1953 Map of Mount McKinley B-4

About this map

The Mt McKinley National Park boundary bisects this remote subarctic landscape, reflecting the federal management of the Alaska Range mid-century. The Foraker River serves as the dominant hydrological feature, its broad, braided course cutting a wide swath through the western portion of the terrain. This survey, based on 1952 aerial photography and 1953 field annotation, documents a wilderness devoid of roads or trails, where drainage patterns define the geography. Tributaries like Birch Creek, Slippery Creek, and White Creek carve through the high-latitude vegetation, illustrating the transition from glacial runoff to the intricate stream networks of the tundra. The presence of the National Park Boundary (Approximate) highlights the early administrative divisions of this protected wilderness during a period of expanding geological study in the territory.