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1958 Map of St Paul

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of St Paul
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1991
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1991

About this map

The Clinch River carves a deep path through the coal-rich borderlands of Russell, Dickenson, and Wise Counties. In this mid-century landscape, the industrial might of the Clinchfield RR and the Norfolk and Western RR converges at St. Paul, a vital junction where the rails thread through challenging terrain via the Big Bull Tunnel and Little Bull Tunnel. The region's economy is clearly etched into the earth with numerous strip mines and mine dumps surrounding settlements like Dante and Virginia City.

Genealogists will find a dense concentration of family landmarks and burials, from the McCoy Chapel in the north to the Bickley Cem near Castlewood. The map also documents the social infrastructure of these mining and rail communities, featuring the Dingus Memorial Church, the Ymca at Dante, and a Drive-in theater near Morefield. The terrain is defined by prominent high points such as Sandy Ridge and Flat Top Ridge, which dictated the winding routes of both the waterways and the early road networks.