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1913 Map of Pickens

Name: 1913 Topographic Map of Pickens
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1913
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1913

About this map

The Pickens settlement serves as a focal point for this 1913 survey, where the convergence of several specialized railroads underscores the era's intensive timber and resource extraction. The B & O RR is joined by the Alexander and Eastern RR, the Pickens and Hacker Valley RR, and the Chemical and Helvetia RR, forming a complex transportation network through the high-elevation terrain of Point Mountain and Elk Mountain.

Remote mountain life is evidenced by the distribution of small educational outposts like Lewis School and Morgan School, alongside scattered communities such as Palace Valley and Hacker Valley. The landscape is dominated by the headwaters of the Buckhannon River, including its Left Fork and Right Fork, as well as the Elk River. Features like the Big Laurel Thicket indicate the specific vegetative character of the high ridges where Upshur, Randolph, and Webster counties meet.