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1959 Map of Fork Ridge

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Fork Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1973
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1973

About this map

Cumberland Mountain and the Log Mountains dominate this 1959 topographic survey, revealing a landscape defined by deep-vein and surface mining at the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Industrial activity is concentrated along the narrow valleys, where the Louisville and Nashville and Southern railroads serve mining communities like Capito, Fork Ridge, and Manring. The numerous strip mines and tipples etched into the hillsides alongside Mingo Hollow and Cabin Hollow illustrate the intensive coal extraction of the era.

For genealogists and local historians, the map identifies several rural institutions and burial grounds that served these dispersed settlements. Sites like Bennetts Fork Ch, Powell Valley Sch, and the Alexander Cem are clearly marked, alongside landmarks such as Chimney Rocks and Arch Rock. The interface between the steep ridges and the Town Valley Ridge shows a pattern of development where every accessible hollow was utilized for either transport or industry.