1951 Map of Sagavanirktok D-5

About this map

The Sagavanirktok River dominates this mid-century reconnaissance of Alaska's North Slope, showing a vast network of braided waterways before the development of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Compiled in cooperation with the Department of the Navy for the Naval Petroleum Reserve, the map details the complex drainage patterns of the Kuparuk River and Tooliok River as they flow north toward the Arctic coast. The southern portion of the sheet is anchored by the rising elevations of the Franklin Mountains, where the Ivishak River emerges from the high terrain. This survey reflects a period of intense federal interest in the geological potential of the Arctic, capturing the land in its natural state. The boundary between the Second Judicial Division and the Fourth Judicial Division is prominently marked, cutting through the river valleys and highlighting the administrative divisions of the territory during the early 1950s.