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1959 Map of Chattanooga

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Chattanooga
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1959
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1959

About this map

Chattanooga serves as the focal point for this mid-century look at Southeast Tennessee, where the Tennessee River snakes through the high ridges of the Cumberland Plateau and Walden Ridge. The landscape is dominated by the Tennessee Valley Authority's massive hydroelectric projects, including the wide expanses of Chickamauga Lake, Watts Bar Reservoir, and Fort Loudoun Reservoir. This era captures the region's complex infrastructure of major rail lines like the Southern Ry and Louisville & Nashville RR alongside expanding federal highways.

From the heights of Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain to the depths of the Sequatchie Valley, the map details a region transitioning between heavy industrial hubs and protected wilderness. The extensive boundaries of the Cherokee National Forest and Nantahala National Forest flank the eastern edge, while the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park preserves the Civil War legacy surrounding Missionary Ridge.