1961 Map of Noland Creek

About this map

Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Nantahala National Forest converge on this 1961 survey, showing a landscape transformed by the waters of the Fontana Lake reservoir. The junction of the Tuckasegee River and the Little Tennessee River is submerged here, with several floating moorages like Alarka Dock and Greasy Branch Dock serving the recreation-based economy of the mid-century. Genealogists can locate family burial grounds such as McClure Cem and Jenkins Cem, which remain as markers of the communities established before the terrain was flooded. Steep ridges such as Forney Ridge and Welch Ridge tower over the shoreline, leading up to landmarks like the High Rocks Lookout Tower. The map also captures the settlement of Bushnell and the rural congregation at Mt Zion Ch.