One
of five aerial maps produced by the Corps of Engineers illustrating
the area to be cleared for the reservoir, July 1960. The future footprint
of the lake is marked in white. Rogers is on the left.
Joe Neal
Collection (S-89-14)
The Corps of Engineers had to purchase over 40,000 acres of land to make way for the reservoir. It was a difficult task because land titles back in the hills were informal or non-existent and owners or their heirs were scattered.
Because the White was a meandering river, the lake took on an irregular shape as the impounded waters backed up into the hills and valleys of the river basin.
Not only did the lake change the geographical landscape of the area, it changed the historical and cultural landscapes. Families whose ancestors homesteaded along the White were forced to move their homes and cemeteries as the lake rose to cover farms, small towns and communities, Native American archeolgical sites, and historical sites such as the resort at Monte Ne.
Number
of cemeteries relocated: 39 |
|