This color, silent film “Introduction to the Arctic” was created as part of a series of five films. They document a U.S. Navy effort to exploit petroleum reserves in Alaska territory, specifically an area identified as PET 4 or Petroleum Reserve No. 4. The film shows some of the Eskimo people of Alaska as well as drilling operations. Copyright date is November 1948. The film was produced under the auspices of the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves, which conducted exploration for oil in Alaska starting in 1944 and extending into 1953. The commanding officer involved as Cdr. John C. Reed, USNR, a geologist formerly of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Opening titles: U.S. Navy Photographic Report – U.S. Naval Arctic Operations – Introduction to the Arctic (Pet 4) (:08). Title: Names of some of the men who have ventured to the Arctic (1:16). Map shows the Arctic (1:47). Alaska/Naval Petroleum Reserve on the Map (2:05). Texas fits into Alaska, size wise, and how big Alaska is compared to the continental U.S.A. (2:44). Coastal, Sub-Arctic, and Arctic regions of Alaska (3:02). Brooks Mountain Range in Alaska (3:19). Ocean water off Alaska (3:43). Snow (4:03). Permafrost – a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year (4:37). Ocean water with heavy snow and ice on the nearby shore (5:08). Grass and flowers in Alaska (5:48). Animals roam the grass (6:36). Bears and seals (6:48). Picturesque Alaska (7:18). Eskimo child and father (7:28). Homes and huts of the Eskimo people (7:47). Eskimo puts on a fur jacket (8:14). Eskimos head outside (9:03). Eskimo heads for an igloo (9:30). Eskimo works on a boat; another walks (9:42). A bird is skinned by an Eskimo (9:53). Sled dogs guide an Eskimo on his sled (10:33). A man uses a kayak on the water (10:49). Igloos in the snow (11:06). Sled dogs pull an Eskimo (11:21). Men move boxes around, some are labeled glass (11:31). Men dress up in layers of clothing to combat the elements (12:00). A man puts on a huge fur jacket (13:28). Men shovel snow near barrels (13:52). A man gets into a bulldozer (14:09). Men eat at a table indoors (14:34). Bulldozers head out in the snow (15:07). A small plane takes off from the ice (15:24). Different planes; ships on the sea (15:36). A larger jet takes off on the snow (16:01). Eskimo laborers outside (16:07). Men work on a bulldozer as cargo is unloaded from a plane; they are here to drill for oil in a reserve (1618). Snowcats move slowly across the snow (17:00). End credits (17:12).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com