We used to tie our boat up just underneath the sign that says "Warning Keep Away From Dam" to night fish.

I went along only once. Very, very spooky to be tied up to a dam.

We spent a lot of time up there prior to 1983. It is/was a beautiful lake with very cold water. Back then it was not heavily visited (don't know about since then) and very serene.

Seeing the lake drawn down is quite fascinating. For anyone who knows the lake, check it out. Quite incredible.

Really cool pics. Thanks!

Interesting. So the lake level will remain down like that for another couple months or so? I should get down there to see it.

Brian A.
I'd rather be cycling.

Yes, until late 2008 or early 2009 according to Alcoa. It's worth a trip.

Old railroad ran to Tapoco, NC to build the first Alcoa dam in 1917. My Mother was from Robbinsville, NC. She told me she could remember riding from Tapoco to Maryville with my grandparents on the train.

I'll need to put a kayak in to explore further this Fall.

That Railroad bridge was part of the old L&N line that ran from Knoxville thru Maryville and on to the Greenback Station. Then it ran up to the lake. It use to deliver supplies and passengers to the Calderwood station and also ran workers and supplies up to build the dams (as mentioned above).

This is the road system that was once the community of Calderwood. Further North on the lake you should be able to see what remains of it. When the lake was full you could take a boat almost up to the power house, and you could see the roads under the water. The water up around the power house was very shallow. I haven't made my way down there yet, but I bet if you went up 129 to the power house entrance, you could probably get a better view of the sunken town of Calderwood. They close the gate at 3:00 pm though.

For those of you who have already been to check out the lake bed, are there any old homes still standing? Or is it just fences, bridges, and such?

There are a few old foundations that can be seen, but nothing standing but a stacked stone chimney where one home once stood. You can't see it from the road.

My wife and I paddled around the mouth of Abrams Creek on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty long walk to hand carry a boat and pretty muddy too. When we came back in and we found the level had dropped to create a 10 foot mud pit between water and "dry" land.

Out on the water we saw the hand laid wall pictured at a distance in R.Neal's photos.

a little closer

The unsunken bridge has nice lines

We paddled underneath it and up Abrams Creek where we found the end of the impoundment and the new beginning of the creek. We found it less than a mile up. When the dam is at normal levels it's about 2.

On the way back out of the creek, you can see the relative bridge height at pre-dam and post-dam levels.

On the unsunken high spots and along the long stone wall, you see many cut stumps of large trees. I wonder if they got them for timber just before they were flooded by the new dam?

This tree's stump and roots caught my wife's eye.

It was a fun expedition. The water was smooth as glass. I wished we'd found a sunken boat.

Excellent photos. Thanks!

Love the pics. I cant believe the condition of the old bridge...looks like you could still drive on it.

One Knoxviewer mentioned a standing chimney. Can you identify a general location? I'd like to paddle it again up river soon.

Justin, I only saw the underside and side of the bridge but it looks pretty good.

The road side "guardrail" was evident if not intact in many sections. While building the higher road they pushed the slag rock off onto the old road bed.

The guardrail held against the crush of rocks sometimes. How does metal stretch like that?

And, R. Neal, thanks again for the original post.

Great pics! Fascinating.

A word of warning to anyone venturing up there. My girlfriend and I decided to go to the other side of the river to check it out. As we started to cross back, they release water into Chilhowee. The two of us and her dog all nearly drowned (quite literally) as the water is ice cold, the current gets very swift, and the water level rises much faster than you realize. It would only be a temporary release into the lake from Calderwood/Fontana at this point, so keep an eye open and wait it out if you see it happening.

I KNEW THERE WAY A LOT OF STRUCTURE UNDER THE LAKE AS I GREW UP, AND IT CLAIMED A FEW LIVES,1967-1975, DURING THAT TIME. I DID MANY AN ACROBATIC TRICK OFF THE BRIDGES- ESP TABCAT....I STOOD THERE LAST YR AT THE AGE OF 52 AND MARVELED AT HOW BLESSED I WAS THEN, TO MAKE IT TO 52---TO SEE IT DRAWN DOWN -IS AMAZING-LIFETIME OF QUESTIONS ANSWERED,

I love everyones pictures and I am in amazement. My grandfather lived most of his life in Maryville and I spent every summer with him till about 1979. He passed away fall 1980. Seeing these wonderful pictures brings back the best memories of my life. I spent every summer on this lake; camping, fishing, and even learned to ski on Chilhowee. I am coming back this summer, June 10th 2009, for the first time in 29 years. I have so been looking forward to taking my daughters to see this wonderful and beautiful lake for the first time and really hope it is back to "normal". Does anyone know the status of the lake? I have searched and searched but cannot find any updated information. Any information would be appreciated. feel free to e-mail me at wmcwillie1@kc.rr.com Bill

Bill,

You may be interested in doing a search at Flickr.com. Here is what I came up with by entering 'Chilhowee Lake' in their search field.

Put them in a slide show and enjoy.

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