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1949 Map of Healy A-1

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Healy A-1
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

The Clearwater Mountains dominate this 1949 survey of the Matanuska-Susitna region, a landscape defined by glacial drainage and early infrastructure. The settlement of Denali sits near the upper reaches of the West Fork Susitna River, serving as a remote outpost in a territory marked by gold-mining history. High-elevation features like Gold Hill and Lucky Hill rise above Valdez Creek, while the Denali Highway cuts through the southern valleys near Alpine Creek.

Transport in this era relied on both land and water, evidenced by a Seaplane Base and several landing strips positioned near the river bends and remote lakes. Notable water bodies such as Roosevelt Lake, Grogg Lake, and the descriptively named Swampbuggy Lake dot the basins between the peaks. The map captures the area just as modern accessibility began to reach these interior highlands, preserving the nomenclature of the prospectors and early aviators who navigated the Susitna River valley.