1955 Map of Mount Hayes B-1

About this map

The Robertson Glacier dominates the southwestern corner of this mid-century topographic study, serving as the massive icy headwater for the braided drainage systems that define this part of the Alaska Range. As the glacier recedes, it feeds the wide, gravel-choked channels of the Robertson River, which arcs through the northeastern reaches of the map. This era of surveying, based on 1954 aerial photography, captures a raw landscape of high-elevation peaks and glacial valleys entirely devoid of human infrastructure. The drainage network is further shaped by the West Fork and the smaller Rumble Creek, illustrating the complex hydrology of a subarctic environment where water and ice are the primary architects of the land. The lack of roads or trails highlights the transition of the region from unexplored wilderness to a systematically mapped territory under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management.