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1950 Map of Shishmaref B-1

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Shishmaref B-1
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

The Arctic Ocean and the Chukchi Sea define the northern limits of this coastal landscape on the Seward Peninsula. A narrow barrier island separates the open sea from the broad, shallow expanse of Shishmaref Inlet, creating a complex network of coastal lagoons and tidal flats. The interior terrain is a low-lying tundra environment dominated by countless unnamed thermokarst lakes and ponds, typical of the permafrost-affected regions of the Alaskan Arctic.

Drainage systems like the Cowpack River meander through the saturated soils toward Cowpack Inlet in the east. Survey control points, including VABM 216 Kupuk and VABM 134 Port, provide the only named landmarks across this vast, roadless expanse. The map illustrates the state of this remote coastline in the mid-century, before significant modern erosion began to reshape the delicate barrier island and inlet systems.