1961 Map of Sumdum D-3

About this map

South Sawyer Glacier dominates the southern reaches of this 1961 aerial survey, carving a path through the glaciated terrain of Southeast Alaska. This map documents a high-altitude wilderness along the international border, where the British Columbia Alaska boundary runs between the United States and Canada. The landscape is defined by the steep elevation contours of the Tongass National Forest and the protected lands of the Tracy Arm Fords Terror Wilderness. A key landmark for border navigation is Boundary Peak 77, which stands as a sentinel along the jagged divide. This survey provides a precise look at glacial positioning and ice-carved topography before later 20th-century shifts, offering a baseline for environmental historians and researchers of the Alaska panhandle.