1957 Map of Charleston

About this map

The State Capitol anchors the confluence of the Kanawha River and Elk River, serving as the urban heart of a landscape defined by the winding river valleys of the West Virginia coalfields and the western slopes of the Allegheny Mountains. This mid-century survey documents the transition from rail-dominated transport to the growing highway network, showing Interstate 64 and Interstate 77 carving through the plateau. In the eastern reaches, the dense topography of the Monongahela National Forest rises toward Spruce Knob, where the high-altitude headwaters of the Williams River and Gauley River begin their descent.