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2016 Map of Barthell

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Barthell
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area dominates this section of the Cumberland Plateau, where the Big South Fork Cumberland River carves a deep path through McCreary County. This landscape is defined by its complex topography of ridges and hollows, such as Mine Ten Ridge and Alum Cave Hollow, which historically dictated the placement of small mining and logging communities. Settlements like Blue Heron and Barthell are centers of local history, while more isolated locations like Co-Operative and White Oak Junction show the traditional patterns of upland habitation.

Family history is deeply etched into the terrain through numerous small burial grounds, including Chitwood Cem, Nancy Grave Cem, and Winchester Cem. The area within the Daniel Boone National Forest contains striking geologic features like the Natural Bridge, situated near Roaring Paunch Creek. The network of creeks—from Wolf Creek to Jones Branch—fed the river system that once drove the regional economy, now preserved as a massive protected corridor.