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32-586: The Babcock Lumber Company logged roughly two-thirds of the Slickrock Creek watershed before the construction of Calderwood Dam in 1922 flooded the company's railroad access and put an end to logging operations in the area. In the 1930s, the U.S. Veterans of Foreign Wars asked the U.S. Forest Service to create a memorial forest for Kilmer, a poet and journalist who had been killed in World War I . After considering millions of acres of forest land throughout

64-731: A Quonset hut used as a theater— were included in a supplementary listing for Calderwood Dam on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Alcoa began developing the Little Tennessee Valley in 1909 to provide the ample amounts of electricity necessary to power its planned aluminum smelting operations in Blount County. Under the leadership of Alcoa engineer Isaac Glidden Calderwood (1871–1941), three dams— Cheoah (1919), Santeetlah (1928), and Calderwood (1930)— were completed in

96-418: A 24-gate arched-crest spillway. A 40-foot (12 m) lower-gravity "cushion" dam is located 370 feet (110 m) downstream from the main dam, creating a pool of water that protects the riverbed. The pool's effectiveness is enhanced by a deflection unit at the base of the main dam. Calderwood's powerhouse is located 1.2 miles (1.9 km) downstream from the dam, on the opposite side of the horseshoe bend in

128-616: A base for the Aluminum Company of America 's Little Tennessee Valley hydroelectric development operations, the community continued to house construction personnel and dam maintenance personnel for nearby Calderwood Dam until the 1960s. Although the community's houses were razed after its abandonment, three buildings located in the community— the Calderwood Dam service building, the Calderwood School, and

160-568: A drainage area of 1,856 square miles (4,810 km ). The elevation of Calderwood Reservoir is 1087.8 feet (USGS), and the reservoir covers an 8-mile (13 km) stretch of the river. About half of Calderwood Reservoir lies in Tennessee, with the remainder extending into North Carolina . Alcoa began developing the Little Tennessee Valley in 1909 to provide the enormous amounts of electricity needed to power to its aluminum smelting operations in Blount County. Superintendent I.G. Calderwood oversaw

192-593: A remote section of the valley along the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The community of Calderwood was initially known as "Alcoa," but was renamed in I. G. Calderwood's honor after the company reapplied the name "Alcoa" to its main company town in northern Blount County. The Calderwood community was situated on the north bank (or Blount County side) of the Little Tennessee River, approximately 41 miles (66 km) upstream from

224-484: A school was built, and a Quonset hut was installed in the community for use as a theater. The Calderwood Methodist Church was completed in 1954, and the Calderwood Baptist Church was completed the following year. Within a few years, the need for onsite crews diminished, however, and residents began moving away. By the late 1960s, Calderwood had been largely abandoned. Calderwood Dam was added to

256-745: A substantial old growth stand still exists in its upper watershed. The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness borders the Citico Creek Wilderness , which lies within the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee . Calderwood Dam Calderwood Dam is a hydroelectric dam located along the Little Tennessee River in Blount and Monroe counties, in the U. S. state of Tennessee . Completed in 1930,

288-412: A switchback-laden stretch of road known as "The Dragon," which is popular with motorcyclists. The surviving community structures and the Calderwood Dam service building are accessible via Housley Road, which connects US-129 with Growdon Road on the riverfront. The Calderwood Baptist Church is located about halfway down Housley Road in a wooded area on the left. At the intersection of Housley and Growdon,

320-404: Is equipped with three Francis turbines . The powerhouse, a larger brick structure adjacent to the valve house, is equipped with three Westinghouse generators with a combined capacity of 140.4 megawatts. The powerhouse complex, located adjacent to a rockslide-prone slope, is protected by a V-shaped reinforced concrete wall. Calderwood's reservoir covers approximately 570 acres (230 ha) with

352-408: Is located along the upstream end of this bend, and the powerhouse, service building, and old Calderwood community (now a recreation area) are located along the downstream end of this bend. The service building, recreation area, and historical community structures are accessible via Housley Road (gated at night), which connects US-129 to Growdon Road at the service building. Growdon Road continues past

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384-560: Is now Calderwood stands adjacent to what was once a narrow stretch of the river that for centuries was used as a ford by Native Americans . By the 18th century, the Overhill Cherokee village of Tallassee straddled both sides of this ford. This village was burned by Colonel John Sevier in 1788 in retaliation for the Nine Mile Creek massacre, which took place a few miles to the north. When Alcoa began developing

416-583: The Appalachian Mountains . Although there are many types of trees in Joyce Kilmer, dominant species include poplar, hemlock, red and white oak, basswood, beech, and sycamore. Many of the trees in Joyce Kilmer are over 400 years old. The largest rise to heights of over 100 feet (30 m) and have circumferences of up to 20 feet (6.1 m). The Slickrock Creek basin is coated primarily by a mature second-growth cove hardwood forest, although

448-668: The Tennessee River . The area is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with the Great Smoky Mountains rising to the north and the Unicoi Mountains rising to the south. U.S. Route 129 runs roughly parallel to the Blount County side of the river, providing the only major road access to the Calderwood area. The Calderwood complex graces a horseshoe bend in the river known as "The Narrows." The dam

480-544: The Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness. Slickrock Creek rises on Stratton's northwestern slope and flows northeastward to its mouth along the Little Tennessee River . Little Santeetlah rises on Stratton's southeastern slope and flows southeastward to its mouth along Santeetlah Creek. The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest along Little Santeetlah Creek is a rare example of an old growth cove hardwood forest, an extremely diverse forest type unique to

512-406: The Little Tennessee Valley around 1909, the Calderwood area was part of a farm owned by Blount County farmer John Howard. After purchasing the property, company engineers began using it as a base of operations. In 1912, a post office was set up in the base camp, which initially used the company's name, "Alcoa." Under engineer I. G. Calderwood's leadership, a railroad line was constructed to connect

