1957 Map of Isabella

About this map

Industrial mining activity and religious landmarks define the landscape at the Tennessee North Carolina border. The Isabella Mine and Eureka Mine anchor a region dominated by copper extraction, featuring the London Flotation Plant and a sprawling Tailings pond that signify the heavy industrial footprint on the Basin Creek watershed. This extraction economy is starkly contrasted by the prominent religious site of Fields of the Wood, where a large-scale Ten Commandments display is carved into the hillside. Small mountain communities like Isabella, Threewit, and Burger Town are connected by the Louisville and Nashville railroad. The topography is defined by high ridges such as Shinbone Mountain and Pack Mountain, which separate the industrial basin from the protected lands of the Cherokee National Forest and Nantahala National Forest.