1952 Map of Russian Mission B-8

About this map

The sprawling marshlands and intricate waterways of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta are captured in this 1952 study. The landscape is dominated by the meandering course of the Johnson River, which winds through a dense network of countless unnamed tundra lakes and ponds. In the southern portion of the sheet, the Kvichavak River cuts through the low-lying terrain, illustrating the complex hydrologic patterns of this Alaskan subregion. This topographical record was produced primarily through photogrammetric methods from aerial photographs, as much of the area remained unsurveyed and unmarked on the ground at the time. The transition from the northern uplands into the water-heavy delta plains highlights the shifting geography that has historically dictated travel and subsistence patterns for the region's inhabitants.