1952 Map of Circle D-4

About this map

West Crazy Mountains dominate the southern half of this 1950s interior landscape, transitioning sharply into the low-lying Yukon Flats to the north. This survey, compiled from 1951 aerial photography, delineates the dramatic topography of the Steese area where high ridges give way to a complex network of drainages. The National Wildlife Refuge and National Conservation Area boundaries underscore the region's importance as a preserved wilderness. Water flows from the highlands through the North Fork Preacher Creek and the main channel of Preacher Creek in the southeast, while Discovery Creek meanders through the northern flats. The absence of roads or established settlements on this sheet reflects the deep isolation of the Alaskan interior during the mid-twentieth century, as mapping efforts shifted from ground-based surveys to photogrammetric methods.