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1972 Map of Ironton

Name: 1972 Topographic Map of Ironton
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1977
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1977

About this map

The Ohio River serves as the industrial and geographic spine of this 1970s survey, separating the dense urban grid of Ironton from Kentucky communities like Raceland and Russell. The landscape reflects a complex layering of history, where the nineteenth-century iron industry is evidenced by the Vesuvius Furnace (Ruins) near Lake Vesuvius, while the modern era is defined by the Ashland-Boyd County Airport and the expanding residential tracts of Flatwoods.

Heavy industry and transport networks dominate the riverbanks, with the Chesapeake and Ohio and Ironton Northern railroads following the water's edge. North of the river, the Wayne National Forest covers much of the terrain, though it is heavily scarred by numerous Strip Mine operations. This juxtaposition between the conservation of the Vesuvius Recreation Area and active extraction highlights the region's long-standing economic reliance on its natural resources.