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1900 Map of Fort Payne

Name: 1900 Topographic Map of Fort Payne
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1918
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1918

About this map

Manitou Cave and the ridge-and-valley topography of northeastern Alabama define this late 19th-century survey. The landscape is marked by a transition from the elevated plateaus down to the Coosa River and the Chattanooga River, where a network of water-based transit supported local commerce. Numerous river crossings like Lawson Ford, Wood Ferry, and Baskin Ferry highlight how the population moved through the valley before modern bridges became common.

Smaller family-run operations like Santy Mills, Longshore Mill, and Fisher Mill are scattered throughout the quadrangle, illustrating the localized milling economy of the era. The presence of the Southern R. R. running parallel to the ridges connects established settlements such as Fort Payne and Collinsville, while smaller hamlets like Tenbroeck and Ophir represent the agrarian communities that once dotted the foothills of the Appalachian range.