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1957 Map of Wise

Name: 1957 Topographic Map of Wise
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1971
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1971

About this map

Wise serves as a central hub on this 1957 map, showing the growth of the community and the establishment of Clinch Valley College (Univ of Virginia). The landscape is defined by the heavy footprint of industry and public lands, with numerous strip mines dotting the ridges north of the Guest River. Significant educational and civic infrastructure appears, including the Kelly Sch and the Wise County Industrial School, while the Wise County Memorial Hospital stands as a local landmark.

South of the river, the terrain shifts into the protected expanse of the Jefferson National Forest and the Glades Wildlife Management Area. Genealogists will find a dense network of family burial grounds such as Osborn Cem, Stallard Cem, and Kilgore Cem, alongside small settlements like Hamiltontown and Glamorgan. The rail corridors of the Norfolk and Western and the Interstate and Western trace the valleys, illustrating the transport networks that powered the coal-rich highlands.