2016 Map of Balkan

About this map

Pine Mountain dominates the center of this mountain landscape, which is divided by the winding course of the Cumberland River and Straight Creek. The settlement pattern follows the narrow valley floors, where communities like Balkan, Callaway, and Miracle are linked by local routes such as Martha Lock Brock Rd and Peach Blossom Rd. This 2016 survey documents a terrain deeply etched by family-named hollows and gaps, including Blind John Taylor Gap and Moccasin Gap. Local history is preserved in numerous upland cemeteries, such as the Kettle Island Cem and Tacket Hill Cem, which sit above the residential clusters and river bends. The map shows the distinct border between Bell Co and Harlan Co as it cuts across the ridges of the eastern Kentucky coalfields.