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1909 Map of Elkins

Name: 1909 Topographic Map of Elkins
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1942
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1942

About this map

Elkins serves as the central hub of this 1907 survey, where the Western Maryland RR and Coal and Iron Ry converge to manage the region's timber and mineral wealth. The landscape is defined by the steep parallel ridges of Laurel Ridge and Rich Mountain, with the Tygart River winding through the valley floor. Settlement is dense with small schoolhouses and country churches that anchored early twentieth-century rural life, such as Hazelwood School and Oriana Church.

Tracing the path of the Staunton and Parkerburg Pike reveals the historic overland route across the mountains, while the boundaries of the Monongahela National Forest begin to encroach upon the eastern highlands near Shavers Mountain. From the industrial activity at Coalton to the remote heights of Amboden Knob, the map documents a transition from pioneer homesteading to a structured railroad-and-resource economy.