1951 Map of Seward A-5

About this map

The Sargent Ice Field dominates this high-altitude landscape within the Chugach National Forest, illustrating the massive ice-and-rock environment of the eastern Kenai Peninsula. Surveyed in the early 1950s with later revisions, the map documents the heavy glaciation of the era, where the Ellsworth Glacier, Chenega Glacier, and Bainbridge Glacier flow outward from the central ice mass. The terrain is defined by extreme relief, featuring landmarks like Pinnacle Mountain and Puget Peak, which overlook the ice-carved valleys. Along the southern coast, the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge borders the waters of Puget Bay, marking a transition from the frozen interior to the sea. This record captures the extent of the Excelsior Glacier and the adjacent Excelsior Lake before the significant environmental shifts of the late twentieth century, providing a baseline for studying glacial movement and coastline morphology in this uninhabited region.