1955 Map of Beechey Point B-4

About this map

Beechey Point stands as a lonely landmark on the edge of the Beaufort Sea in this 1955 survey of the Alaskan North Slope. The landscape is dominated by a complex network of thaw lakes and the intricate braided channels of the Kuparuk River Delta. To the west, the Sakonowyak River meanders toward the coast, while the distinctive Beechey Mound provides a rare point of elevation in the otherwise flat coastal plain. This map was compiled from aerial photography taken in the mid-1950s, a period before the major industrial shifts on the North Slope, showing the geography in its raw, undeveloped state. The shoreline is defined by the sheltered waters of Simpson Lagoon and Gwydyr Bay, protected by the barrier chain of the Return Islands, including Long Island and Cottle Island.