How old is smith mountain lake

The Parkway spreads out for miles, protecting a diversity of plants and animals, and providing opportunities for enjoying all that makes this region of the country so special. More information about this historic restoration can be found here. Surrounding County Information Bedford County www.

The area is largely settled; in the decades that follow, the region sees little development and remains a sparsely populated rural community.

Up until the s, farmers live a quiet, rural life, raising dairy cattle and growing tobacco, wheat, corn, tomatoes and other crops. The company purchases 1, acres in Bedford County and 4, acres in Pittsylvania County. Studies undertaken in the s and s conclude that construction of the dam is not economically feasible. Congress twice refuses to fund the dam project despite a study by the U.

Appalachian Power APCO testifies before a congressional committee that it will undertake the project when and if it is economically feasible. During this hearing, citizens complain about government competition with private enterprise.

Railway and coal representatives allege that the project is a threat to their economic wellbeing. They argue that hydro-electric development would have drastic negative effects on the consumption of coal, which is hauled by rail. Additionally, one speaker argues that the flooding of land would result in a substantial tax loss.

Of those present at the hearing, vote in favor of the project; , against. Shortly thereafter, APCO announces that it will apply for a permit to build the dam without government funds. During the design phase, studies are completed that determine the pumped storage project should consist of two dams, two powerhouses, and two reservoirs. A hotly contested issue is road and bridge abandonment, which needs approval by both Franklin and Bedford Counties.

Construction of the dam commences later that summer. During construction, peak employment reaches Jeffrey Fong, chief designer of the Smith Mountain Dam, then only 25 years old, faces the daunting design task at a time when there are no calculators or computer-aided drawing programs.

All drawings are done by hand, in pencil. From Rt. Follow Parkway Dr. More than one million people have visited since its opening in May of At the Center, you can see an audio-visual presentation that shows how the dam was built. There's also a wall mural, showing Smith Mountain Gap - now filled with water - before construction of the dam. Models of the Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville dams describe the pumped storage principle.

There are many more exhibits that show you how the dams produce electricity, offering an educational experience for lake visitors of all ages. There's no admission fee for the Center. Please call to confirm hours. Reservations can be made for group tours. Follow Rt.

Call for hours and detailed directions. While visiting Smith Mountain Lake, you can also drive the Blue Ridge Parkway ; three entrances are located near the lake. Seventeen million visitors travel its road and enjoy the Blue Ridge Parkway every year. Within the mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway are eleven visitor centers, plus cabins, lodges, restaurants, campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, overlooks, and private facilities.

Park visitors can enjoy hiking, waterfalls, beautiful nature life, including wildflowers in the spring and beautifully colored trees in the fall, cultural and historical demonstrations, photography, guided walks and tours, traditional mountain music programs, birdwatching, and bicycling.

Many lake visitors stop to see the Booker T. Washington National Monument. The monument is one of only twelve African-American history sites of the National Park Service units in existence. It was constructed in June of by Presidential Proclamation. The park commemorates the life of Booker T. It's a unique experience that allows the American public to view what slavery was like and how the plantation system worked. Located on the old Burrough's plantation, it allows people to see how unkindly most slaves were treated.

Booker Taliaferro Washington was born a slave on the Burrough's tobacco plantation in and died in After being freed at age 9, he left the plantation to pursue an education. He is now remembered internationally as an educator, author, orator, college president, and spokesman for African-Americans.

The Booker T. Washington National Monument includes preserved plantation buildings - slave quarters, a tobacco barn, a smokehouse, and a tool shop. There are also farm animals - pigs, ducks, turkeys, geese, chickens, and cows - for children and their parents to enjoy.

June 6, forever changed the course of history. The National D-Day Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization established to maintain a memorial complex for the nation's remembrance of D-Day. The multi-million dollar memorial is a moving tribute to the thousands of young men who gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy France to ensure freedom and democracy worldwide. Bedford Virginia was chosen as the home for the memorial because Bedford lost the most men per capita of any United States municipality on D-Day.

Take your camera, and be sure to capture the beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains - including the Peaks of Otter - from the grounds of the Memorial. The memorial is located at the interchange of State Routes Bypass and , in the city of Bedford, between Roanoke and Lynchburg, Virginia. When you boat at SML, please be careful and courteous.

