1952 Map of Sumdum

About this map

The Tongass National Forest dominates this mid-century survey of the Southeast Alaska coastline, where massive ice fields meet the complex waterways of the Alexander Archipelago. Deep glacial fjords like Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm reach into the mainland, fed by the Sawyer Glacier and Dawes Glacier. Along the shoreline of Stephens Passage and Holkham Bay, small settlements and industrial outposts tell a story of remote extraction, including Sumdum and the Chuck Mining Camp. To the north, the Crystal Mines are positioned near Port Snettisham, while the interior is marked by the high peaks of the Endicott Mountains. The international border with British Columbia is defined by a series of surveyed points such as Boundary Peak 76, cutting through the ice-covered heights of the Baird Glacier and the Chutine River drainage. This map captures the region when small settlements like Indian Village and Windham were the primary human anchors in a landscape dominated by tide-water glaciers.