Loading map...

1953 Map of Marblemount

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Marblemount
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1955
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1955

About this map

The Skagit River and its confluence with the Cascade River serve as the primary conduits for settlement and industry in this section of the Mount Baker National Forest. The town of Marblemount acts as a hub where the river valley opens, supporting a State Fish Hatchery and proximity to the Skagit Talc Mine. Further upriver, the village of Newhalem is connected by the corridor of the City of Seattle Railway, which was marked as abandoned just a year before this map's publication.

A series of rail sidings, including Goodell Siding, Jennings Siding, and Bacon Creek Siding, trace the logistics of the Skagit's hydropower and timber era. Beyond the valley floors, the terrain rises sharply toward peaks like Mt Triumph and Mt Despair, with numerous glacial lakes such as Berdeen Lake and the Thornton Lakes tucked into high-altitude basins. This survey documents the infrastructure of the North Cascades during a period of transition for its mountain rail networks.