1963 Map of Panther

About this map

Tug Fork and the Norfolk and Western railway corridor define the rugged social and economic geography of this borderland between West Virginia and Virginia. In the early 1960s, the settlement of Panther serves as a focal point for the region's extractive industry, evidenced by numerous mines, a tipple, and a strip mine visible on the high ridges. The landscape is heavily marked by family genealogy, with a dense network of small burial grounds such as Robertson Cem, Lockhart Cem, and Mullins Cem dotting the hollows of the Sandy River Forest. Educational and spiritual life is anchored by local landmarks like the Trace Fork Sch and Little Zion Ch. The intricate topography of the Panther Ridge area is navigated via a system of deep-cut drainage branches, including Meredith Branch and Trap Fork, reflecting the isolated, hollow-based settlement patterns characteristic of the Appalachian coalfields.