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1963 Map of Prater

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Prater
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Prater and Vicey sit within a landscape defined by the deep valleys of Russell Prater Creek and its many tributaries, such as Greenbrier Creek and Pawpaw Creek. The 1963 survey, updated with late-1970s aerial data, reveals a community structure tied to these hollows, where small settlements like Viers and Leemaster are joined by a network of country churches and schools. Local history is recorded in the names of landmarks like Butcherknife Br, Painter Lick Br, and Tilda Anderson Branch.

Resource extraction is a visible layer of this terrain, with strip mines located near Poplar Gap and Lovers Gap. The boundary between Buchanan and Dickenson counties cuts through the center of the sheet, dividing various family cemeteries and church sites, including Upper Greenbrier Ch and the Lower Greenbrier Sch. High points like Johnson Flats and the ridge featuring a Lookout Tower near the Grundy Airport overlook the complex drainage system of the Russell Fork.