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1943 Map of Wauhatchie

Name: 1943 Topographic Map of Wauhatchie
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1943
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1943

About this map

The Tennessee River creates a massive, serpentine loop around Raccoon Mountain, defining the rugged topography of this river-and-ridge landscape in the early 1940s. The waterway is dominated by the Hales Bar Reservoir, which flooded several historic river hazards known locally as The Suck, The Pot, and The Pan. The presence of Kellys Ferry and the Lee Highway indicate the primary transportation corridors through this difficult terrain, while family-named landmarks like Alex McNabb Hicks Gap and Massengale Pt suggest deep ancestral ties to the land.

Remote mountain life is evidenced by a network of small schoolhouses and churches, including McNabb Sch, Sexton Sch, and Cummings Ch. Deep within the hollows and along the slopes, geologic features such as Grant Cave, Tennessee Caverns, and Laurel Falls stand out. The eastern edge of the map shows the emerging infrastructure near Wauhatchie, where the Southern railroad and N C & ST L lines intersect at the foot of the mountains.