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2019 Map of Sams Gap

Name: 2019 Topographic Map of Sams Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2019
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2019

About this map

Cherokee National Forest and Pisgah National Forest meet at the high ridges of the Tennessee and North Carolina border, where the Appalachian National Scenic Trail winds through deep gaps and over prominent knobs. This 2019 survey documents the rugged geography of Sams Gap and Street Gap, providing a detailed look at the scattered mountain communities like Rice Bend, English, and Faust.

Family history is preserved through numerous rural burial grounds, including the Blankenship Cem and Shelton Cem, which sit alongside winding mountain roads like Flag Pond Rd and Puncheon Fork. The landscape is a complex network of narrow hollows and high points such as Sugarloaf Knob and Richland Mtn, illustrating the enduring isolation and topographical constraints that have shaped the settlement patterns of Unicoi and Madison counties for generations.