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1940 Map of Alarka

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Alarka
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1957
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1957

About this map

Nantahala National Forest dominates this 1940 field examination, where the high ridges of the Cowee Mountains and Nantahala Mountains converge at the Swain and Macon County line. The Little Tennessee River snakes through the southern portion of the quadrangle, punctuated by Dean Island and structural crossings like Lost Bridge and McCoy Bridge. Small communities and family homesteads are concentrated in the creek bottoms, particularly along Alarka Creek and Cowee Creek.

Genealogists will find a wealth of specific landmarks, from the Etna and Wests Mill post offices to numerous rural burial grounds such as Tabor Cem and Shepherd Cem. The prevalence of small, named educational and religious institutions, including White Oak Sch and Mt Vernon Ch, illustrates the distributed nature of mountain life before mid-century modernization consolidated these local centers. The terrain is marked by distinctive peaks like Pinnacle Knob and Blackrock Knob, which served as critical landmarks for navigating the steep gaps of the Charleston district.