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1959 Map of Chelsea

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Chelsea
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1989
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1989

About this map

Oak Mountain State Park anchors the northwestern portion of this Shelby County landscape, where the ridges of Double Oak Mountain and Valley Ridge dictate the settlement patterns of the late 1950s. The community of Chelsea serves as a local hub along the Seaboard Coast Line railroad, which cuts through the mountainous terrain at gaps like The Narrows. Rural life is centered around a network of small churches and schools, including New Hope Ch and Pleasant Valley Ch.

Water features like Oak Mountain Lake and Yellowleaf Creek drain the valleys between the high ridges of New Hope Mtn and Locust Ridge. Researchers can trace the development of small settlements like Simmsville and East Saginaw before later suburban expansion. The map provides a detailed view of the regional topography, from the spillway at Oak Mountain Lake to the various branches of South Fork Yellowleaf Creek.