1955 Map of Barrow A-5

About this map

The Will Rogers and Wiley Post Memorial stands on the coast of the Chukchi Sea, marking the site of the 1935 air crash along this desolate Arctic shoreline. In the mid-1950s, the landscape was a mix of traditional locations and Cold War-era infrastructure, including the Loran Radio Tower (Abandoned) and Loran Radio Station (Abandoned) near Nulavik. Much of the territory falls within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, where the hydrology is defined by the Walakpa River and Singaruak Creek. Inland, a network of a Winter Trail connects seasonal or small settlements like Walakpa and Sinaru, revealing the essential transportation routes used when the tundra and Kilusiktok Lake are frozen. This map documents a transitional period for the North Slope, capturing early navigational landmarks and the remote Barrow Corp Bdy at a time of increasing federal interest in Arctic resources.