1967 Map of Howard NW

About this map

Sproul State Forest dominates this section of the Pennsylvania wilds, where the high plateau of Noyes Shoemaker Ridge is dissected by a dense network of mountain streams. In the late 1960s, this landscape was defined by the transition from natural drainage systems like Baker Run and Beech Creek to active industrial extraction. Evidence of the coal economy is visible near Eagleton Fields and along the southern edge of the sheet, where extensive Strip Mines are mapped adjacent to wetland features like Bear Swamp and the Old Tangascootack Swamp. This 1967 survey, with later revisions, shows the intricate web of forest service infrastructure including Smokehouse Trail and Eagleton Road that provided access to these high-elevation ridges. The map records a specific era of forest management and mining activity before modern reclamation efforts altered the topography of the North Fork Tangascootack Creek drainage.