1955 Map of Barrow

About this map

Barrow and Browerville anchor the northernmost reaches of the American continent in this mid-century survey of the Arctic coastline. The map details a landscape defined by the intersection of the Chukchi Sea and the Beaufort Sea at Pt Barrow, where the Tapkaluk Islands and Cooper Island form a protective barrier for Elson Lagoon. This era marks a significant period of aviation and exploration history, evidenced by the presence of the Wiley Post and Will Rogers Memorial Landing Field and the Will Rogers and Wiley Post Memorial, commemorating the 1935 crash nearby. Inland, the coastal plain is a complex network of thermokarst lakes including Sikulik Lake and Sukok Lake. Early energy exploration is also visible through the Gas Well near the settlement and the Simpson Test Well No 1 further east near McKay Inlet.