1949 Map of False Pass

About this map

Unimak Island and the western tip of the Alaska Peninsula meet at the narrow waterway of Isanotski Strait, anchored by the settlement of False Pass. This 1949 survey, compiled from aerial photography taken during World War II, details a landscape dominated by massive volcanic features including the snow-capped Shishaldin Volcano and Isanotski Peaks. The map captures the remote maritime infrastructure of the era, from the village at Morzhovoi to the anchorage at Traders Cove. To the south, the Sanak islands emerge from the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by the treacherous Sandman Reefs and the shallow reaches of Davidson Bank. The intricate coastline of Deer Island and numerous bays like Ikatan Bay illustrate the complex geography of the Aleutian Islands chain as it stood in the mid-twentieth century.