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1955 Map of Shungnak

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Shungnak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1975
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1975

About this map

The Kobuk River corridor serves as the primary artery of life and transport in this 1955 survey of the western Brooks Range foothills. Native settlements like Shungnak and Kobuk are concentrated along the northern banks, positioned near the mouths of tributaries such as the Shungnak River and Cosmos Creek. These communities represent long-standing hubs of the region, situated where the high terrain of the Waring Mountains and Sheklukshuk Range begins to give way to the river valley.

South of the Arctic Circle, the landscape transitions into a complex of rugged peaks and vast lowlands. The Continental Divide zigzags through the Purcell Mountains, separating the waters that flow toward the Selawik from those feeding the Koyukuk River drainage. Evidence of resource exploration is visible at the Asbestos and Mine locations near Shungnak, while the Pah River Flats and numerous lakes like Tebantotloen Lake dominate the southeastern quadrant.