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1957 Map of Charleston

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Charleston
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Kanawha River serves as the industrial and logistical spine of this West Virginia landscape, connecting concentrated urban centers like Charleston and South Charleston with the Ohio River at the northwestern edge. This mid-century view shows the region's complex transition from the industrial valley floor to the high elevations of the Allegheny Mountains. To the east, the vast expanse of the Monongahela National Forest dominates the terrain, punctuated by significant peaks such as Back Fork Mountain and Point Mountain.

Railroad networks including the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Baltimore and Ohio define the transportation corridors through narrow mountain passes and along riverbanks. Significant water control projects are evident at Summersville Lake and Sutton Res, while state-managed wilderness areas like Holly River State Park and Watoga State Park provide a counterpoint to the extraction-heavy river valleys. The map documents numerous smaller county seats such as Spencer and Fayetteville before modern interstate expansion altered local travel patterns.