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1949 Map of Mason Ridge

Name: 1949 Topographic Map of Mason Ridge
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1964
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1964

About this map

The Tennessee River dominates this landscape, widened into Wheeler Lake following the construction of Wheeler Dam. The 1949 field examination reveals a complex river-and-wetland environment managed as the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. In addition to natural features like Goose Pond and Rockhouse Pond, the map shows the specialized Blackwell Dewatering Area, indicating a sophisticated system of water management along the river's edge.

Settlement patterns in this part of northern Alabama are largely rural and community-focused. Local life centers around family-named points like Swancott, Brooksville, and Echols Crossroads, and a dense network of country churches including Mt Zion Ch and Little Zion Church. For genealogists, the map is an exceptional resource, recording numerous burial grounds such as Huxley Cem, Zeitler Cem, and the Ashford Cem. The terrain shifts from the river bottomlands to the elevated peaks of Turkey Mountain and the namesake Mason Ridge, where numerous springs like Blue Spring and McCoskey Spring feed the valley floor.