Field surveying and topographic mapping in Alaska: 1947-83

Abstract

The U.S. Geological Survey's earliest presence in Alaska dates back to 1889. A decade later, topographic mapping became an integral part of the Geological Survey's Alaska program, mostly as reconnaissance-type mapping and special-purpose mapping of specific sites. It was not until after World War II that the Survey's Alaska topographic mapping efforts began to bear fruit. This circular retraces surveying and topographic mapping by the Geological Survey in Alaska from 1947 to 1983 and describes camp life and some of the unusual happenings involved in working in virtually uninhabited country, adverse weather, and difficult terrain. A year-by-year recap of activities documents the transition from early small-scale mapping efforts to more accurate and detailed 1:63,360-scale mapping for Alaska except the Aleutian Islands and isolated islands in the Bering Sea. Recent 1:25,000-scale metric mapping and the preparation of orthophotographs and special mapping efforts for other Government agencies also are recounted.