Lake James
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Lake James is a large reservoir in the mountains of Western North Carolina which straddles the border between Burke and McDowell Counties. It is named for tobacco tycoon and benefactor of Duke University, James Buchanan Duke. The lake lies behind a series of 4 earthen dams, and was created by Duke Power in 1928 as a hydro-electric project.[1] It still generates power today, and is the uppermost lake on the Catawba River system.
[edit] Development
Lake James contains 10.2 square miles of surface area and more than 150 miles of shoreline. Housing development on the lake has been considerable since the 1980s, and is concentrated on its southern and eastern shores.[2] Most of the non-developed area around Lake James is owned by Crescent Resources, Inc., a lumber company and subsidiary of Duke Energy.
In 1999, several bald eagles were found nesting in trees on the northeastern shore of Lake James, stopping housing development in their vicinity.[3] A small species of jellyfish also lives in its waters.[4]
[edit] Attractions
Lake James has two year-round marinas. Lake James State Park is located on the lake's southern shore, and meetings of many of its housing associations are held at nearby Saint Paul's Episcopal Church. In 1992 Lake James was a filming site for the Daniel Day-Lewis movie The Last of the Mohicans, where it doubled as Lake George, New York and a replica of Fort William Henry was constructed.
[edit] Notes
- ^ NC Division of Parks and Recreation Lake James State Park [1]
- ^ Western Piedmont Council of Governments Economic Indicators Newsletter Fall 2006
- ^ US Fish and Wildlife Service American Bald Eagle Habitat Conservation Plan for the Lake James Project Burke and McDowell Counties, North Carolina [2]
- ^ Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Jellyfish Sightings 2003,2004,2005 [3]
