1954 Map of Marshall B-4

About this map

The Izaviknek River dominates this mid-century topographic survey of the Marshall B-4 quadrangle in western Alaska. Meandering in tight oxbows and complex loops, the river carves through a landscape saturated with hundreds of unnamed lakes, ponds, and marshy depressions. This intricate drainage pattern suggests a low-lying alluvial plain where the water table is extremely high and the land surface is constantly reshaped by seasonal flows. Surveyed by the Army Map Service using aerial photography from 1951, the map provides a stark look at the remote wilderness before modern development or significant infrastructure altered the natural hydrography of the region.