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1968 Map of Horse Gap

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Horse Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

The Blue Ridge escarpment dominates this 1968 survey of the borderlands between Ashe and Wilkes Counties. At the summit, the Blue Ridge Parkway winds through gaps like Alder Gap and Sheets Gap, while Meditation Way traces the high ridges near Horse Gap. Below the crest, the landscape is defined by the headwaters of the Reddies River, where the Middle Fork, North Fork, and South Fork converge.

Settlement patterns in the late 1960s reflect a deep-rooted rural community centered around small crossroads and family names. Locations like Vannoy and Shoe are surrounded by a network of local institutions, including Bethel Ch, Oak Grove Ch, and the Union Township Sch. The map also captures several cemeteries and the winding courses of Ebenezer Creek and Osborn Creek, offering a detailed view of the terrain before later modern development changed the character of these North Carolina hollows.