1922 Map of Spruce Knob

About this map

Spruce Knob rises as the dominant height in this survey of the Allegheny Mountains, anchoring a landscape where the Monongahela National Forest and George Washington National Forest converge. The mapping captures a network of high-altitude agricultural and timber-linked communities across the West Virginia and Virginia border. Small pockets of life are centered around one-room schoolhouses like the Blister Swamp School, Stark School, and Allegheny School, while the presence of the Osceola P O and Thornwood P O indicates the importance of the postal service in these isolated hollows. Notable geographic features include the subterranean drainage pattern of The Sinks on Gandy Creek and the sharp linear ridge of Devil Backbone. Transport is defined by the Winterburn Sta and the winding course of the Dry Fork and Laurel Fork rivers, which carved the passes used by early travelers through the North Fork Mtn range.