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1959 Map of Golconda

Name: 1959 Topographic Map of Golconda
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1966
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1966

About this map

The Ohio River dominates this mid-century landscape, serving as the border between Illinois and Kentucky and a conduit for the region’s mineral wealth. In Pope and Hardin counties, the Shawnee National Forest covers much of the north, while industrial activity is centered on riverfront towns like Rosiclare and Elizabethtown. The presence of the Parkinson Mine, Austin Mine, and Bonanza Mines south of the river indicates a landscape heavily influenced by the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, where the extraction of ore shaped local settlement patterns.

Navigational infrastructure is prominent at Golconda, where Lock and Dam No 51 managed the river's flow before modern high-lift dams were common. Further south, the map details the rural Kentucky interior around Lola and Hampton, a region of family-named landmarks like Dooley Bluff and Lockhart Bluff. Small country churches, such as Loves Chapel and Wallace Chapel, are scattered throughout, providing a clear view of the social geography of these river communities during the late 1950s.