1936 Map of Roden Gap

About this map

Sand Mountain dominates this portion of the Alabama landscape, where the Tennessee Basin meets a prominent geographic Divide. Surveyed in the mid-1930s, the map reveals a sparsely populated upland region characterized by small rural settlements and scattered watercourses like Coal Branch and Carter Branch. The local community's social structure is anchored by educational landmarks, including Carter Sch near the northern boundary and Marcus Sch further south. The settlement at Wallace and the passage at Roden Gap provide key reference points for researchers tracing the early 20th-century development of the DeKalb and Etowah county line. This document reflects a moment when the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Geological Survey were beginning to systematically chart the more isolated stretches of the Appalachians using modern aerial photography.