1956 Map of Tanana C-4

About this map

The Tozitna River meanders across this interior Alaskan landscape, defining the southern drainage of the formidable Ray Mountains. Surveyed in the mid-1950s using photogrammetric methods from aerial photography, the map reveals a remote wilderness devoid of established roads or trails during this era. High-elevation drainages such as Ray Creek and Banddana Creek carve through the northern peaks, while the southern slopes are marked by the winding courses of McQuisten Creek and Crooked Creek. The terrain is characterized by a complex network of unnamed ridges and wet lowlands, illustrating the raw geography of the Yukon-Koyukuk region before significant modern encroachment. This document captures the topographical character of the land exactly as it stood when the first systematic aerial surveys were being finalized for the Interior.