1950 Map of Kitzmiller

About this map

Backbone Mountain dominates this landscape along the Maryland and West Virginia border, where the North Branch Potomac River snakes through a deep valley carved by coal and rail. In the early 1950s, the region was a bustling network of mining settlements and company towns. Industrial activity is evident in the strip mines dotting the ridges above Vindex and Manor Hill. The Baltimore and Ohio railroad serves as the primary artery, connecting communities like Kitzmiller, Blaine, and Chaffee that cling to the riverbanks.