1968 Map of Crab Orchard

About this map

The rugged coal-country landscape of Raleigh County is defined by the steep ridges of Guyandotte Mountain and Shady Spring Mountain in the late 1960s. The region is a dense network of industrial development, where strip mines, mine dumps, and a tipple at Whitby illustrate the intense extraction occurring alongside residential communities. Transport for these operations is provided by the Norfolk and Western and Chesapeake and Ohio railroads, which wind through the narrow valleys following Piney Creek and Soak Creek. Local life centers around a string of settlements like Coal City, Lillybrook, and Sophia, with social landmarks including the Friendly Ch and Stoco High Sch. Modern infrastructure also marks the terrain, notably the West Virginia Turnpike and the Toll Road cutting through the northern hills near Fitzpatrick Park.