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1952 Map of Rockholds

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Rockholds
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1968
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1968

About this map

Rockholds and its surrounding mountain hollows appear in this mid-century survey as a landscape defined by small-scale coal extraction and rural subsistence. The Louisville and Nashville railroad tracks follow Watts Creek, providing the primary industrial link for this part of Whitley County. Numerous Strip Mines are mapped along the higher ridges, including Bunch Mountain and Chestnut Oak Mountain, signaling the shift toward surface mining in the post-war era.

Local life is anchored by a dense network of family-named landmarks and institutions. Genealogists can locate many namesake features like Brummett Ch, McNeil Cem, and Wells Sch, while the southern reaches of the map are defined by the winding course of the Cumberland River near Louden. The topography is intricate, with narrow hollows such as Imperial Hollow and Johnny Hollow housing small clusters of buildings and schools that reflect the distributed nature of mountain settlements before significant 20th-century consolidation.