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1955 Map of Teshekpuk

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Teshekpuk
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

Teshekpuk Lake dominates this Arctic landscape within the expansive boundaries of Naval Petroleum Reserve No 4. This 1955 survey illustrates the immense network of thermokarst lakes and rivers, including the Ikpikpuk River and Chip River, which define the drainage patterns of the North Slope. Human activity is largely coastal or riverine, marked by the settlement at Alaktak and several remote outposts like Anakruak.

The coast along the Beaufort Sea reveals early Cold War-era infrastructure and traditional sites, such as the Aerodrome and Landing Strips at Pitt Point. The map records several transient or changing locations, including Kolovik (Aband) and Kokruagarok (Site), as well as a Winter Trail and Tractor Trail that provided the only overland access through this water-saturated terrain during the mid-twentieth century.