the peaks and the low-lying drainage basins of Twelvemile Creek and Fryingpan Creek highlights the difficulty of traversing this area before modern improvements.