2013 Map of Vales Mills

About this map

Raccoon Creek and its many tributaries, including Elk Fork and Brush Fork, define the drainage patterns of this corner of Southeast Ohio where Vinton, Athens, and Meigs Counties meet. The landscape is marked by a legacy of milling and small-scale settlement, evidenced by places like Vales Mills and Bolins Mills. Local history is deeply embedded in the terrain at Eakin Mill Bridge and a network of family and community cemeteries such as Harkins Chapel Cem and Putnam Chapel Cem that dot the ridges. Prominent elevations like Union Ridge and Perry Ridge rise above the hollows, while the historic hamlet of Arbaugh and the crossroads at Radcliff show the distribution of rural life along the winding road network. The map reveals the persistence of these small communities and the topographical challenges that shaped their development through the early 21st century.