1942 Map of Wayah Bald

About this map

Wayah Bald and the surrounding high ridges of the Nantahala Mountains dominate this western North Carolina landscape, surveyed in the mid-1930s. The map captures a high-elevation backcountry where the Appalachian Trail winds past peaks like Standing Indian and through various gaps such as Tellico Gap. Along the deep valleys, rural life centers on isolated settlements like Aquone, Burningtown, and Shooting Creek. Numerous small churches and schools, including Kyle Sch, Tidwell Sch, and Marshall Chapel, are scattered near the headwaters of the Nantahala River and White Oak Creek. This era reveals the region just before significant post-war modernization, shown here as a network of creeks and ridges within the Nantahala National Forest, where fire towers stand watch over the forested terrain.