1902 Map of Cranberry

About this map

Mountain City and the surrounding Blue Ridge highlands are captured here during a pivotal era of industrial expansion and mountain tourism. The map documents the early railroad infrastructure of the region, specifically the Virginia and Southwestern Ry. and the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina R. R., which were vital for the timber and mineral extraction of the late 19th century. Settlement patterns follow the river valleys, with small hubs like Shoun Crossroads and Zionville serving as nodes in a network of mountain passes such as State Line Gap.