Lewis Smith Lake is a
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in north
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. Located on the
Sipsey Fork of the
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west-central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles (286 km) to the Tombigbee River, of which the ...
, it covers over
[Smith Lake – Freshwater Fishing in Alabama's Reservoirs](_blank)
in
Cullman,
Walker
Walker or The Walker may refer to:
People
* Walker (given name)
*Walker (surname)
* Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer
Places
In the United States
*Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County
*Walker, Mono County, California ...
, and
Winston Counties. The maximum depth at the dam is . It is the deepest lake in Alabama. The three-fingered reservoir has over
of shoreline, and at full pool has a level of .
![BrushCreek](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/BrushCreek.JPG)
The lake was created by
Alabama Power
Alabama Power Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1.4 million customers in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It also operates appliance stores. It is one ...
with the construction of the Lewis Smith Dam. One of the largest earthen dams in the eastern
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, it stretches in length and reaches a maximum height of . Construction began on November 25, 1957, and the dam entered service on . The name honors Lewis Martin Smith, president of Alabama Power from 1952 to 1957.
Nearby towns include
Bremen,
Cullman,
Good Hope,
Crane Hill and
Dodge City
Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town ...
in Cullman County;
Curry
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...
and
Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
in Walker County; and
Addison
Addison may refer to:
Places Canada
* Addison, Ontario
United States
*Addison, Alabama
*Addison, Illinois
*Addison Street in Chicago, Illinois which runs by Wrigley Field
* Addison, Kentucky
*Addison, Maine
*Addison, Michigan
*Addison, New York
...
,
Arley Arley may refer to:
Places England
* Arley, Cheshire, a village
** Arley Hall, Cheshire
* Arley, Warwickshire, a village
* Upper Arley
Upper Arley () is a village and civil parish near Kidderminster in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershi ...
,
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, and
Double Springs
Double Springs is a town in Winston County, Alabama, United States. The city is the county seat of Winston County. The county seat was initially located at Houston, but by referendum in 1883, Double Springs prevailed and it was removed to there. ...
.
![LewisSmithLake](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/LewisSmithLake.jpg)
Tourist attractions are: Indian head cliff jump (30 ft), Castle Rock (40–50 ft), and the Castle.
History
Due to the demand of coal along the
Black Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west-central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles (286 km) to the Tombigbee River, of which the ...
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a series of locks and dams were added north of the city of
Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of ...
. To better regulate the water levels in these locks and dams, local business leaders pressured the federal government to build a dam on the upper fork of the Sipsey Fork tributary of the Black Warrior River. The planned lake would also provide additional power to the surrounding area during peak hours as well as provide a source of recreational income to the otherwise sparsely populated area.
On July 27, 1954 Alabama power filed an application with the Federal Power commission for construction of the lake. Construction began on November 25, 1957, and the dam was formally dedicated on at a cost of $29 million. For the first 20 years, the lake remained relatively undeveloped. During the 1980s and 1990s the lake saw a rapid growth in recreation due to its proximity to the cities of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
and
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
.
Today the lake is used primarily for recreation, however during the summer its power plant is used during peak loads.
References
*
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Bodies of water of Cullman County, Alabama
Reservoirs in Alabama
Bodies of water of Walker County, Alabama
Bodies of water of Winston County, Alabama
Dams in Alabama
Hydroelectric power plants in Alabama
Alabama Power dams
Dams completed in 1961
Protected areas of Cullman County, Alabama
Protected areas of Walker County, Alabama
Protected areas of Winston County, Alabama