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1953 Map of Big Creek

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Big Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Red Bird River winds through this central Kentucky landscape, carving a deep valley that serves as the primary corridor for settlement in the early 1950s. Small mountain communities like Big Creek and Eriline are connected by narrow roads following the water, while numerous country schools such as Jacks Creek Sch and Bear Branch Sch dot the various forks and branches. The terrain reveals the early impact of extractive industry, with several Strip Mines and Strip Mine operations appearing on the slopes near Ulysses Creek.

Further south, the community of Peabody and the Peabody Sch anchor the area around Big Double Creek. The map captures a transition in land use, where traditional hillside farming and isolated homesteads are increasingly interrupted by industrial sites and Gas Well locations. This survey is a detailed record of Clay and Leslie counties before modern infrastructure altered the reach of these mountain hollows.