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1952 Map of Port Alexander

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Port Alexander
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

Port Alexander stands as the primary outpost on this coastal survey, situated near the southern tip of Baranof Island at the gateway to the Pacific Ocean. Compiled in the early 1950s using aerial photography from the late 1920s and 1940s, the map documents a maritime landscape of secluded cabins and industrial sites like the Cannery at Saginaw Bay. The terrain is characterized by deep fjords and high peaks, including Mt Muravief and Mt Hagemeister, which feed numerous glacial lakes such as Redoubt Lake and Plotnikof Lake.

The complex shoreline of Kuiu Island and the intricate channels of Chatham Strait reveal a wilderness where navigation and seasonal industry were the lifelines. Large protected areas like the St Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge are identified, alongside essential maritime aids such as the Lighthouse at Cape Decision. This reconnaissance provides a detailed view of the First Judicial Division's remote waterways before modern development altered these isolated Alaskan inlets.