1968 Map of Keen Mountain

About this map

Keen Mountain serves as the central anchor for this 1960s study of Buchanan County's extractive landscape, where the Norfolk and Western railroad winds through the deep hollows of the Appalachian Plateau. The map documents an intensive era of energy production, evidenced by numerous strip mines and gas wells scattered across Henry Ridge and Dung Ridge. Small mountain communities such as Pilgrims Knob, Marvin, and Grimsleyville are situated along the narrow valley floors of the Levisa Fork and its tributaries. Local social geography is detailed through the placement of the Contrary Sch, Antioch Ch, and several family cemeteries. In the southern portion of the quadrangle, the meeting of the Buchanan, Russell, and Tazewell county lines at Shortt Gap highlights the political boundaries defined by these prominent ridges and gaps.