1956 Map of Sagavanirktok

About this map

The Sagavanirktok River dominates this mid-1950s survey of Alaska's North Slope, carving a massive braided channel northward through the Arctic coastal plain. The landscape is defined by the striking relief of Franklin Bluffs and the White Hills, overlooking an intricate network of waterways including the Toolik River and the Kuparuk River. This map captures the region before the development of the Prudhoe Bay oil fields, when the only evidence of human passage across the tundra consisted of a seasonal Tractor Trail and a Winter Trail. In the southern reaches, the terrain rises toward Kakuktural Mtn, where the Ivishak River and Saviukviayak River emerge from the foothills. The presence of a Base Line survey marker and isolated features like Cache One Lake reflect early efforts by the Geological Survey and Army Map Service to document this remote interior.