1960 Map of Taku River

About this map

The Taku River corridor serves as the primary artery through this coastal wilderness, where the international border separates the Tongass National Forest from the Taku Plateau. In the mid-twentieth century, resource extraction defines the landscape of the Tulsequah River valley, marked by the Polaris-Taku Mine, Whitewater Mine, and Prospect Mine. These industrial outposts stand in contrast to the massive ice fields of the Tulsequah Glacier and Sittakanay Glacier. Near the confluence of the river and Taku Inlet, Taku Lodge and Canyon Island provide rare points of human habitation. The map also records early access routes like the evocative Hades Highway, snaking through the peaks toward the Nakina River. To the south, the deep waters of Port Snettisham and the winding Whiting River reach toward the interior mountain ranges.