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1950 Map of Shishmaref

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Shishmaref
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Sarichef Island serves as the focal point for human activity on this stretch of the Seward Peninsula, where the village of Shishmaref is situated between the Chukchi Sea and the protected waters of the Shishmaref Inlet. Compiled from 1955 Army Map Service records and USC&GS hydrography, the map details a landscape defined by the precarious barrier islands and the immense Arctic Lagoon.

Survival and seasonal movement in this high-latitude environment are evidenced by the Winter Trail and the isolated Sinrazat Shelter Cabin on the coast. The topography reveals a complex network of coastal waterways, including the Serpentine River and Cowpack Inlet, which drain the low-lying tundra. The crossing of the Arctic Circle is marked precisely at the center of the sheet, underscoring the remote character of this region during the mid-century era.