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1961 Map of Fontana Dam

Name: 1961 Topographic Map of Fontana Dam
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Fontana Dam stands as the central engineering feat along the Little Tennessee River, creating the expansive waters of Fontana Lake that separate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the Nantahala National Forest. This 1961 survey, updated with 1970s revisions, illustrates the established mountain community of Fontana Village and the remote settlement at Proctor. The Appalachian Trail winds through the northern ridges, passing landmarks like Shuckstack and the Fontana Copper Mine.

Evidence of earlier mountain life is preserved in the location of the Payne Cem and Cable Cove Cem, while the Lady of the Lake Chapel reflects the mid-century development of the village. The terrain is a complex network of gaps and ridges, including Hickory Nut Gap and Sassafras Gap, documenting the isolation and connectivity of this Graham County landscape before and after the river's impoundment.