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1954 Map of Wayland

Name: 1954 Topographic Map of Wayland
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1956
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1956

About this map

Right Fork Beaver Creek and its many winding tributaries define the settlement patterns of this eastern Kentucky coal country during the mid-1950s. The industrial character of the valley is evident in the presence of the Chesapeake and Ohio railway lines, which connect specialized sites like Porter Junction and Welce Sta. Local life centers around a dense network of small communities and rural institutions, including the Stumbo Memorial Hospital and the Steele Shop Incline near Wayland.

The landscape is dotted with family-named landmarks and essential community anchors, from the Bosco Sch in the north to the Dark Hollow Sch in the south. These mountain hollows are filled with dozens of small cemeteries and schools like Lower Rock Fork Sch and Sizemore Sch, serving a population largely concentrated along the narrow valley floors. The map also documents active resource extraction through scattered Oil Wells and numerous gas wells, indicating the economic drivers of the era.