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1968 Map of Richlands

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Richlands
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Coal-mining infrastructure and tight valley settlements characterize this portion of the Appalachian landscape in the late 1960s. The Clinch River winds through the center of the sheet, followed closely by the Norfolk and Western railway which services the industrial activity at Red Ash, Raven, and Doran. Evidence of the region’s extractive economy is visible in several locations, including a Strip Mine along Road Ridge and a Mine Dump near the settlement of Zeal.

Community life is centered around the larger town of Richlands, which includes localized infrastructure like the Richlands Airport, the Radio Tower (WRIC), and Richlands High Sch. To the south, the terrain rises sharply toward the heights of Kents Ridge and House and Barn Mountain, creating a distinct natural boundary that separates the river valley's development from the more rural valleys of the Little River and Indian Creek.