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1963 Map of Wharncliffe

Name: 1963 Topographic Map of Wharncliffe
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1979
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1979

About this map

The Tug Fork carves a serpentine path through the Central Appalachian coalfields, forming a natural boundary where West Virginia meets Kentucky and Virginia. This area is defined by its deep creek valleys and the Norfolk and Western railway, which follows the river's bends to serve mining operations and the scattered settlements of the hollows. Small communities like Wharncliffe and War Eagle are clustered near the tracks and riverbank, while the upland reaches of Stafford Mountain and Sandy Ridge are marked by extensive mines and ridgeline infrastructure like a prominent pipeline.

Local life in the early 1960s centered on landmarks such as Hardy Union Ch and Ben Creek Sch. The map reveals the administrative complexity of the region, where three states and multiple counties including Mingo, McDowell, Pike, and Buchanan converge. Notable post offices serve rural populations at Gilbert Creek and Wyoming City, illustrating the remote but connected nature of these mountain valleys during a period of active industrial extraction.