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1936 Map of Whittier

Name: 1936 Topographic Map of Whittier
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1936
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1936

About this map

The Cherokee Indian Reservation defines much of this landscape in the mid-1930s, centered on the confluence of the Oconaluftee River and Soco Creek. The community of Cherokee serves as a hub, complete with the Cherokee Sch and a Gaging Sta, while Birdtown and Quallatown anchor nearby reaches. In the southern portion of the quadrangle, the Tuckasegee River valley supports the town of Whittier and the winding route of the Southern Railway.

Local infrastructure of the era is remarkably specific, showing the State Prison Camp No 512 along State Highway No 10 and the Smoky Mtn Power Co Dam near Davis Mill. Small country churches like Worley Chapel and Rock Spring Ch dot the mountain gaps, alongside various family landmarks such as Bumgarner Cem. This survey was conducted just as Great Smoky Mountains National Park was being established on the northern border, preserving the transition from agricultural valley life to federal forest lands.