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1929 Map of Searles

Name: 1929 Topographic Map of Searles
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1929
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1929

About this map

Industrial activity and coal mining define this 1920s landscape along the Black Warrior River on the border of Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties. This survey, conducted by Albert Pike and his team just before the Great Depression, captures the peak of local mining operations at Kellerman and Searles. The presence of the Encora Mine and No 3 Mine indicates a region heavily tied to extractive industries, supported by the Mobile and Ohio RR and the North Alabama Junction.

Away from the rail lines and river locks, such as Lock No 17, the map reveals a more traditional rural network of family and community landmarks. Genealogists can find historic congregations and burial grounds like Friendship Ch and the Piney Grove Ch Cem. Topographic features like Burchfield Mountain and Allan Hill rise above the many winding tributaries, including Blue Creek and Prudes Creek, which carved the difficult terrain of this Alabama coal field.