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1954 Map of Mayking

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

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

The Kentucky River and the Louisville and Nashville railroad corridor define the valley floor in this mid-century portrait of Letcher County. The landscape is characterized by its intense industrial activity, with extensive strip mines and mines etched into the ridges above settlements like Mayking, Sergent, and Thornton. This survey is particularly rich for genealogical research, documenting numerous rural education and spiritual centers including Colson Sch, Beaverdam Sch, and Camp Branch Chapel.

Regional infrastructure is anchored by the Whitesburg Municipal Airport in the west, while the terrain is marked by a series of high passes like Logan Gap and Sandlick Gap. Small hamlets and named hollows such as Southdown and Deane are connected by a web of creeks and branches, including Rockhouse Creek and Thornton Creek, showing the traditional mountain settlement patterns existing alongside large-scale coal operations.