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1952 Map of Circle D-5

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Circle D-5
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1985
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1985

About this map

Beaver Creek meanders through the heart of this Alaskan landscape, illustrating the complex hydrology of the Yukon Flats in the early 1950s. The northern portion of the map is dominated by the sprawling lowlands of the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, a region characterized by countless small ponds and oxbows typical of an active flood basin. Moving southward, the elevation rises sharply into the West Crazy Mountains, creating a stark transition from river bottom to high-altitude relief.

The inclusion of the Steese National Conservation Area and the North Fork Preacher Creek highlights a transition in land management and environmental protection established in the decades following the initial aerial photography. This survey captures a moment when federal land designations were being codified, balancing the preservation of the vast interior wilderness with its geological and ecological significance.