1977 Map of Windber

About this map

Windber and its surrounding coal-country landscapes are captured in high detail through this orthophotograph, produced in cooperation with the Soil Conservation Service. Unlike traditional topographic maps, this aerial imagery reveals the exact footprint of industrial activity and land use in the late 1970s. The dense residential grid of Paint and Windber contrasts sharply with the expansive, disturbed earth of nearby surface operations and the sprawling forested tracts toward Ashtola. Smaller mining settlements like Cairnbrook and Reitz are visible in the southern portion of the sheet, connected by a winding network of roads that follow the difficult contours of the Allegheny Front. The map provides a clear view of the complex relationship between these established company towns and the massive earth-moving projects that defined the regional economy during this era, showing how the patchwork of reclaimed fields and active pits shaped the daily environment of Somerset County residents.