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1950 Map of Shishmaref B-3

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Shishmaref B-3
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Sarichef Island sits at the edge of the Arctic Ocean, anchoring this coastal 1950 survey of the Seward Peninsula shoreline. The village of Shishmaref is positioned on the island's narrow reach, accompanied by essential maritime and aviation infrastructure including a Light and a Landing Strip. The map illustrates the tenuous nature of settlement along the Chukchi Sea, where a terrestrial Winter Trail provides a overland connection near the shores of Shishmaref Inlet.

Evidence of earlier occupation appears in the form of Ruins south of the main village, suggesting a shift in the local footprint. The vast majority of this sheet is dominated by the open waters of the Chukchi Sea, highlighting the isolation of this Inupiat community during the mid-century era. This survey, mapped by the Army Map Service, captures the basic survival and navigation network of a remote Arctic outpost before modern expansion.