1955 Map of Harrison Bay A-1

About this map

Meandering arctic waterways dominate this 1955 survey of Alaska's North Slope, where the Kachemach River and Miluveach River wind across a landscape defined by thermokarst lakes and tundra. The hydrology of the region is further characterized by the presence of Kalubik Creek in the northeastern corner of the quadrangle. Mapping by the Army Map Service at this time relied on aerial photography to document a territory largely devoid of permanent settlements or infrastructure. The topographical patterns shown here—predating the major industrial expansion of the Prudhoe Bay era—illustrate a pristine drainage network of the Umiat Meridian, where the land lines were predetermined by the Bureau of Land Management but remained unsurveyed and unmarked on the ground.