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1954 Map of Louellen

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Louellen
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The rugged coal and timber landscape of the Letcher and Harlan County border is defined here by the steep ridges of Pine Mountain and Black Mountain. In the mid-1950s, the economic life of the region followed the Cumberland River and Clover Fork, where a string of mining and rail towns—including Highsplint, Closplint, and Louellen—nestled in the narrow valley floors. The L & N Railroad serves as the industrial spine, with lines like the Louisville and Nashville connecting remote spurs to larger hubs.

Genealogists will find a wealth of specific local landmarks, from small family burial grounds like Riddle Cem and Smith Cem to the numerous mountain schools and churches that anchored these communities. Features such as the Bear Branch Sch and Hurricane Gap Ch illustrate the social geography of the hollows. The map also records the early impact of resource extraction, noting strip mines and various mine workings that characterize the terrain of the Cumberland area during this period of Kentucky’s industrial history.