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1950 Map of Life

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Life
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1952
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1952

About this map

The Tennessee Valley Divide crests through this 1950s landscape, splitting the drainage between the Beech River system to the north and the Middle Fork Forked Deer River to the south. This rural Tennessee environment is punctuated by institutional landmarks like the Poorhouse and the County Farm Cem, reflecting mid-century social structures in a landscape otherwise defined by small farming communities and family plots. Small schools, including Laster Sch and Life Sch, are scattered along the ridge tops and creek valleys, serving localized settlements such as Life and Palestine.

Transportation is anchored by the Nashville Chattanooga and St Louis RR in the northern portion of the quadrangle, which passes near the hamlet of Stegall. The agricultural character of the region is further evidenced by a network of drainage canals, including the Middle Fork Drainage Canal, designed to manage the bottomlands. Numerous cemeteries like Chapel Hill Cem and Mullins Cem provide significant genealogical touchpoints for local family histories.