Loading map...

1966 Map of Clay City

Name: 1966 Topographic Map of Clay City
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

Clay City serves as the focal point of this 1966 survey, situated where the Red River cuts through the transition from valley floor to the forested uplands of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The landscape is a study in mid-century transportation and industrial relics, featuring the Mountain Parkway and a Toll Road dissecting the northern half of the sheet. Local genealogy interests are well-represented by the scattered settlements of Waltersville, Vaughns Mill, and Spout Springs, alongside landmarks like Eaton Cem and Vaughns Mill Ch.

The southern portion of the map reveals the legacy of Kentucky's early iron industry with the Cottage Furnace Ruins located near Mc Kinney Mountain. This area is defined by sharp topographic relief, including Sugarloaf Mountain, Iron Mountain, and the Buzzard Roost lookout. The map captures the interaction between these steep ridges and the drainages of Hardwick Creek and Mill Seat Creek, showing a rural network of unimproved roads and family-named branches typical of the eastern Kentucky foothills.