Oakdale Tennessee Oak Ridge Knoxville 1909 Real Photo Postcard

Oakdale, Tennessee, depicted in this early 20th-century aerial view, was established as a crucial railroad town within Morgan County. Its development was directly tied to the construction of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (later Southern Railway) in the 1870s, which traversed the challenging terrain of the Cumberland Plateau. The town grew to house a significant railroad classification yard, becoming an essential operational hub for freight and passenger lines in the Appalachian region.