A bit of local Dragon area history
06-13-2021 | 10:29 AM
#1
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Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Six Metro stops short of insanity.
A bit of local Dragon area history
The Road to Nowhere:
THE FONTANA DAM, RISING HIGH above the Little Tennessee River in western North Carolina, is the tallest dam in the eastern United States. It was a long and winding road to getting the dam built, and what was lost during the journey can be seen in the nearby “Road to Nowhere.”Fontana Dam was built in 1941, on land given over to the Tennessee Valley Authority by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). The United States’ entry into World War II meant a huge spike in the demand for aluminum for aircraft, ships, and munitions, so a deal was struck for the TVA to build the dam with ALCOA as the primary consumer. With a readymade customer in the U.S. War Department, the aluminum company stood to benefit from all that hydroelectric power coming in.
More? Go HERE.
The Lost town of Proctor:
THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARY OF GREAT Smoky Mountains National Park is marked by Fontana Lake, and the area along its north shore, Hazel Creek, is one of the most remote and isolated parts of the park. Accessible only by boat or a long hike, this region is also one of the largest stretches of roadless land in the eastern United States. But it wasn’t always this way.Underneath Fontana Lake lies the lost town of Proctor, North Carolina, a once-booming lumber town on Hazel Creek, a tributary of the Little Tennessee River. Proctor, along with the other communities of Hazel Creek, was flooded when the Fontana Dam was created in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack to power a nearby aluminum plant—The Aluminum Company of America in Alcoa, TN—for the war effort. The lake formed by the dam displaced the local residents from their homes and most of the town was submerged by the rising water. The floodwaters also washed out Highway 288, the only major road leading in or out of Hazel Creek.
More? Go HERE.
Abrams Creek Underwater Bridge:
VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT this old bridge that was rediscovered in 2008 when Chilhowee Lake in Tennessee was drawn down for repairs on the nearby dam. Nobody knows when it was originally built or by whom. But once the waters receded, some of the original roadbed including this remarkably intact bridge came into view. A few foundations from the original routing of US 129 North—part of the famous “Tail of the Dragon”—were also exposed as the waters receded. Located just to the south of the underwater bridge, the section of road known as the Tail of the Dragon was famous for being one of the curviest roads in North America, featuring no less than 318 curves in an 11-mile stretch of road.
More? Go HERE.
Cheoah Dam:
AT ONE END OF THE Tail of the Dragon, Highway 129 crosses an imposing 225-foot dam, wedged into a narrow gorge of the Little Tennessee River. In the 1993 film, The Fugitive, Harrison Ford’s character makes a heart-stopping leap from the top of the dam to elude capture. Ford actually did stand on this precipice, although it was a temporary tunnel built for the film overlooking the drop. The scene involved six dummies valued at well over $40,000.
More? Go HERE,
Do you know other interesting areas around the Dragon? Why not share them below?
THE FONTANA DAM, RISING HIGH above the Little Tennessee River in western North Carolina, is the tallest dam in the eastern United States. It was a long and winding road to getting the dam built, and what was lost during the journey can be seen in the nearby “Road to Nowhere.”Fontana Dam was built in 1941, on land given over to the Tennessee Valley Authority by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). The United States’ entry into World War II meant a huge spike in the demand for aluminum for aircraft, ships, and munitions, so a deal was struck for the TVA to build the dam with ALCOA as the primary consumer. With a readymade customer in the U.S. War Department, the aluminum company stood to benefit from all that hydroelectric power coming in.
More? Go HERE.
The Lost town of Proctor:
THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARY OF GREAT Smoky Mountains National Park is marked by Fontana Lake, and the area along its north shore, Hazel Creek, is one of the most remote and isolated parts of the park. Accessible only by boat or a long hike, this region is also one of the largest stretches of roadless land in the eastern United States. But it wasn’t always this way.Underneath Fontana Lake lies the lost town of Proctor, North Carolina, a once-booming lumber town on Hazel Creek, a tributary of the Little Tennessee River. Proctor, along with the other communities of Hazel Creek, was flooded when the Fontana Dam was created in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack to power a nearby aluminum plant—The Aluminum Company of America in Alcoa, TN—for the war effort. The lake formed by the dam displaced the local residents from their homes and most of the town was submerged by the rising water. The floodwaters also washed out Highway 288, the only major road leading in or out of Hazel Creek.
