1951 Map of Kenai C-2

About this map

Kenai National Moose Range dominates this landscape on the Kenai Peninsula, where a complex network of glacial lakes and rivers defines the interior wilderness. In the early 1950s, the southern portion of the sheet shows emerging infrastructure along the Sterling Highway, including the Naptowne Lodge and a nearby Landing Strip. This area reflects a mid-century moment when the remote Alaskan backcountry was becoming accessible via new road corridors, while the vast majority of the terrain remained an unsurveyed expanse of wetlands and small water bodies like Porcupine Lake and Big Merganser Lake. The map records specific early human footprints such as a Gravel Pit and isolated Cabin sites, contrasting with the preservation of the surrounding moose range and its intricate waterways like the Swanson River.