1951 Map of Cordova B-4

About this map

McKinley Peak stands above a complex hydraulic landscape where the Copper River meets the sea in the early 1950s. The region is defined by the shifting braids of the Copper River delta, featuring an intricate web of waterways such as Pete Dahl Slough and Alaganik Slough that carve through the marshes of the Chugach National Forest. Transport into this water-dominated environment is anchored by the Cordova Airport and the Copper River Highway, which parallels the coast toward the settlement of Alaganik. Local history is marked by small-scale industrial and community footprints, including a Mine near McKinley Lake and a Cem near the Alaganik Road, signaling the persistence of activity in a landscape of tidal flats and barrier features like Grass Island Bar and Kokinhenik Bar.