1936 Map of Ravensford

About this map

The Cherokee Indian Reservation defines this 1936 survey, which highlights the Qualla Tract and the community of Ravensford. This advance sheet, compiled from aerial photographs for the Tennessee Valley Authority, captures the area during the early development of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Settlement is concentrated along the river valleys, where the Oconaluftee River meets the Raven Fork. Local institutional life is marked by the presence of the Big Cove Sch and Piney Grove Ch, while numerous small watercourses like Sherrill Cove Branch and Pigeon Creek drain the surrounding slopes of Poplar Mountain Ridge. The mapping detail reflects a landscape in transition, where established tribal lands and small mountain homesteads began to border the expanding federal park system during the mid-1930s.