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1919 Map of Harlan

Name: 1919 Topographic Map of Harlan
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1919
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1919

About this map

The Cumberland River and its major tributary, the Poor Fork, carve through the heart of the Cumberland Mountains, defining the development of this coal-rich region during the early twentieth century. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad parallels these waterways, serving as the industrial backbone for a string of company towns and settlements including Wallins Creek, Kitts, Coxton, and the county seat of Harlan.

Detailed topographic work reveals the complex ridge-and-valley system of Pine Mountain and Black Mountain, where local life is anchored in narrow hollows. Beyond the rail lines, rural infrastructure is marked by labels like Pine Branch School and the combined Wood Sta Blackjoe PO. Notable landmarks such as Salt Trace Gap and Potato Hill Ridge provide geographic context for family names and early land claims found throughout the Kentucky highlands.