1955 Map of Harrison Bay A-4

About this map

Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 encompasses this entire Arctic landscape, defined by a labyrinthine network of thaw lakes and wandering watercourses. The hydrology of the region is dominated by the intricate meanders of Fish Creek and Judy Creek, which carve through the tundra with numerous oxbows and bifurcations. This 1955 survey illustrates the primitive state of the North Slope's interior before significant industrial infrastructure was established. The map relies on the Umiat Meridian for orientation, capturing a frozen geography of unnamed basins and marshlands that characterizes the remote North Slope. Such maps were essential for the early exploration of the petroleum reserve, documenting a landscape that remained largely unvisited and not field-checked at the time of its initial photogrammetric mapping.