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1936 Map of Cove Creek Gap

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Cove Creek Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1936
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1936

About this map

Waterville Lake and the winding Pigeon River dominate this 1936 landscape, where the Tennessee Valley Authority was actively shaping the region's infrastructure. The map reveals a mountain economy transitioning toward electrification, evidenced by the prominent hydro-electric power transmission lines cutting across Cataloochee Mountain and White Oak Mountain. These utility corridors run alongside traditional settlements and family landmarks such as Shelton Laurel and Chestnut Flats.

For genealogists and local historians, the sheet is exceptionally detailed, noting several rural institutions that served these isolated communities before the expansion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Small community centers like Pigeon Ch and White Oak Ch appear near family burial grounds including Clark Cem and Teague Cem. Educational life is represented by the Mt Sterling Sch, Big Bend Sch, and Redman Sch, providing a rare look at the social geography of Haywood County during the mid-1930s.