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1953 Map of Wrigley

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Wrigley
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Cumberland National Forest blankets much of the high ground in this 1953 survey of Morgan and Rowan counties, where the Licking River winds through narrow valleys. The map shows a landscape defined by sharp ridges and isolated hollows, with small settlements like Wrigley and Blairs Mills serving as local hubs. The abundance of one-room schools, including Oak Grove Sch and Perkins Sch, suggests a community structure organized around these remote valley corridors.

Transport is confined to winding creek-bed roads and routes following the contours of Perkins Ridge and Ditney Ridge. This era shows the rural character of Eastern Kentucky before modern highway expansion, with family landmarks like Jones Cem and specialized community nodes such as Blaze and Leisure still active. Numerous unnamed cemeteries and bench marks indicate a well-traversed but deeply rural Appalachian backcountry.