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1935 Map of Richwood

Name: 1935 Topographic Map of Richwood
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1969
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1969

About this map

Richwood sits at the confluence of the Fork Cherry River and the main Cherry River, serving as a vital hub for the timber and mining industries of Nicholas County. The 1930s landscape is defined by the heavy presence of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, which snakes through the valleys to reach industrial outposts like Quinwood and Marfrance. This era reflects a high density of rural infrastructure, with numerous one-room schools such as Bamboo School and Snow Hill School serving isolated mountain communities along the Nicholas Co Greenbrier Co line.

The eastern portion of the map is dominated by the Monongahela National Forest, where steep terrain is marked by family-named landmarks like Fury Knob and Coggins Knob. Small settlements such as Nettie and Fenwick anchor the western valleys, connected by a network of unimproved roads and light-duty trails. These details capture the transition of the West Virginia highlands from a wilderness into a productive resource frontier, where every hollow and ridge supported a school, a chapel, or a logging camp.