More? Go HERE.
Abrams Creek Underwater Bridge:
VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT this old bridge that was rediscovered in 2008 when Chilhowee Lake in Tennessee was drawn down for repairs on the nearby dam. Nobody knows when it was originally built or by whom. But once the waters receded, some of the original roadbed including this remarkably intact bridge came into view. A few foundations from the original routing of US 129 North—part of the famous “Tail of the Dragon”—were also exposed as the waters receded. Located just to the south of the underwater bridge, the section of road known as the Tail of the Dragon was famous for being one of the curviest roads in North America, featuring no less than 318 curves in an 11-mile stretch of road.
More? Go HERE.
Cheoah Dam:
AT ONE END OF THE Tail of the Dragon, Highway 129 crosses an imposing 225-foot dam, wedged into a narrow gorge of the Little Tennessee River. In the 1993 film, The Fugitive, Harrison Ford’s character makes a heart-stopping leap from the top of the dam to elude capture. Ford actually did stand on this precipice, although it was a temporary tunnel built for the film overlooking the drop. The scene involved six dummies valued at well over $40,000.
More? Go HERE,
Do you know other interesting areas around the Dragon? Why not share them below?
Last edited by kgf3076; 06-14-2021 at 03:11 PM.
09-01-2021 | 12:43 PM
#4
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 65
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The Road to Nowhere:
THE FONTANA DAM, RISING HIGH above the Little Tennessee River in western North Carolina, is the tallest dam in the eastern United States. It was a long and winding road to getting the dam built, and what was lost during the journey can be seen in the nearby “Road to Nowhere.”Fontana Dam was built in 1941, on land given over to the Tennessee Valley Authority by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). The United States’ entry into World War II meant a huge spike in the demand for aluminum for aircraft, ships, and munitions, so a deal was struck for the TVA to build the dam with ALCOA as the primary consumer. With a ready made customer in the U.S. War Department, the aluminum company stood to benefit from all that hydroelectric power coming in.
. . .
THE FONTANA DAM, RISING HIGH above the Little Tennessee River in western North Carolina, is the tallest dam in the eastern United States. It was a long and winding road to getting the dam built, and what was lost during the journey can be seen in the nearby “Road to Nowhere.”Fontana Dam was built in 1941, on land given over to the Tennessee Valley Authority by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). The United States’ entry into World War II meant a huge spike in the demand for aluminum for aircraft, ships, and munitions, so a deal was struck for the TVA to build the dam with ALCOA as the primary consumer. With a ready made customer in the U.S. War Department, the aluminum company stood to benefit from all that hydroelectric power coming in.
. . .
Alcoa began operations in East TN in the 1910's, maybe 1913. The smelting process requires 213,000 amps through the "Pots" in South plant. That takes a lot of power/energy. And they built several dams to generate that power 20 years before TVA. The kicker was that when TVA started in the 1930's they used designs from Alcoa. Therefore TVA had nothing to do with WW II.
04-13-2022 | 09:07 AM
#5
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 87
Likes: 3
From: Spring Grove, IL.
I have learned that young people today often have never heard of what some of us think of as VERY important movies, so you have to watch your TV & movie references. But, a movie, "Deliverance" from 1972 starring Burt Reynolds (I know---Who's he?? Never heard of him) and Ned (squeal like a pig!) Beatty was the ultimate depiction of happenings in a VERY remote area. I looked up this several years ago so forgive me if I have the specifics slightly off, but this movie was filmed in three main locations, all of which you will be within about 8-12 miles of when you're sitting at lunch in Franklin on Friday!!
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kgf3076 (04-13-2022)
05-17-2022 | 08:40 AM
#6
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 49,079
Likes: 2,926
From: Michigan
If you look on Google maps right now, you can see the exposed bridge at Abrams Creek, and if you go east or west you can see the route that 129 used to take prior to the lake filling. Kinda cool, I like seeing old roads and maps. If you follow it east you can see that the road used to follow the river all the way to Calderwood Dam (before there was a dam) it follows what is now Growdon Blvd. To the west you can see it all the way just before the river curves before Chilhowee Dam.
Ugh: Map opens in street view for some reason.
Ugh: Map opens in street view for some reason.
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