Lake Norman the largest manmade body of water in North Carolina and 97th largest lake in the U.S. Created between the years of 1959 and 1964 the lake was part of the Cowans Ford Dam project by Duke Energy.

Lake Norman is fed by the Catawba River, and drains into Mountain Island Lake to the south. It was named after former Duke Power president Norman Atwater Cocke. Lake Norman is sometimes referred to as the "inland sea" of North Carolina; it offers 520 miles (840 km) of shoreline and a surface area of more than 50 square miles (130 km2). Full pond at Lake Norman is 760 feet (230 m) above mean sea level. Interstate 77 and North Carolina Highway 150 cross Lake Norman at different points.

Long before the Catawba River was dammed in 1963 to create Lake Norman, the river and surrounding area were home to the Catawba people of North Carolina. Now with a reservation in Rock Hill, South Carolina, this Indian nation lived along the Catawba River for 6,000 years.

The construction of the Cowan's Ford Dam and the subsequent creation of Lake Norman in the late 1950s and early 1960s represented just one part of a larger hydroelectric project on the Catawba River, dating back to the early 1900s. Furthermore, it fits into the larger context of river manipulation and the "energywater nexus" that developed in the U.S. South in the early to mid1900s. Over the course of the twentieth century, public and private entities across the U.S. South sought water management solutions for two primary purposes: environmental control—limiting flooding and drought—and electric power production.

The project to construct Cowan's Ford Dam broke ground in 1959. Upon the dam's completion in 1962, the lake began to fill with water. After the construction of dam, the Catawba River slowly covered the 30,000 acres of land where farms, mills, plantations, and entire communities once resided.[46] Historic sites, such as the battlefield for the Revolutionary War Battle of Cowan's Ford, were also flooded during the creation of Lake Norman.

The mill towns of East Monbo and Long Island closed in 1959 and 1961, respectively, in anticipation of the formation of the lake. Situated on the banks of the Catawba River, the mills were extremely at risk of inundation. The proposal for Lake Norman and Cowan's Ford Dam had brought uncertainty to the "community of oldtimers" living in these mill towns. In a segment titled "Where will the lake come?", Douglas Eisele of the Statesville Record and Landmark remarked on the mill communities' public memory of earlier flooding and resilience, writing: "will man's ingenuity finally take down what two historic floods could not destroy?" While the foundations of the mill towns' building remain beneath the lake, some families moved their houses outside the range of the lake flooding.

Furthermore, several cemeteries, such as the Caldwell Family Cemetery and Flemming Family Cemetery, are now covered by the lake. Duke Energy tracked down family members of those buried in the surrounding cemeteries to determine how the graves should be handled before the flood. Many individuals asked for the gravestones to be transported to a new location and Duke ensured the markers were "cleaned and repaired" once they were moved.

Duke Power partnered with the state of North Carolina to establish Lake Norman State Park. It has also built two bank fishing areas and eight public boating access areas along the shoreline. One site is leased to Mecklenburg County and one to Iredell County. Game fish in Lake Norman include catfish, crappie, bluegill and yellow perch, as well as striped, largemouth, spotted, white bass hybrids, and longnosed gar. Lake Norman has also become home to multiple species of wildlife, including eastern box turtle, soft shell turtle, snapping turtle, black (eastern) rat snake and the Northern water snake.

( Thanks to Wikipedia for history)

Sometimes Lake Norman is referred to as inland sea of North Carolina.

Hope you enjoyed the views of this beautiful lake Hope you enjoyed the views from an Bird's Eye View!

#LakeNorman#CharlotteNC#Travel#Drone#DJI#MavicAir2#LakeNorman4K#CharlotteLakes

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