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Local History

The first recorded white men to visit the area was a small party of adventurers headed by John Lederer, their mission financed by wealthy plantation owners scouting land investment opportunities. The year was 1670. They traveled from Richmond up the James River to present day Lynchburg, then turned south and headed towards present day Altavista, eventually ending at a Saponi Indian village on June 9.

It was here that he and his party discovered the little river that the Saponi call the "Rorenock", which they followed northwest to an area near Leesville, just south of Smith Mountain. From here he turned southwest, then south, and then circled back east towards home. By August, Lederer was on another exploration to North Carolina frontiers.

One year later, in the spring 1671, Abraham Wood led another party into our area with plans to press further into the interior of the continent.

Lederer, a German, wasn't invited to lead this trip. He was previously treated as an outsider by his English compatriots, who were also jealous of his bravery and negotiating skills with the natives. (He went on to lead many other successful explorations while Wood's party was about to get bogged down in swamps, having spurned Lederer and his Indian guide's advice on the best route to travel.)

Like the previous year's excursion, Wood's group departed from Petersburg, but this time they traveled due west thru the wilderness by compass only, again arriving at the Saponi Indian village (days later than hoped for, courtesy of a several vast marshlands they could have avoided that caused long backtracking).

After a short time resting, they continued their journey by walking along the Roanoke River from the Saponi village, crossed thru Smith Mountain gap (where the dam now sits), and from here they traveled upriver to a Tutelo Indian village in present day Roanoke (friendly kin to the Saponi, they spoke a slightly different dialect of the the same root language). After reaching the massive Roanoke Valley, they continued their journey for a few more days, all the way up to present day Elliston before turning back home. Settlers began trickling in soon thereafter.

Within 50 years the area was largely settled by white homesteaders and many of the Indians had relocated to other areas, their numbers having been decimated by illness, fighting with neighboring tribes (and whites), and hunger due to diminished game. Another 50 years later and virtually all the remaining native Virginia Indians were gone, surprisingly, a large number to upstate New York, in addition to the well known migrations westward.

Several early names were used to identify the mountain, but the one that stuck was after Daniel and Gideon Smith, two brothers from present day Pittsylvania County who owned thousands of acres here in 1740's.

The gap in the middle of the mountain is entirely natural, a genuine marvel. Despite the geography being literally perfect for a dam, the area has always been very rural, which is probably why the dam, casually proposed around 1906, and officially proposed in 1924, still took another 40 years to become a reality.

But things have sure changed since Smith Mountain Dam was completed, because the enormous lake it created, (which is close to literally millions of people just a few hours away), has turned the whole area into a retirement mecca, as well as a vacation stop for nearby Blue Ridge Parkway travelers. And it wouldn't be boasting to say that the natural beauty of Smith Mountain Lake is becoming famous.

Miscellaneous Dam Facts
10' thick at the top   ○    32' thick at the base   ○   235' tall   ○   816' span

Miscellaneous Lake Facts
40 miles in length   ○   250' deep in places   ○    500 miles of shoreline   ○   Largest Virginia lake   ○   Cleanest Virginia lake

    








Valley trees get submerged while higher elevations clear cut. Tens of thousands of full size trees, some 100' feet tall, are under another 100' of water.

         









Completed dam reaches full pond in 1966.

Above left center is the new Hales Ford Bridge under construction in 1964. (The old road and bridge is on the right). The building on the far left was a temporary cement plant, which today is the exact location of Smith Mountain Lake Homes & Realty!!

         








Spillway behind the dam as it is today.