1954 Map of McGrath A-4

About this map

Big River dominates this mid-century topographic record, winding northward through an intricate network of braided channels and wetlands. This survey, based on aerial photography from 1953 and 1954, reveals a landscape defined entirely by its hydrology and terrain, notably absent of any established roads or human settlements. The Cheeneetnuk River flows from the western uplands, contributing to the complex drainage patterns of the Yukon-Koyukuk region. The map captures the raw state of the Alaskan interior at a time when mapping relied on photogrammetric methods to document remote river systems and the vast topographic contours of the surrounding high ground. It serves as a definitive baseline for the natural movement of these waterways before later environmental shifts.