2019 Map of Jewell Ridge

About this map

Jewell Ridge straddles the high mountain border between Buchanan and Tazewell counties, serving as a focal point for a landscape defined by deep hollows and narrow ridges. The settlement pattern follows the steep topography, with homes and roads clinging to heights like Smith Ridge and Reynolds Ridge, while others are tucked into valleys along Dismal Cr near Whitewood. This 2019 survey documents a region where community history is etched into the terrain through numerous family and local burial grounds, including Company Cem and Stevenson Cem. Significant geographic features like Jewell Valley and the prominent Wolfpen Knob illustrate the complex drainage systems of the Cumberland Plateau, where waters from the W Fork Big Cr and Jones Fork carve through the coal-bearing strata of Southwest Virginia.