1955 Map of De Long Mountains B-4

About this map

The Kukpuk River defines the lower third of this 1950s terrain study, winding through the southern reaches of the De Long Mountains. This particular quadrangle represents a landscape of pure topography, where the absence of named settlements, roads, or trails emphasizes the primary focus on hydrologic and geological surveying. While the northern and central portions are dominated by dense contour work marking the uplands, the Kukpuk River provides the sole major navigational reference for the entire sheet. Derived from aerial photographs taken between 1952 and 1955, the map preserves the natural state of the North Slope's drainage patterns before modern development or infrastructure reached this part of the Brooks Range foothills. It serves as a specific baseline for understanding the unchanged character of the Alaskan wilderness during the mid-twentieth century.