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1950 Map of Mingo Mountains

Name: 1950 Topographic Map of Mingo Mountains
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1950
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1950

About this map

Log Mountains and the Mingo Mountains dominate this 1950 topographical study, revealing the deeply industrial and communal character of the Kentucky-Tennessee border. Small coal-driven settlements like Fork Ridge, Bryson, and Manring are connected by the L & N railroad lines that snake through Mingo Hollow and the Clear Fork valley. These communities, often located at the base of steep spurs like Moseley Spur and Whiteoak Spur, were supported by local institutions such as Union School and Monarch School.

In the southern reaches, the landscape softens into Powell Valley, where agricultural patterns replace the mining-heavy terrain of the north. This area is rich in genealogical markers, featuring numerous family burial grounds including Watson Cem and Yoakum Cem. The survey preserves the locations of rural landmarks like Rising Spring Church and the remote Cabin Hollow Church, providing a spatial record of the region's social fabric before modern developments altered these Appalachian foothills.