1946 Map of Big Ridge

About this map

The Tuckasegee River winds through this section of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a landscape dominated by the extensive timberlands of the Nantahala National Forest. The geography here is defined by high-elevation ridges and a complex system of water management, visible in the sequence of reservoirs including Cedar Cliff Lake, Bear Creek Lake, and Thorpe Lake. These man-made bodies of water altered the natural flow of the river and its tributaries like Dismal Creek and Wolf Creek during the mid-20th century.