History of Dale Hollow Lake

Dale Hollow Lake is located on the Tennessee-Kentucky border, 3 miles east of Celina, Tennessee. It covers parts of Clay, Pickett, Overton, and Fentress Counties in Tennessee and Clinton and Cumberland Counties in Kentucky. The lake was formed by damming the Obey River 7.3 miles above its juncture with the Cumberland River.

• Oldest Artificial Lake in Kentucky
• 4th Largest Lake in Kentucky
• 5th Deepest Lake in Kentucky
• 10th Largest Lake in Tennessee
• 6th Deepest Lake in Tennessee

• Length - 61 miles
• Average Depth - 50 feet
• Largest Depth - 130 feet
• Minimum Elevation - 632 feet above sea level
• Normal Elevation - 651 feet
• Maximum Elevation - 663 feet
• Lake Capacity - 1,706,000 Acre Feet
• Lake Area - 30,990 Acres

Before Dale Hollow Lake was created, the Obey River flowed through the area on its way to the Cumberland River. Native Americans had occupied the lands around this river for thousands of years before white settlers moved to Tennessee. As the map below shows, the Shawnee and Yuchi tribes had occupied the area around Obey River. In the 1540s, Hernando DeSoto led a group of Spanish conquistadors into the area. Unfortunately for the Native Americans, these solders brought diseases like smallpox and measles, that they had no immunity to. This lack of immunity allowed these diseases to ravage the tribes in the area.

The Yuchi Tribe were able to survive the diseases, but in the early 1700s, the Cherokee moved into their lands and drove them out. The Cherokee would continue to live in area and trade with the Europeans. In 1754, the Cherokee fought against the British in the French and Indian War. When the British eventually won the war against the French, they signed the Proclamation of 1763 that would prevent white settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains in hopes to prevent further conflict with the Native Americans.

This proclamation would be ignored by white settlers and land speculators who came in and purchased land from the Cherokee. Some Cherokee refused to sell their lands and later joined the British during the American Revolution. Allying with the British was a mistake for the Cherokee, because when the Americans won the war in 1783, this gave the Americans an excuse to take more and more lands from the Cherokee.

Around 1785, five families from the colony of New York (the Irons, the Barbers, the Stones, the Hills and possibly the Mitchells) came to the area and bought land from Chief Nettlecarrier, a Cherokee chief. They lived peacefully with the Cherokee and their settlement grew into a town called Willow Grove.

The town was fairly large for its day. It had churches, general stores, service stations, and the largest school building for miles. The town also had a large gymnasium where children would go to watch basketball games.

William Dale, a government surveyor, came to the area to survey the boundary line between Tennessee and Kentucky. While surveying, Dale sought shelter with Edward Irons and met his soon-to-be wife Rachel Irons, Edward's daughter. He later moved to the area in 1808 and bought 449 acres of land. He eventually married Rachel Irons and started a family there at Willow Grove. Over the next 100 years, his land developed into a plantation called Dale Hollow.

Willow Grove continued to grow and flourish until 1942. 4 years earlier, the Flood Control Act of 1938 had been passed which authorized the construction of a dam in the narrow point in the Obey River valley adjacent to the mount of the Dale Hollow. Residents of Willow Grove were forced to move and their property was essentially destroyed. Homes were demolished, farm fields were bulldozed clean of fences and barns, and the trees were all cut down. To make matters worse, men from Willow Grove and all across the country were going to fight in World War II. If they survived the war, those from Willow Grove wouldn't get to return to their homes.

Starting in the 1930s, the federal government started looking into flood control and power generation. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) project was started in 1933, which allowed the federal government to provide land management in Tennessee, but it was limited to the Tennessee River basin. The Flood Control Act of 1938 was later enacted which authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop plans for flood control in the Ohio and Cumberland River valleys.

To prevent flooding and to produce hydroelectric power, the Corps began designing dams for the Cumberland River Valley. On September 1, 1941, work began on Wolf Creek Dam in Russell County, Kentucky. By the next year on March 2, 1942, construction of Dale Hollow Dam had begun. Construction of the Center Hill Dam also began this year. When the U.S. joined World War II, there was hope that these three dams would provide much needed electricity for war material manufacture. Unfortunately, the war put a strain on manpower and materials, so the Corps had to halt two of the three projects. Since the Dale Hollow Dam was the closest to being finished, they continued work on it and halted the other two projects. The dam was complete on October 20, 1943, with the lake being fully impounded on May 7, 1944.

