Guntersville Lake

Last updated
Guntersville Lake
Lake Guntersville, Alabama.png
Guntersville Lake
USA Alabama relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Guntersville Lake
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Guntersville Lake
Lake Guntersville.gif
Location of the lake in Alabama
Location Jackson / Marshall counties, Alabama, United States
Coordinates 34°25′23″N086°23′32″W / 34.42306°N 86.39222°W / 34.42306; -86.39222 Coordinates: 34°25′23″N086°23′32″W / 34.42306°N 86.39222°W / 34.42306; -86.39222
Lake type reservoir
Primary inflows Tennessee River
Primary outflows Tennessee River
Basin  countriesUnited States
Max. length75 mi (121 km)
Surface area 69,000 acres (28,000 ha)

Guntersville Lake (generally referred to locally as Lake Guntersville) is in northern Alabama between Bridgeport and Guntersville.

Contents

Location

The lake stretches 75 miles (121 km) from Guntersville Dam to Nickajack Dam. It is Alabama's largest lake at 69,100 acres (279.6 km2). [1]

It is separated by the Guntersville Dam from Wheeler Lake, which is 68,300 acres (276.4 km2) and the second largest lake. Both lakes are part of the Tennessee River.

History

The lake was created by Guntersville Dam along the Tennessee River. Both the lake and the dam received their names from the town of Guntersville, which received its name from an early settler of the area, John Gunter.

As far back as 1824, the Tennessee River was a nationwide inland waterway problem. With narrow canals, increased traffic, and larger freight carriers, in addition to flooding problems and sparse electricity, it was clear that a successful river development program should embrace power, navigation and flood control.

The Tennessee Valley Act [2] called for development of 640 miles of Tennessee River from Paducah, Kentucky to Knoxville, Tennessee. Since many of the earliest settlers built their homes along the river, many Guntersville area families and farms were displaced. Alabama's largest archeological project excavated dozens of Indian sites before the area was flooded in January 1939.

As a result of the Tennessee Valley Act and the creation of the lake, Guntersville has seen improved agriculture, energy, industry and recreation. Known for its hiking, camping, fishing, boating activities and scenery, Alabama's Lake City is repeatedly noted as a top spot for bass fishing [3] and one of the top lake towns [4] to live in America.

In the 1950s, German scientists brought to the United States under Operation Paperclip who lived in Huntsville, Alabama purchased houses by the lake. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langston, Alabama</span> Town in Alabama, United States

Langston is a town in Jackson County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Chattanooga-Cleveland-Dalton, TN-GA-AL Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 270, up from 254. Langston initially incorporated in 1899. At some point after 1920, it disincorporated and did not reincorporate again until 1980. Its peak population was in 1920, when it had a population of 500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guntersville, Alabama</span> City in Alabama, United States

Guntersville is a city and the county seat of Marshall County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,553. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holston River</span> River in Tennessee, United States

The Holston River is a 136-mile (219 km) river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks, it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and northwestern North Carolina. The Holston's confluence with the French Broad River at Knoxville marks the beginning of the Tennessee River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norris Dam</span> Dam in Tennessee, United States

Norris Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control structure located on the Clinch River in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. The dam was the first major project for the Tennessee Valley Authority, which had been created in 1933 to bring economic development to the region and control the rampant flooding that had long plagued the Tennessee Valley. The dam was named in honor of Nebraska Senator George Norris (1861–1944), a longtime supporter of government-owned utilities in general, and supporter of TVA in particular. The infrastructure project was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Valley</span> Drainage basin of the Tennessee River

The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to north Alabama and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. The border of the valley is known as the Tennessee Valley Divide. The Tennessee Valley contributes greatly to the formation of Tennessee's three legally recognized sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler Lake</span> Body of water

Wheeler Lake is located in the northern part of the state of Alabama in the United States, between Rogersville and Huntsville. Created by Wheeler Dam along the Tennessee River, it stretches 60 miles (97 km) from Wheeler Dam to Guntersville Dam. It is Alabama's second largest lake at 68,300 acres (276 km2), and only a few hundred acres smaller than the largest lake in Alabama, Guntersville Lake, which is 69,100 acres (280 km2) and is separated by the Guntersville dam from the lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Hollow Reservoir</span> Reservoir in Tennessee and Kentucky, United States

The Dale Hollow Reservoir is a reservoir situated on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River, 7.3 miles (12 km) above its juncture with the Cumberland River at river mile 380. Portions of the lake also cover the Wolf River. Dale Hollow is one of four major flood control reservoirs for the Cumberland; the others being Percy Priest Lake, Lake Cumberland, and Center Hill Lake. It is also the site of Dale Hollow Lake State Park on the north (Kentucky) side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Whitney (Texas)</span> Body of water

Lake Whitney is a flood control reservoir on the main stem of the Brazos River in Texas. It is located on River Mile Marker 442 and controls drainage for 17,656 square miles (45,730 km2) of Texas and parts of New Mexico. The reservoir encompasses a surface area of more than 23,500 acres and 225 miles (362 km) of shoreline. The area consists of rolling, tallgrass prairies; cedar trees; hardwood timber; and 100 ft (30 m) bluffs and rock points. Lake Whitney is also part of the Texas Lakes Trail Region of North Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Lake</span> Reservoir in Kentucky and Tennessee, U.S.

Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. It was created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River via Kentucky Dam for flood control and hydroelectric power. The 160,309-acre (649 km2) lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the Mississippi River, with 2,064 miles (3,322 km) of shoreline. Kentucky Lake has a flood storage capacity of 4,008,000 acre⋅ft (4.944 km3), more than 2.5 times the next largest lake in the TVA system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guntersville Dam</span> Dam in Alabama, United States

Guntersville Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Marshall County, in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is one of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to create a continuous navigation channel on the entire length of the river and bring flood control and economic development to the region. The dam impounds the Guntersville Lake of 67,900 acres (27,500 ha), and its tailwaters feed into Wheeler Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler Dam</span> Dam in Alabama, United States

Wheeler Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River between Lauderdale County and Lawrence County in Alabama. It is one of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the mid-1930s as part of a New Deal-era initiative to improve navigation on the river and bring flood control and economic development to the region. The dam impounds the Wheeler Lake of 67,070 acres (27,140 ha) and its tailwaters feed into Wilson Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickwick Landing Dam</span> Dam in Tennessee, United States

Pickwick Landing Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Hardin County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The dam is one of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the 1930s as part of a New Deal-era initiative to create a continuous navigation channel between the river's mouth and Knoxville, and bring economic development to the area. The dam impounds the 43,100-acre (17,400 ha) Pickwick Lake and its tailwaters are part of Kentucky Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkabutla Lake</span> Body of water

Arkabutla Lake is a reservoir on the Coldwater River in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It was created following the construction of the Arkabutla Dam in 1940 on the Coldwater River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickajack Dam</span> Dam in Tennessee, United States

Nickajack Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Marion County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of nine dams on the Tennessee River owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the mid-1960s to replace the outdated Hales Bar Dam 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream. The dam impounds the 10,370-acre (4,200 ha) Nickajack Lake and feeds into Guntersville Lake. Nickajack Dam is named for a Cherokee village once located just upstream from the dam. The village was the namesake for Nickajack Cave, which was partially flooded by the reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chickamauga Dam</span> Dam in Tennessee, United States

The Chickamauga Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. The dam is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to improve navigation and bring flood control and economic development to the Tennessee Valley. The dam impounds the 36,240-acre (14,670 ha) Chickamauga Lake and feeds into Nickajack Lake. The dam and associated infrastructure were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Dam</span> Dam in Kentucky, United States

Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River on the county line between Livingston and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The dam is the lowermost of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s and early 1940s to improve navigation on the lower part of the river and reduce flooding on the lower Ohio and Mississippi rivers. It was a major project initiated during the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, to invest in infrastructure to benefit the country. The dam impounds the Kentucky Lake of 160,000 acres (65,000 ha), which is the largest of TVA's reservoirs and the largest artificial lake by area in the Eastern United States. It was designated as an National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1996 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlyle Lake</span> Reservoir in Illinois, United States

Carlyle Lake is a 25,000-acre (101.2 km2) reservoir largely located in Clinton County, Illinois, with smaller portions of the lake within Bond and Fayette counties. It is the largest man-made lake in Illinois, and the largest lake wholly contained within the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tims Ford Lake</span> Body of water

Tims Ford Lake is a reservoir run by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in southern middle Tennessee. The lake encompasses 10,700 acres and approximately 250 miles of shoreline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherokee Lake</span> Artificial reservoir in East Tennessee, United States

Cherokee Lake, also known as Cherokee Reservoir, is an artificial reservoir in the U.S. state of Tennessee formed by the impoundment of the Holston River behind Cherokee Dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harlan County Reservoir</span> Body of water

The Harlan County Reservoir includes a dam and a reservoir of 13,250 acres (54 km2) located in Harlan County in south-central Nebraska. Its southernmost part extends into northern Phillips County, Kansas. The reservoir is formed by a dam constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Republican River, which starts in Colorado and ends in Kansas.

References

  1. "Guntersville Lake". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2006-05-02.
  2. "Our History". TVA.com. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  3. Fishidy. "Best Places to Fish in Alabama: Guntersville Lake | Bass Pro Shops". BassPro 1 Source. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  4. "The most beautiful lake towns in America". The Active Times. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  5. Laney, Monique (2015). German Rocketeers in the Heart of Dixie: Making Sense of the Nazi Past During the Civil Rights Era. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 103. ISBN   978-0-300-19803-4.