1955 Map of Beechey Point

About this map

Prudhoe Bay and the northernmost reaches of the Alaska coast appear here as they were in the mid-1950s, more than a decade before the discovery of the North Slope oil fields transformed the region's global profile. The landscape is dominated by the braided outlets of the Kuparuk River, Sagavanirktok River, and Kadleroshilik River, which spill into the Beaufort Sea across a vast, lake-pocked coastal plain. Scattered cabins and a lone Aerodrome mark the minimal human footprint of the era, while the coastline is defined by barrier island chains like the Spy Islands and the Return Islands. This survey illustrates the intricate hydrography of the region, where the Arctic Ocean meets an expansive network of lagoons and bays, including Simpson Lagoon and Gwydyr Bay, before large-scale industrial infrastructure reached these shores.