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1976 Map of Varilla

Name: 1976 Topographic Map of Varilla
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

Cumberland Mountain dominates the southern portion of this orthophoto, creating a natural divide in this portion of Bell County during the mid-1970s. The settlement of Varilla is situated in the northwest along the winding course of the river, while Caylor and Indian Creek mark the lower elevations to the southeast. Unlike traditional line-drawn maps, this aerial imagery reveals the physical scars of land use, where clearings for settlements like Calvin and Oaks contrast with the dense timber of the ridgelines.

The drainage patterns of Brownies Creek and Hances Creek illustrate how the geography dictated the placement of small communities and homesteads. Local researchers can trace the relationship between the terrain and the roads that navigate the narrow valleys near Cubage and the Clear Fork. This document, prepared in cooperation with the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, provides a photographic record of the landscape before later decades of development changed the character of these mountain hollows.