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1943 Map of Big Spring

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Big Spring
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1946
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1946

About this map

Chickamauga Reservoir dominates this 1940s landscape, reflecting the massive transformation of the Tennessee River valley during the early TVA era. The waters surround the large Hiwassee Island and back into numerous tributaries like Richland Creek and Mud Creek. This period shows the transition from river-dependent commerce to a managed waterway, evidenced by the Cotton Port Ferry crossing still in operation near the Malaria Control Base.

Family history is preserved through dozens of scattered landmarks, from the Shaver Cem and Hood Cem to community centers like Big Spring and Burkett Sch. The presence of William Jennings Bryan University in the northwest corner highlights the area's cultural anchors. The map meticulously records the rugged topography of Mt Carmel Ridge and numerous small hollows, providing a precise record of the shoreline before decades of further development altered these rural Meigs County reaches.