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1926 Map of Welch

Name: 1926 Topographic Map of Welch
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1926
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1926

About this map

Welch serves as the focal point of this 1920s topography, illustrating the dense industrial footprint in the heart of McDowell County. Following the revision work of R.C. Seitz, the map details a landscape deeply influenced by the Norfolk and Western RR, with rail lines snaking through narrow valleys to serve coal-centric communities like Coalwood and Gary. The dense network of spurs reaching into Adkin Fork and Big Creek reveals the era's intensive resource extraction, connecting numerous company towns and depots.

Local life is marked by several specific landmarks, including the Warrior Mine and a series of rural education centers such as Browns Creek School and Puncheoncamp School. For genealogists, the map provides precise locations for short-lived post offices like Pando Juverna PO and Dixonpool Superior PO. The complex terrain, defined by ridges like Indian Ridge, dictates the placement of settlements like Mohegan and Maitland along the tight curves of the Tug Fork river system.