1950 Map of Fairbanks D-3

About this map

The Military Reservation at Murphy Dome overlooks a landscape defined by gold mining and remote interior transport in the mid-twentieth century. Near the central corridor of The Alaska Railroad, small communities like Saulich and Old Saulich signify the rail-driven connectivity of the era, while the eastern heights are marked by the Ester Dome Observatory and the settlement of Ester. This region is a complex web of drainage and industry, where Goldstream Creek and its many tributaries, such as Nugget Creek and Little Goldstream Creek, have long been the focus of mineral interests like the Fortune mine. To the south, the Bonanza Creek Experimental Forest borders the massive Tanana River, illustrating the intersection of resource management and natural hydrology in the Fairbanks North Star region.