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1958 Map of Garretts Bend

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Garretts Bend
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The remote hill country at the intersection of Lincoln, Putnam, and Kanawha Counties comes into focus through this 1958 survey, updated in the 1970s. The settlement of Garretts Bend serves as a local hub near Elizabeth Ch, while the landscape is defined by an intricate network of narrow hollows and ridge-line trails. The area is dense with community markers of a previous generation, including numerous one-room schoolhouses like Sunnydale Sch and Highland Sch, and several rural sanctuaries such as Mt Moriah Ch and Good Hope Ch.

The presence of an extensive Pipeline network and numerous oil wells across districts like Curry and Duval indicates the persistent extractive industry that shaped the local economy. Waterways such as Trace Fork and Lefthand Fork dictate the settlement patterns, with homes and cemeteries like Nelson Cem tucked into the narrow valleys. This map provides a valuable record for genealogists tracking families in the vicinity of Tango or Rocky Knob before modern development altered these traditional Appalachian communities.