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1944 Map of Ridgway

Name: 1944 Topographic Map of Ridgway
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1944
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1944

About this map

Industrial rail corridors and deep-valley coal operations define this 1940s landscape in Elk County. The Clarion River and West Creek anchor the northern settlements of Johnsonburg and St. Marys, where the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Ohio railroads converge to support the region's manufacturing and timber heritage. To the south, the topography is dominated by the extraction economy of the Toby Mine and Kyler Mine, alongside small mining communities like Dagus Mines and Byrnedale.

Genealogists can locate specific local landmarks such as Decker Chapel and the Ridge Sch, while the rugged southern reaches transition into the Moshannon State Forest. The map captures the complex network of the Pittsburg Shawmut and Northern railroad as it winds through the narrow valleys of Toby Creek and Benninger Creek, linking isolated outposts like Brandy Camp and Horton City before the mid-century decline of these mountain rail lines.