1955 Map of Baird Mountains A-1

About this map

The Kobuk River meanders across this mid-century landscape, carving a wide valley through the northwestern Arctic. This 1955 survey, which includes minor revisions from the early 1980s, captures the transition of this territory into the Kobuk Valley National Park and the protected Kobuk Valley Wilderness. One of the most distinctive geological features recorded is the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes at the eastern edge, a remarkable desert-like expanse in the high latitudes. The drainage network is complex, defined by the Tutuksuk River, Kaliguricheark River, and Salmon River, which all feed into the main Kobuk artery. Human presence is extremely sparse, represented only by a solitary Cabin along a northern tributary, highlighting the remote character of the Kobuk Valley before modern infrastructure reached this part of Alaska.