1955 Map of Umiat D-4

About this map

The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska dominates this 1955 survey of the North Slope, revealing a landscape defined by an intricate network of lakes, ponds, and wetlands. This remote Arctic terrain is bisected by the Kikiakrorak River, which winds northward through the tundra. The presence of the Winter Trail in the southern portion of the map indicates the seasonal nature of transportation and access in this region before the development of permanent infrastructure. The map also establishes the Umiat Principal Meridian, a critical surveying line for the administration of public lands in Northern Alaska. This document captures the wilderness state of the North Slope during the mid-fifties, just as the strategic importance of the petroleum reserve was being formalized for national resource management.