1952 Map of Russian Mission C-6

About this map

Talbiksok River meanders across a dense network of lakes and marshes in this early 1950s study of the Bethel region. The landscape is dominated by a complex hydrological pattern where the Portage Slough and the winding course of the Johnson River define the movement of water across the tundra. This map, based on 1951 aerial photography, captures the interior wilderness before modern infrastructure, documenting a labyrinth of unnamed ponds and saturated lowlands that characterize this part of the Alaskan bush. The lack of established settlements or roads highlights the isolation of the area during the mid-century, making it an essential reference for understanding the natural drainage and original terrain of the Russian Mission quadrangle.