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1967 Map of Gary

Name: 1967 Topographic Map of Gary
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Gary and its surrounding coal-producing settlements define the landscape of McDowell County in this detailed study. The geography is dominated by the winding path of the Norfolk and Western railroad, which threads through the valleys of the Tug Fork and its numerous tributaries to serve the intense industrial operations of the era. The map records a complex network of mines, mine dumps, and expansive strip mines that trace the ridges above Elbert and Filbert.

Away from the rail lines, the topography transitions into the steep terrain of Big Creek and Maxwell Gap. For genealogists and local historians, the sheet preserves the locations of smaller communities like Cucumber and Newhall along Jacobs Fork, as well as several rural cemeteries and isolated gas wells. These features illustrate the intersection of heavy industry and rural life in the West Virginia mountains during the late 1960s and 1970s.