Loading map...

1952 Map of Block

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Block
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1988
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1988

About this map

The Southern Railway winds through this 1952 topographic study, tracing the rugged topography of the Campbell County and Scott County line. The landscape is defined by the heavy footprint of industrial resource extraction, with numerous Strip Mines and several locations simply labeled Strip Mine peppered across the ridges. These industrial operations sit alongside small mountain communities like Smoky Junction and Turley, connected by the rails and the winding course of the New River.

Deep in the Cumberlands, the map reveals the cultural geography of isolated mountain settlements, from the Antioch Church near Montgomery to the Round Rock Cemetery in the southeast. Large tracts of land are designated as the Koppers Wildlife Management Area, spanning high points like Hurricane Mountain and Pine Bald. This survey captures the transition of the region's economy, where traditional hollow life centered on Smoky Creek and Straight Fork met the expanding reach of large-scale surface mining.