Loading map...

1954 Map of Mayking

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Mayking
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Coal company maps and 1950s aerial photography inform this topographic record of Letcher County, where the North Fork Kentucky River and the Louisville and Nashville railroad tracks follow the winding valley floors. The landscape is a dense network of hollows and gaps, such as Sandlick Gap and Turkey Gap, which dictated the location of early mountain settlements and rural schoolhouses. A notable concentration of community infrastructure appears along the watercourses, including the Beaverdam Sch, Colson Sch, and Camp Branch Sch.

The industrial footprint of the mid-century era is evident in the rail spurs reaching toward settlements like Deane, Democrat, and Sergent. Beyond the larger communities, family-named branches like Crafts Colly Br and Webb Branch define the narrow habitable corridors between the steep ridges. High-elevation landmarks like the Lookout Tower near the Knott County line provided vital forest oversight in this heavily wooded portion of the Cumberland Plateau.