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1971 Map of Windber

Name: 1971 Topographic Map of Windber
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1989
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1989

About this map

Industrial coal culture and mountain geography converge in this 1971 study of the Somerset-Cambria county line. The borough of Windber and its neighbors Scalp Level and Paint are shown in significant detail, revealing the infrastructure of a region built on extraction, from a prominent mine dump to a web of rail connections including Conrail and several stretches of Old Railroad Grade. Institutional life is well-documented through a dense concentration of local landmarks such as SS Peter and Paul Ch and the Maple Grove Sch.

Transitioning from the settled valley into the timbered slopes of Gallitzin State Forest, the landscape shifts toward water management and early industrial history. Deep in the drainage of Shade Creek, the historic Old Shade Furnace remains a landmark of the area's iron-making past. Researchers can trace the flow of Dark Shade Creek and Clear Run toward the Windber Reservoir, or follow the rugged heights of Brier Knob and the Babcock State Forest boundary.