Loading map...

1940 Map of Hot Springs

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Hot Springs
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1991
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1991

About this map

The French Broad River carves a deep valley through the Bald Mountains on this 1940 survey, which was later updated with 1988 aerial data. The resort town of Hot Springs serves as the focal point, situated at a bend in the river where the Southern railroad line follows the water's edge. This transport corridor was essential for the area's development, connecting remote river settlements like Runion and Stackhouse.

Upland from the river, the landscape is defined by family-named landmarks and rural institutions that mark the social history of the Tennessee and North Carolina borderlands. Small congregations at Hurricane Chapel and Pine Spring Ch provided community hubs, while the Rich Mtn Lookout Tower atop Rich Mtn monitored the expansive Cherokee National Forest. The presence of several family burial grounds, including Lamb Cem and Haire Cem, offers significant detail for genealogists tracing mountain residents from the early to mid-twentieth century.