Dale Hollow Dam continues to provide flood control and electricity as well as a gorgeous lake to those living in the Upper Cumberland region. The dam recently celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2018.

Its construction reduced the impact of a major flood in Celina, Tennessee in the spring of 1945. Since its completion, the dam has prevented over $329,000,000 worth of flood damage as of 2017. In 1948 and later in 1949 and 1953 three Francis turbines were installed in the dam. Each unit can generate 18,000 kilowatts for a total of 54,000 kilowatts, enough to supply power to a city of 45,000 and provide support to the national grid. The estimated production of kilowatt hours in 2014 has a benefit of over $35,000,000. The lake attracts plenty of tourists as well, which helps the local economy. In 2012 alone, Dale Hollow Lake saw 2,671,002 visitors.

Dale Hollow Dam didn't benefit everyone though. When the dam was completed in 1944 the area around the Obey River flooded. This included the community of Willow Grove. You can still see the school that use to operate there.

There has also been a video recorded by people diving to get a closer look at the school.

After its creation, Dale Hollow Lake became a recreational hotspot. Docks, marinas, parks, campgrounds, and restaurants began to pop up along its coastline. Today, camping, boating, fishing and plenty of other outdoor activities are very popular with the locals and visitors alike.

There are 4 U.S. Army Corps of Engineer operated campgrounds at Dale Hollow Lake as well as a campground at Dale Hollow Lake State Park. These campgrounds allow guests to spend time outdoors and experience the beautiful landscape around Dale Hollow Lake.

Below is a map of the campgrounds at Dale Hollow Lake (green). These include Dale Hollow Dam, Willow Grove, Lillydale, Dale Hollow State Park, and Obey River from left to right. Click the symbols to see the name, address, phone number, when they are open, and their website. You can use the website to reserve a campsite or call toll free at (877) 444-6777.

The map also includes primitive camping sites (orange). Primitive camping offers users a unique shoreline camping experience. These are undeveloped though, meaning only tents are permitted and services like restrooms and electrical hookups are unavailable. Click the symbols to see its name and if it can be accessed by road or boat. These sites must also be reserved by going to  https://www.recreation.gov/  and searching (Dale Hollow Lake-Primitive Camping (TN))

With 27,700 surface acres of water and 620 miles of shoreline, Dale Hollow Lake is a great spot for boating and skiing. Visitors can hop on a deck boat or pontoon boat and explore this great lake or, for a more thrilling experience, go skiing, wake boarding, or tubing.

Below is a map of marinas at Dale Hollow (red). These fifteen commercial marinas, situated at various locations on the lake, provide easy access and supplies for boaters. Click the symbols to see the name, address, phone number, and website.

Fishing is a popular sport at Dale Hollow Lake and several fishing tournaments are held there every year. It is actually known as the Smallmouth Bass Capital of the World. On July 9, 1955, David Hayes caught the largest smallmouth bass ever caught in the world, weighing 11 pounds and 15 ounces. The top 3 smallmouth bass in the world have been caught at Dale Hollow Lake.

To be able to fish at Dale Hollow Lake, a fishing license is required. These can be purchased at County Clerk's offices, marinas and many other commercial establishments.

Dale Hollow Lake is also home to the largest Federal trout hatchery East of the Mississippi, the Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery. Located below Dale Hollow Dam, this hatchery stocks around 2.2 million rainbow, brown, and lake trout every year. These fish are sent to lakes across Tennessee as well as Georgia and Alabama. Visitors can tour the aquarium and hatchery and even feed the fish. Visiting hours are from 8 am to 3:30 pm daily and for more information, you can visit  https://www.fws.gov/dalehollow/ .

Dale Hollow Lake provides people with a place to enjoy the outdoors and the dam provides flood control and electricity. Despite these benefits, many sacrifices were made in order to build this great lake. The Native Americans that had been living in the area were forced to move and later the citizen of Willow Grove were forced to vacate their town. So next time you visit Dale Hollow Lake, remember these sacrifices that were made so that we can enjoy this great lake.