1936 Map of Isabella

About this map

The industrial operations of the Tennessee Copper Company anchor this mid-1930s survey of the copper-rich region near the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The Isabella Mine, Eureka Mine, and the London Flotation Plant dominate the western landscape, linked by the Louisville and Nashville railroad. These mining hubs are surrounded by clustered worker settlements such as Isabella, Stewardtown, and McGeetown. Outside the industrial core, the landscape shifts to the managed timberlands of the Cherokee National Forest, where a network of small churches and schools served isolated rural communities. Features like New Hope Ch, Potato Creek Sch, and the remote Ledfords Store show the pattern of life in the mountains, while numerous gap crossings such as Pack Gap and Franklin Gap reveal the primary routes through the peaks of Angelico Mountain and Shotala Mountain.