1956 Map of Philip Smith Mountains

About this map

The Philip Smith Mountains dominate this high-latitude survey, showing the central Brooks Range before the development of the Dalton Highway or the trans-Alaska pipeline. This map records a landscape defined entirely by its complex hydrological network and high-altitude topography, where the Continental Divide separates the northward-flowing waters of the Sagavanirktok River and Itkillik River from the southern drainages of the North Fork Chandalar River. Named peaks like Itigaknit Mountain and Imnavait Mountain stand as significant landmarks in an area then marked as having no roads or trails. Notable water bodies such as Galbraith Lake and Elusive Lake are situated amongst the glaciated valleys of the Endicott Mountains, providing crucial reference points for early aerial photogrammetric mapping in the Yukon-Koyukuk region.