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1957 Map of Chattanooga

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Chattanooga
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

Chattanooga and the surrounding Tennessee Valley are defined here by a massive hydraulic and industrial footprint, reflecting mid-century growth along the Tennessee River. The landscape is dominated by a sequence of reservoirs including Watts Bar Lake, Chickamauga Lake, and Melton Hill Lake, which transformed the river into a navigable power source for the region. To the north, the secretive Cold War expansion of Oak Ridge is established near the Clinch River, while the Volunteer Ordnance Works sits near the city center, marking the era's heavy military-industrial presence.

Transportation networks follow the natural corridors of the Cumberland Plateau and Walden Ridge, with the Southern Ry and Louisville and Nashville RR hauling goods between manufacturing hubs like Cleveland, Athens, and McMinnville. From the protected grounds of Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park to the high elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains, this survey records a period of intense transition as interstate highways began to parallel the older rail lines.