1947 Map of Tracy City

About this map

The Cumberland Plateau landscape of the mid-1940s, updated through the mid-1970s, reveals a region defined by extraction and recreation. Central to the map is Tracy City, situated above the deeply incised Gulf and near the extensive Grundy Lakes State Park. The area is marked by a legacy of coal mining, evidenced by multiple Strip Mine sites and the Nashville and Chattanooga RR (Abandoned) which once served these mountain communities. Small settlements like Coalmont and Gruetli are connected by a network of rural schools and churches, including Victoria Sch and St Bernard Church. The Tennessee Valley Divide snakes across the terrain, separating waters that flow toward the Sequatchie River from those heading into the deeper plateau hollows like Bearhole Hollow. This map reflects a transition from an industrial rail-based economy toward a landscape of state forests and managed natural resources.