Laboratory and field tests of disturbed and undistrubed specimens of permafrost and active layer were conducted with the objective of determining the compressive strengths of the specimens at various temperatures, loading rates, and moisture contents. The specimens comprised several varieties of the following types of ground: coarse textured, sand, silt, loam, peat, and ice. The test specimens were cubes and nearly cubical prisms ranging in size from 2 to 10 cm on a side. The test temperatures ranged from +4 to -17 C, and the loading rates ranged from 1 kg per sq cm per min to instantaneous rupture load. The moisture content ranged from relatively low to considerable supersaturation. The compressive strength invariably increased with decreasing temperature. The effect of loading rate varied with each type of ground. Increase in moisture content up to saturation usually resulted in relatively higher strength, the actual variation depending on the particular type of ground. (Author).