The American Geographical Society's 1975 Map of the Arctic Region

Abstract

The American Geographical Society has a long history of involvement in exploration and mapping of the Arctic. These efforts culminated in the 1975 production of a detailed and highly acclaimed map of the Arctic at the scale of 1:5,000,000. This paper provides comprehensive information about the planning, design, compilation, and final printing of this document, the last single‐sheet map produced by . The narrative provides a slice of cartographic history at the dawn of computerized mapping.

Key words:

• American Geographical Society
• Arctic
• north polar region
• map production
• history of cartography

I wish to express my great appreciation to Frederick E. Nelson for his invitation to write this article and for his guidance in its preparation. I am particularly indebted to the expert assistance of the staff of the AGS Library at the University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee, to its Curator, Marcy Bidney, to Reference Librarian, Jovanka Ristic, and to Archivist, Robert Jaeger. Their help was crucial to document the history of the Arctic map project.

I wish to express my great appreciation to Frederick E. Nelson for his invitation to write this article and for his guidance in its preparation. I am particularly indebted to the expert assistance of the staff of the AGS Library at the University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee, to its Curator, Marcy Bidney, to Reference Librarian, Jovanka Ristic, and to Archivist, Robert Jaeger. Their help was crucial to document the history of the Arctic map project.

Notes

I wish to express my great appreciation to Frederick E. Nelson for his invitation to write this article and for his guidance in its preparation. I am particularly indebted to the expert assistance of the staff of the AGS Library at the University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee, to its Curator, Marcy Bidney, to Reference Librarian, Jovanka Ristic, and to Archivist, Robert Jaeger. Their help was crucial to document the history of the Arctic map project.

1. William Briesemeister's first map published by the Society was the tip‐in “Map of the United States Showing the Route of the Transcontinental Excursion of 1912” in Memorial Volume of the Transcontinental Excursion of 1912, facing page 44. Briesemeister was the longest‐serving member of the Society, from 1913 until 1964, mostly in the position of senior cartographer.

2. For a description of the map see Bulletin of the American Geographical Society 45 (8): 610–612.

3. A large‐scale version of this map hung on the wall behind the desk of Secretary‐General Dag Hammarskjöld throughout his tenure at the United Nations.

4. Williams & Heintz Map Corporation also printed the last cartographic project of the Society, the Ethnographic Atlas of Ifugao. Pinther completed the work on the atlas in 1979, two years after the closure of the cartographic department.

5. ERTS‐1 was launched on July 23, 1972.

6. For the final list of PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors, see “Specifications for Printing,” American Geographical Society Archives, AGS Library, University of Wisconsin‐Milwaukee, Box 140.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Miklos Pinther

Mr. Miklos Pinther Former Head, Cartographic Department, The American Geographical Society (1969‐1977). Former Chief Cartographer, The United Nations (1985‐2001); [[email protected]].