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2022 Map of Big A Mountain

Name: 2022 Topographic Map of Big A Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2022
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2022

About this map

Big A Mtn and the Tennessee Valley Divide define the high-relief landscape of this Appalachian region, where the border of Buchanan and Russell counties follows the primary ridgelines. The map reveals a dense network of family-named cemeteries and small hollows, indicative of the persistent kin-based settlement patterns characteristic of the Virginia coalfields. Communities like Council and Venia are connected by winding routes such as State Rte 600, which navigate around prominent terrain features like Combs Ridge and Stinson Ridge.

Evidence of local heritage is concentrated in the high number of burial grounds, including the Lockhart Chapel Cem and Independence Church, which serve the small clusters of homes along the creeks. The drainage patterns of Garden Creek and Hurricane Creek highlight how topography has historically dictated the placement of roads and homesteads in the narrow valleys beneath Sourwood Mtn and Indian Ridge.