Caption

Alaska: Far North frontier. Copyright 1959 R. Klengston Rude
Color pictorial map of Alaska, published the year Alaska officially became the 49th state of the United States of America. Showing rivers, straits, sounds, towns, mountain ranges (drawn in aerial perspective), glaciers (shaded white), and existing and proposed highways. The map is richly illustrated with naturalistic depictions of wildlife, agricultural products, historical landmarks, oil fields and fisheries. Along the left and right sides, six circular illustrations highlight important events in Alaskan history beginning with Vitus Bering's 1741 explorations and ending with Alaska statehood in 1959. A compass rose over the Gulf of Alaska incorporates the American and Alaskan flags. Includes a section of the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories to the east, which are depicted in less detail and dominated by a large illustration of a Native American totem pole. The map border is rendered in a geometric beadwork design, inspired by artwork of indigenous Northwest Coast tribes.