1955 Map of Harrison Bay

About this map

The northern Alaskan coast at Harrison Bay reveals a landscape defined by an intricate network of Arctic waterways and the vast extent of Naval Petroleum Reserve No 4. The map documents a period of transition along the Arctic Ocean shoreline, where the abandoned Esook Trading Post at Cape Halkett sits as a remnant of earlier commercial ventures. The delta region where the Colville River meets the Beaufort Sea is characterized by shifting channels like the Kupigruak Channel and the Oliktok Channel, surrounding low-lying features such as Anachlik Island and Nuekshat Island. Inland, the tundra is pockmarked with thousands of lakes, dominated by the massive Teshekpuk Lake. Local landmarks like Kachemach Mound and Pikonik Mound rise above the drainage basins of the Itkillik River and Fish Creek, providing rare topographic variation in this water-saturated coastal plain.