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1951 Map of Salem

Name: 1951 Topographic Map of Salem
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1951
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1951

About this map

Elk River flows through the heart of this North Alabama landscape, its southern reaches transformed by the Wheeler Reservoir. The terrain is defined by a dense network of hollows, such as Buzzard Roost Hollow and Patterson Hollow, which feed into Shoal Creek and other local tributaries. The map documents a rural community centered around small crossroads and family landmarks, including the Elk River Fish Hatchery and multiple country stores like Maple Store.

Genealogists and local historians will find a wealth of specific identifiers, from the cluster of churches like Mt Moriah Ch and St Mark Ch to numerous burial grounds including Grigsby Cem and Cunningham Cem. The settlement pattern of the early 1950s is preserved here, showing the distribution of schools such as West Limestone Sch and Red Hill Sch along the winding roads connecting Gourdsville and Cross Key.