1950 Map of Wildwood Fire Tower

About this map

The high plateau of the Allegheny National Forest region is dominated by the Wildwood Fire Tower in this 1950 survey, which captures the rugged drainage basins at the intersection of Elk, McKean, and Cameron Counties. The terrain is deeply incised by a dense network of watercourses, including Straight Creek and the Driftwood Branch. To the north, the small outpost of Wellendorf Station sits along the Wellendorf Branch, serving as a rare point of human infrastructure in an otherwise remote landscape defined by named hollows and creek forks. Local geography is remarkably specific here, with family or descriptive names attached to even minor features such as Boy Scout Hollow, Dead Mans Luck, and Billy Buck Run. The map provides a detailed record of the township boundaries between Sergeant, Ship Pen, and Jones, showing how these political lines follow the high ridges between watersheds.