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1951 Map of Quicksand

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Quicksand
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1953
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1953

About this map

The University of Kentucky Experimental Farm occupies a prominent horseshoe bend in the North Fork Kentucky River, illustrating the intersection of academic research and rural Appalachian agriculture in the early 1950s. This survey of Breathitt County reveals a landscape where deep hollows like Meatscaffold Branch and Sugarcamp Br are punctuated by numerous small family cemeteries, such as Marcum Heights Cem and Watkins Cem.

Industrial activity is evident through a series of gas wells, some already marked inactive, and the vital transport corridor of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad following the riverbank. Settlements like Quicksand and Noctor serve as hubs for community life, anchored by numerous country churches and schools including the Rehoboth Mtn Mission and Strong Fork Sch. The presence of the Frozen Lookout Tower atop the high ridges underscores the era's focus on forest management in the heavily wooded terrain of the Cumberland Plateau.