Lake Glenville
| Lake Glenville Thorpe Reservoir |
|
|---|---|
| Location | Jackson County, North Carolina, USA |
| Coordinates | 35°11′46″N 083°09′11″W / 35.19611°N 83.15306°WCoordinates: 35°11′46″N 083°09′11″W / 35.19611°N 83.15306°W |
| Lake type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 1,470 acres (5.9 km2) |
| Max. depth | 300 ft. |
| Shore length1 | 26 mi (42 km)[1] |
| Surface elevation | 3,494 ft (1,065 m) |
| Settlements | Cashiers, Glenville |
| References | [1] |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Glenville is a reservoir located just 8 miles from Cashiers, North Carolina. It was formed by the damming of the west fork of the Tuckasegee River in 1941. Between 1951 and 2002, it was officially known as "Thorpe Reservoir"[2] after J. E. S. Thorpe, Nantahala Power's first president.[3] It is still listed as such on many maps. The lake bottom plunges as steeply as the mountains that meet the shore. The depth a short distance from the water’s edge may register 80 feet (24 m) or more. The lake also has 26 miles (42 km) of shoreline and highest elevation lake east of the Mississippi encompassing 1450 acres. It is only a short twenty minute drive from Western Carolina University, and the town of Sylva.[4]
[edit] History
During World War II, ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America) needed more electricity to make aluminum for the war effort. In June 1940, Nantahala Power and Light, then owned by ALCOA, began constructing a dam on the west fork of the Tuckasegee River at Onion Falls.[5] They completed it in late 1941, filling a new lake called Thorpe Reservoir or Lake Glenville. It encompassed the entire valley north of Cashiers, flooding the town of Glenville including schools, homes, businesses, and farmlands to a depth of 300 feet.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Gmaps Pedometer
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake Glenville
- ^ Richards, Constance (2006). Insiders' Guide to North Carolina's Mountains, 8th: Including Asheville, Biltmore Estate, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Guilford: Globe Pequot. ISBN 0762740450.
- ^ Trillium - Lake Glenville
- ^ Hairr, John (2007). North Carolina Rivers: Facts, Legends and Lore. The History Press. pp. 98–99.
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