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1968 Map of Keen Mountain

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Keen Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The extractive industrial landscape of the Buchanan Co coalfields is documented here in the late 1960s, showing a terrain defined by extensive Strip Mine operations. The Norfolk and Western railway follows the winding path of the Levisa Fork, serving the coal tipples and mines that anchor local communities like Keen Mountain and Grimsleyville. This period of development shows the tight relationship between the region's steep topography and its mining economy, with settlements and roads clustered in narrow gaps such as Shortt Gap and Bill Young Gap.

Away from the primary valley, local life is traced through landmarks like Cook School, Antioch Church, and the Lookout Tower atop Keen Mountain. Smaller hamlets like Roth and Pilgrims Knob sit alongside watercourses such as Dismal Creek and Garden Creek, providing clear evidence of the historic settlement patterns in this part of southwestern Virginia before modern highway expansions altered the rural character.