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1934 Map of Searles

Name: 1934 Topographic Map of Searles
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

The Black Warrior River carves a deep path through this 1930s landscape, regulated by a series of massive engineering works including Lock No 16, Lock No 15, and Lock No 14. This survey, conducted just before the Great Depression, reveals a region defined by industrial extraction and rural communities. Settlements like Kellerman, Searles, and Brookwood are clustered in the southeast, tied together by the L and N RR and the M and O RR.

The presence of the Birmingham and Nashville Highway and an Airway Beacon near Round Mtn illustrate the era's evolving transportation network. Family and community life is anchored by landmarks such as Pattons Mill, Burchfield Cem, and Spencer Hill Sch. From the iron-rich slopes of Iron Ore Mountain to the remote Windham Springs, the map detail documents a period when river navigation and rail transport were the primary drivers of the local economy.