1953 Map of McGrath D-5

About this map

The Kuskokwim River snakes across the northern edge of this Interior Alaska landscape, its shifting channels creating a complex series of oxbow lakes and sloughs. Photogrammetric methods from 1952 aerial surveys reveal the intricate hydrology of the region, where the river makes a sharp turn at Stewart Bend. South of the main river valley, the terrain transitions into a dense network of countless unnamed thaw lakes and wetlands, drained by the meandering Katlitna River and Blackwater Creek. Vertical Angle Bench Marks like VABM Blair and VABM Kidney provide essential elevation data for this largely roadless area. This 1953 survey captures the territory just before statehood, documenting the wild hydrography of the Grayling Creek drainage and the vast marshlands that define the McGrath region.