1952 Map of Kodiak B-5

About this map

The interior wilds of Kodiak Island are documented here through the lens of a mid-century aerial survey. In an area where no roads or trails are noted on the sheet, the geography is defined entirely by the intricate drainage basins and high ridgelines that characterize the archipelago's spine. The entire land area shown is designated as the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, highlighting a landscape managed for conservation rather than settlement. While the interior remains uninhabited, the presence of depth curves in the surrounding waters—compiled from early 1950s hydrographic charts—points to the coastal focus of the region's economy and navigation. This survey represents a period when federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the Geological Survey were formalizing the boundaries of these protected Alaskan territories.