1953 Map of Seward

About this map

The Kenai Peninsula is defined here by the meeting of massive glacial icefields and the intricate deep-water fjords of Prince William Sound. This 1953 survey, revised in 1969, illustrates the vital corridor of the Alaska Railroad as it winds from Seward northward through the Kenai Mountains, passing high-altitude stops like Grandview and Spencer before reaching Portage. The landscape is a study in mid-century Alaskan logistics, showing the strategic rail connection through the mountains to Whittier on Passage Canal. Along the shores of Kenai Lake, small settlements like Lawing and Moose Pass mark the thin line of human habitation between the Sargent Icefield and the Harding Icefield. To the east, the map details the rugged island topography of the sound, including Knight Island and the village of Chenega, prior to the shifts in settlement that followed the era's tectonic activity.