1906 Map of Winfield

About this map

The Kanawha River dictates the rhythm of this West Virginia landscape, winding through Putnam and Mason counties past established riverfront settlements. In this early twentieth-century survey, the Kanawha and Michigan RR tracks the eastern bank, connecting the county seat at Winfield to smaller railroad and river stops like Bancroft and Plymouth. The industrial infrastructure of the era is evident in the series of river locks, including Lock No 10 and Lock No 9, which facilitated coal and timber transport. Inland, the terrain breaks into numerous hollows and ridges, such as those surrounding Paradise and Confidence, where the Pocatalico River and its many tributaries like Heizer Creek and Manila Creek carve through the hills. This map documents a period when river navigation and rail transport were the primary drivers of the local economy before modern highway development reshaped the valley.