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1960 Map of Wind Gap

Name: 1960 Topographic Map of Wind Gap
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1962
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1962

About this map

Blue Mountain serves as a massive natural barrier in this 1960 survey of Northampton County, famously pierced by the namesake Wind Gap pass. This geological gateway is flanked by Chestnut Ridge to the north and the extensive State Game Lands No 168, which preserved the high ground even as industrial and residential expansion shaped the valley below. The Appalachian Trail follows the ridge line, overlooking a landscape defined by the slate industry and the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad.

To the south, a dense network of smaller settlements including Pen Argyl, Belfast, and Stockertown reveal a productive rural-industrial economy. The land is dotted with quarries, particularly around Alpha and West Pen Argyl, while local social life is anchored by landmarks like Mt View Park Racetrack and numerous country churches such as St Peters Union Ch. Streams like Bushkill Creek and Ross Creek provide the primary drainage for the townships of Plainfield and Bushkill, winding past legacy features like Township Sch and Bushkill Ch Cem.