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1947 Map of Cox Gap

Name: 1947 Topographic Map of Cox Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1984
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1984

About this map

The county seat of Ashville sits at the western edge of this topographic study, where the foothills of the Appalachians transition into a series of strictly parallel ridges. The landscape is defined by the striking northeast-to-southwest alignment of the Canoe Creek Mountains, Hines Mountain, and Beaver Creek Mountains. This corrugated terrain dictated the settlement patterns of the post-war era, forcing roads and small communities into narrow valleys carved by Big Canoe Creek, Beaver Creek, and Shoal Creek.

Genealogists will find a wealth of rural landmarks, particularly along the valley floors where numerous country churches served as the social anchors for scattered homesteads. Named crossings through the high ridges, such as Looney Gap and Cox Gap, indicate the historic routes connecting these isolated valleys. From the waters of Morgan Lake in the north to Borders Lake in the south, the map documents a late 1940s rural economy deeply tied to the natural contours of St. Clair County.