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1927 Map of Big Junction

Name: 1927 Topographic Map of Big Junction
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1927
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1927

About this map

Tellico River and the Beaverdam River define the lower elevations of this high-mountain borderland between Tennessee and North Carolina. At the time of this Tennessee Valley Authority survey, the area was largely managed as the Cherokee National Forest and Nantahala National Forest. The map documents a primitive network of ridge-top paths and gaps that connected remote outposts such as Whigg Cabin, located just below Haw Knob.

The terrain is characterized by a series of long, named leads and knobs, including Sassafras Ridge and the McNabb Lead. Genealogists and historians can trace the precise state line as it weaves through landmarks like Big Junction, Mitchell Lick, and Hogjaw Gap. Water sources are densely mapped, from the South Fork Citico Creek in the north to the Santeetlah Creek headwaters in the east, illustrating the complex hydrology of these southern Appalachian watersheds before modern road development.