1951 Map of Demarcation Point

About this map

The Alaska Yukon boundary meets the Beaufort Sea at the edge of this 1951 reconnaissance survey, a remote coastal landscape defined by shifting lagoons and the northernmost reaches of the Brooks Range. Coastal life at mid-century is centered around Demarcation Bay, where the settlement of Gordon stands near the abandoned site of Kuluruak. The map illustrates the complex drainage of the North Slope, where the Jago River, Turner River, and Clarence River flow from the high peaks of the Romanzof Mountains and British Mountains toward the Arctic Ocean. Landmark peaks like Mt Greenough overlook a shoreline protected by features such as Icy Reef and Siku Lagoon. This survey captures the topographical transition from the glacier-carved interior mountains to the barrier islands and bights of the arctic coast before the modern era of intensive development.