1955 Map of Demarcation Point C-4

About this map

The Arctic National Wildlife Range dominates this mid-century survey of the North Slope, where the drainage systems of several significant rivers converge as they flow toward the Beaufort Sea. The braided channels of the Aichlik River cut through the southeast, while the Okerokovik River and Niguanak River establish the hydrological pattern of the central and western sections. Grounded in 1955 aerial photography and Army Map Service data, this map captures the region when land lines were still largely unsurveyed and predetermined by the Bureau of Land Management. Local terrain landmarks such as Oker and Hula provide the few named reference points in a landscape characterized by tundra polygons and wetlands. The map reflects a moment in the mid-1950s when this remote northern frontier was being systematically documented for resource management and conservation purposes.