But the story supposedly goes something like this: About 40 some years ago, the local power company began buying up property around the current Smith Mountain Lake area in order to create hydro-electric power.
On the property was a small town with numerous homes, various little shops, and a pretty white church with a lovely steeple. Apparently divers get excited about this possibility because the waters of Smith Mountain Lake are some of the clearest with good visibility East of the Mississippi. And since some of the town is said to be in water around 60 feet deep, that would make for a good dive.
These early lake dwellers bought lots from Appalachian Power and from farmers-turned-real estate agents who sold their land surrounding the lake by carting prospective buyers down dirt roads, sometimes in the back of a wagon pulled by a tractor. There was little gravel and no pavement leading to the water parcels. If the mud was bad, you needed a Jeep or a tractor to get there. These salesmen took you down rural roads, preferably in good weather, and showed you the land.
There were white spray-painted lines in the field or stakes with bright orange ribbons flying in the wind. Now these treasured gems are in the second generation. The kids who spent summers roasting hot dogs on camp fires and swam for hours in the dark cold water full of submerged trees are inheriting the places.
These youngsters grew up on Smith Mountain Lake; they learned to fish and water ski there. It was quite a way to learn these skills; as you boated in those days you watched out for pieces of old red barns floating in the water. Since the farmland bought by Appalachian Power was then vacated by the owners, it contained old, empty buildings as well as shrubs and trees.
The land was flooded just as it sat—complete with farmhouses, barns, outhouses, sheds and vegetation. Skiers became adept at zigzagging to avoid hitting floating boards, tree limbs and logs as they flew all over this remote lake behind a little ski boat or canopied pontoon. Eventually, there were ski courses built for the ones who became experts, because there was plenty of remote space on the water to place them.
Old milk jugs anchored down at just the right spot made for daring turns and jumps in order to avoid colliding with them.
They were impressive early in the morning when the lake was quiet and the only sound was the boat engine humming as it pulled the skier along. Ski gloves and even wetsuits were the dress on cold days. It was such a rush when you could ski the whole course without hitting a buoy or missing one.
The big wooden jumps were for the real experts. There were not many marinas in those days, so a trip for gas was often a long one. The original marinas bore little resemblance to those today. They looked like small cabins halfway up the hill with a hose dangling from an old pump on a dock. Some of these gas spots are now long gone, but a few of the cabins remain.
They have been updated and are used as homes now. Their character reflects the unique history of the businesses and families that once existed there. And so, some of these early cottages remain: They are the history of the lake. Log in Register. Search titles only. Search Advanced search…. New posts. Search forums. Log in. Install the app. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Please register or login Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community.
Benefits of registering include Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions. A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world. You can make this box go away Joining is quick and easy. I'm wondering if anyone has heard the legend of an underwater town located in Smith Mountain Lake - somewhere around Vista Pointe?
There are rumors around the net, even a possible picture or two, but I have yet to find hard evidence of a town Does anyone have information on this supposed town? Even a name of the town? It seems plausible for as large as SML is, and the depths, and the probable number of homes, barns, etc that might have been there.
I have Garmin Recreation Lake software that shows submerged roads, as well as submerged timber throughout the lake. I cannot, however find any reference to a town village, hamlet, or other. Just trying to determine fact or fiction. If it is fact, then I will be looking to get coordinates. Thanks for the help! There are visible foundations, graves, and other remnants of the town.
With permission during drawdowns, people can access the eerie ghost town, and some venture onto the water by pontoon boat to see, if the water is just clear enough, if they can get a glimpse of the submerged ruins.
This summer hotspot for family vacations in north Georgia, Lake Burton is one of four lakes created by damming sections of the Tallulah River to produce hydroelectric power for Atlanta and surrounding areas. Up until , Burton was not a lake, but was the largest town in Rabun County.
Founded in the early s as one of the first gold rush towns of north Georgia, Burton was a farm town of around people. The town was bought by the Georgia Railway and Electric Company in , and much like the town of Judson, was soon submerged.
However, for many locals in the area, countless stories have been told and shared of cemeteries that lie beneath the waters, leaving the question: are those grave tenants still haunting the lake today? South of where the dam and the hydroelectric station are currently located was once Keowee Village or Keowee Town, the capital of the Lower Cherokee Indians.
The Cherokee lost their land to settlers, and then the settlers lost the land to the waters of the new lake. With the building of the dam in , the waters of Whitewater River began to flow upstream for the first time as Lake Jocassee covered the town. Divers frequent the area.
0コメント