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1955 Map of Barrow

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Barrow
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

Barrow and the adjacent settlement of Browerville sit at the northernmost edge of the United States, where the Chukchi Sea meets the Beaufort Sea. This mid-century survey documents a landscape of strategic and scientific importance, featuring the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory and Pt Barrow Airfield north of the main village. The presence of the Will Rogers and Wiley Post Memorial marks the site of the 1935 aviation tragedy near Walakpa Bay.

South of the Tapkaluk Islands, the map details the vast National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, a terrain defined by countless thermokarst lakes like Sukok Lake and Tusikvoak Lake. The complex coastline is punctuated by historical points of interest including the old site of Nuwuk at Pt Barrow and various landing strips such as the Cape Simpson Landing Strip, reflecting the era's reliance on bush flying and maritime access in the high Arctic.