1954 Map of Russian Mission A-4

About this map

Bogus Creek and the meandering channels of Birch Slough define this portion of the Alaskan wilderness, mapped during the mid-1950s. The landscape is characterized by a dense network of small lakes and seasonal watercourses within what is now the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. This survey, based on aerial photography from 1952 and 1954, reveals the vital importance of the Winter Trail as a primary means of overland movement across the frozen wetlands. On the eastern edge of the quadrangle, the terrain shifts abruptly as the flat marshlands give way to rising ground, marked by features such as Mary Lou Gulch. The map serves as a primary record of the hydrological patterns and early transit corridors in this remote region before later modern developments or shifts in the delta’s drainage.