1955 Map of Teshekpuk C-4

About this map

Alaktak River meanders through an intricate landscape of unnamed lakes and wetlands in this 1955 survey of the Arctic coastal plain. The entire quadrangle is situated within Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4, representing a period of significant government interest in northern mineral and oil resources. Transport across this saturated terrain relied on seasonal pathways, visible here as the Winter Trail and a Tractor Trail that cut across the tundra. The drainage systems of the Chipp River and the Ikpikpuk River dominate the southern and western portions of the sheet, illustrating the complex hydrology of the North Slope before extensive modern development. This topography, mapped by the Army Map Service using photogrammetric methods, records the primitive transit routes used to navigate one of the most remote sections of the American Arctic.