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2020 Map of Salem

Name: 2020 Topographic Map of Salem
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2020
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2020

About this map

The Elk River winds through the borderlands of Giles County, Tennessee, and Limestone County, Alabama, defining a landscape of deeply cut hollows and high ridges. Significant historical nodes such as Gourdsville, Leggtown, and Salem anchor a network of rural roads that follow the terrain, connecting family-named landmarks like Gaston Hollow and Patterson Hollow. The area is notably dense with small family and community burial grounds, including the McKinney Cem Number 1, Hancock Grigory Cem, and Dupree Cem, providing essential primary-source data for genealogists and local historians.

Hydrological features dominate the southern portion of the map, where the river widens near Gallus Island and flows toward Wheeler Reservoir. Traces of earlier commerce and river navigation are visible at Chickasaw Shoals and the Spencer Store site. The complex topography is further characterized by dramatic features such as the Winding Stair Bluff and Gray Ridge, while springs like Beasley Spring and Gaston Spring mark the sources of the many creeks that feed the primary river system.