1951 Map of Guage

About this map

Quicksand Creek winds through this section of the Kentucky coalfields, forming the primary artery for small settlements like Guage and Rousseau. The landscape is defined by a dense network of hollows and forks, where local life centered around rural institutions such as the Big Caney Ch and numerous mountain schools, including the Wolf Creek Sch and Richie Sch. The map reveals a deeply personal geography, with family names attached to nearly every topographic feature and burial ground, from the Crafts Cems on the ridges to the Mc Quinn Cem near the creek beds. At Camp Lewis, the terrain levels slightly, providing a rare communal space amidst the steep drainages of Caney Creek and Calhoun Fork. This document preserves the locations of early 1950s farmsteads and rural infrastructure just as the region’s traditional settlement patterns remained firmly intact.