2016 Map of McCloud

About this map

Bays Mountain and Cove Mountain dominate the topography of this corner of East Tennessee, where the ridgeline terrain of the Appalachians meets the winding waters of Cherokee Lake. The 2016 survey illustrates a landscape of deeply folded valleys including Webster Valley and Butcher Valley, which have historically dictated the placement of small rural communities like McCloud, Strahl, and Romeo. Local genealogy is well-represented through numerous family-named burial sites such as Patterson Cemetery, Brotherton Cemetery, and Everhart Cemetery. The map also captures the significance of water and low-lying landforms along the Holston River basin, including McKinneys Islands and McKinneys Shoals near Arnotts Island. The concentration of named hollows, from Copp Hollow to Heck Hollow, reflects a long-standing pattern of mountain settlement that persists alongside modern infrastructure like the four-lane Old Highway 66.