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1960 Map of Bens Run

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Bens Run
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1970
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1970

About this map

Baltimore and Ohio rail lines trace the eastern bank of the Ohio River in this 1960s study of the Pleasants County riverfront. The landscape is defined by the sharp contrast between the industrial river corridor and the winding, deep-cut valley of Middle Island Creek to the south. Near the settlement of Bens Run, infrastructure like Lock and Dam No 16 and a Salt Evaporator Res indicate a landscape shaped by both navigation and resource extraction.

Further inland, the map captures a network of rural ridge-top communities and valley outposts. Small country churches and burial grounds, such as Oak Grove Ch and Beech Run Cem, are scattered across Pleasant Ridge and Federal Ridge. The presence of numerous unnamed oil wells and the Gas Well near Point Lookout points to the continued importance of the Appalachian basin's energy resources during the mid-century era.