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1940 Map of Santeetlah Creek

Name: 1940 Topographic Map of Santeetlah Creek
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1963
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1963

About this map

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and the Nantahala National Forest dominate this 1940 field examination of the North Carolina high country. The map specifically notes the presence of land tracts belonging to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, such as Tom Kalonuheska, providing a significant data point for regional genealogists and historians. The landscape is defined by the early development of Santeetlah Lake and the intricate network of coves and branches that fed the growing reservoir.

Small settlements and community centers like Dentons and the Snowbird Sch appear alongside remote landmarks like Wilson Cabin. Steep ridges including the Cheoah Mountains and Deerlick Ridge are punctuated by named high points like Hooper Bald and Mt Nebo. Cultural landmarks such as Cedar Cliff Ch and Mt Nebo Ch reflect the scattered nature of mountain congregations before modern highway improvements connected these isolated hollows.