Here are some highlights for new boaters at SML You can help by NOT allowing weeds, zebra or quagga mussels, and other noxious aquatic hitchhikers to come to the lake with you - on your boat or boat trailer. You are our first line of defense. Here's a brochure that Texas uses to explain how to Clean, Drain and Dry your boat and trailer.

Several companies on SML's shoreline rent power boats - pontoon boats, deck boats, ski boats, PWCs, fishing boats, house boats, and more. Many also sell marine gas and rent kayaks, paddle boards, tubes, skis, wake boards, knee boards, and more.

Smith Mountain Lake is Virginia's busiest recreational freshwater body. In , the Virginia Assembly increased funding for enforcement of boating safety and noise laws; Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries DGIF increased the number and visibility of patrols on the lake's 20, acres. In , the Virginia Assembly passed a law mandating safe boating education for operators that has been phasing in, by age group, over several years.

All Virginia boat operators must show proof that they have received safety education. An SML legislator, Sen. Bill Stanley, is a leader in the effort to weaken the law. The weakening legislation was defeated in , but may be reintroduced in SMLA successfully lobbied for the boater safety education mandate, but their request for boating speed limits failed to pass the Virginia legislature in and There are no boating horsepower limits on SML.

If you bring your boat to SML, please first clean your boat, boat trailer, and bait box - to prevent fouling Smith Mountain Lake with invasive weeds, or zebra and quagga mussels that you may have picked up on another body of water. Invasive weeds can quickly grow so thickly that they prevent navigation near boat ramps and in shallow coves. Don't wash your boat near the water because hitchhiking weeds, weed fragments, or invasive mussel eggs "veligers" can wash into the lake. Instead, power wash your boat and trailer at a car wash away from the lake - there are several off-water car washes nearby.

And don't forget to thoroughly clean your bait box and lures to remove all plant materials. SML is currently free of zebra and quagga mussels, and we want to keep it that way! A detailed map of SML like the waterproof map shown below will help you to locate six public access boat ramps on Smith Mountain Lake. You can also click on the map links below for details, but the navigation markers referenced below are visible only on printed lake maps.

If you need to gas up your boat while cruising SML, here's where to go. Call each marina first for hours, map directions, and updated gas prices. You can also buy the latest map updated in from some local marinas. Many marinas are not open on weekdays, and just a few SML marinas are open year-round. Some marinas are open only during peak-season summer weekends.

Be sure to call each marina first to confirm hours of fuel availability. Never run out of gas unless you have paddles, strong muscles, a marine radio or cell phone, lots of patience, and a tow rope aboard. Study your SML map. Most marinas offer 89 octane gas for boat use. Gas prices vary substantially by marina, and are typically 20 to 50 cents higher than off-water gas prices.

If a listed marina has closed, or an unlisted marina should be added, or marker directions are "way off", please call us to request an update at Remember that you are responsible for verifying all listed info before you go boating on Smith Mountain Lake! But many considered the project impractical until the pouring of concrete at Smith Mountain Gap began in June By November , Virginia roads and bridges that would be affected by the lake had been rebuilt.

On September 24, , the Smith Mountain Dam was closed and the lake began to form. Two and one-half years later, on March 7, , the 20,acre Smith Mountain Lake reached full-pond at feet above sea level. Smith Mountain Dam is feet tall, feet long, and 30 feet thick. Its five hydroelectric power-generating units produce , kilowatts. The operation of Smith Mountain Dam uses two natural resources, water and coal, through a process known as pumped storage. Water from Smith Mountain Lake goes through turbine generators in the Smith Mountain Dam powerhouse and produces electricity.

Instead of the "used" water rushing downstream, much of it is caught by the Leesville Dam, a smaller dam below Smith Mountain Dam. During construction, an excavation was performed by Smithsonian Institute archaeologists. They discovered the Algonquin Indians fished and hunted here many years ago. Today, a Visitor Center at the dam, located just off Va. A scale model of the lake is also on display. Located on Rt.

Washington National Monument. Booker T. Washington was a famous African-American educator and statesman. There, a working farm interprets his daily chores with demonstrations. The plantation was reconstructed to represent buildings from the Burroughs tobacco farm.

The Roanoke Valley in Virginia's Blue Ridge boasts a special kind of flavor and the culture of the region is reflected in the outstanding tastes of the cuisine. Virginia's Blue Ridge is Open for Business!

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