Description:
Photos of Bill Patton taken during his interview and from his personal collection
Project:
Bill Patton, Jr.
Born in Vancouver, Canada, Bill Patton came to Alaska in 1948 as a geologist working for the US Geological Survey in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. Bill has done geologic exploration and mapping throughout Alaska for the US Geological Survey, but has particular expertise in the Brooks Range and the North Slope. In 1951, he was part of a geological mapping expedition that traversed the Brooks Range by tracked vehicle, and he continued to do remote fieldwork in the region for many years.