1957 Map of Unaka

About this map

Hiwassee Dam stands as the central engineering landmark of this landscape, controlling the waters of Hiwassee Lake where the river winds through the Unicoi Mountains. This late-1950s survey captures a transition between the wilder forest lands of the Cherokee National Forest and the industrial management of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Small riverside and mountain communities like Violet, Unaka, and Hiwassee Village are depicted alongside family burial grounds such as Lenderman Cem and Garrett Cem. The map traces the rugged path of the Joe Brown Highway as it cuts across the high ridges, including Long Ridge and Beaverdam Ridge. Downstream, the Apalachia Lake begins at the foot of the dam, illustrating the coordinated system of water control and power generation that reshaped this portion of the borderlands between North Carolina and Tennessee.