1977 Map of Crimora

About this map

The South River flows north through a valley defined by the steep slopes of the Blue Ridge in this 1977 orthophotograph. This aerial perspective, produced by the Geological Survey and the Soil Conservation Service, documents the rural agricultural and transport patterns around Crimora and Harriston. The landscape is sharply divided between the cultivated valley floor and the dense timber of the highlands, where Skyline Drive traces the ridge crest. Waterways such as Stull Run and Paine Run descend from the heights of Hall Mountain and Horsehead Mountain to feed the river system below. South of the main settlements, the community of Madrid sits near the headwaters of the S Fk Moormans River, illustrating the historic settlement patterns that followed the fertile lowlands adjacent to the mountain gaps.