544-643: The National Register of Historic Places in 1989, and the dam's powerhouse, valve house, conduit tunnel, and penstocks were added in 1990. In 2004, several buildings in the Calderwood community— including the dam's service building, the school, and the Quonset-hut theater— along with the dam's gantry cranes and gatehouse , were added to the National Register. The residences in the community have all been razed, and only their foundations and two garages remain. The Calderwood Methodist Church

576-552: The U.S., the Forest Service chose an undisturbed 3,800-acre (15 km) patch along Little Santeetlah Creek, which it dedicated as the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in 1936. The sources of both Slickrock Creek and Little Santeetlah Creek are located high in the Unicoi Mountains , on opposite slopes of Bob Stratton Bald , a 5,360-foot (1,630 m) grassy bald overlooking the southwest corner of

608-504: The base camp with the Southern Railway terminal at Chilhowee (near modern Chilhowee Dam ). Alcoa's Little Tennessee Valley plans were finalized in 1915, and construction crews began arriving at the company's base camp. Cheoah Dam was completed in 1919, and Santeetlah was completed in 1928. In 1919, the large company town that housed the workers for Alcoa's aluminum plants, which had previously been known as "North Maryville,"

640-550: The community was largely abandoned in the 1950s. Its houses were all razed, but the school and theater (now used as storage) were added to Calderwood Dam's National Register listing in 2004. 35°29′33″N 83°58′45″W  /  35.49263°N 83.97928°W  / 35.49263; -83.97928 Calderwood, Tennessee Calderwood was a community once located along the Little Tennessee River in Blount County, Tennessee , United States. Established in 1912 as

672-462: The dam and powerhouse, was developed in 1912 to house construction crews for Alcoa's Little Tennessee projects. This community was initially known as "Alcoa," but its name was changed to "Calderwood" in 1920 when the company reapplied its name to its main company town north of Maryville . The Calderwood community grew to include nearly two dozen houses, two churches, a school, and a theater, but as construction and maintenance crews were no longer needed,

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704-488: The dam is owned and maintained by Tapoco , a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), although the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) controls the dam's reservoir levels from Fontana Dam further upstream. Calderwood Dam is named for Alcoa engineer Isaac Glidden Calderwood (1871–1941), who supervised much of the company's early Little Tennessee River operations. Calderwood Dam

736-450: The dam to house construction and maintenance crews for its Little Tennessee Valley operations. In 1989, Calderwood Dam was placed on the National Register of Historic Places . The listing was expanded in 1990 and again in 2004 to include most of the dam's substructures. Calderwood Dam is located approximately 44 miles (71 km) upstream from the mouth of the Little Tennessee River, which flows westward from North Carolina and empties into

768-400: The extension of a railway line from Chilhowee to what is now Calderwood (railroad bridge support columns are still visible in the river just downstream from the dam). Southern Railway engineers had suggested that the construction of this rail line would take six months, but Calderwood and his team accomplished the task in just six weeks. The first of Alcoa's Little Tennessee Valley dams, Cheoah,

800-401: The mouth of the river. This section of the river is technically part of Chilhowee Lake, which is impounded by Chilhowee Dam approximately 8 miles (13 km) downstream. Calderwood Dam is located 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream, on the opposite end of a horseshoe bend in the river. U.S. Route 129 provides the only major road access to the Calderwood area. Just past Calderwood, US-129 enters

832-435: The river. A submerged intake just upstream from the dam diverts water into a 2,150-foot (660 m) concrete tunnel, which carries the water to the other side of the peninsula where it spills down three penstocks to a valve house. The penstocks measure approximately 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter, and range in length from 330 feet (100 m) to 388 feet (118 m). The valve house is built of steel-reinforced concrete and

864-509: The service building is to the left, with a gated road (open to foot traffic) continuing to the powerhouse. To the right of the intersection, the road continues past the Calderwood School building and culminates at a boat ramp in the lake connected via causeway to the mainland. Just past the school building, an unmarked road leads up the cliff slope to the Calderwood Methodist Church and the former residential area. What

896-557: The service building to the powerhouse, although this section of the road is only publicly open to foot traffic. The Calderwood Overlook, located along US-129 just south of the road's intersection with Housley Road, provides a sweeping view of the Calderwood Reservoir. A gravel road, also open only to public foot traffic, connects the overlook to Calderwood Dam. Calderwood Dam is a thin-section concrete structure 232 feet (71 m) high and 916 feet (279 m) wide, and has

928-417: Was completed in 1919, and the second, Santeetlah, was completed in 1928. Preliminary work on Calderwood Dam began in 1918, but test drilling suggested the site might not be satisfactory. Subsequent tests confirmed the site's stability, however, and construction began in 1927. The first two generating units went into operation in 1930, and a third unit was added in 1938. The "cushion pool" design of Calderwood

960-487: Was incorporated under the company's name. The following year, the company renamed its Little Tennessee Valley construction camp "Calderwood" after its able head of operations in the valley, I. G. Calderwood. After the completion of Calderwood Dam in 1930, the construction camp evolved into a community that housed maintenance crews for the dam. Nearly two dozen residences were built, all following identical one-floor plans. After World War II , Calderwood expanded. In 1950,

992-727: Was influenced by natural cascade waterfall formations. The dam's arched-crest design may have been influenced by the design of Ocoee Dam No. 1 , which was completed in 1911 along the Ocoee River a few miles to the south. Calderwood's use of a conduit tunnel to carry water to a powerhouse further downstream resembles the Great Falls Dam complex, completed in 1916 on the Caney Fork in Middle Tennessee . The community of Calderwood, Tennessee, located downstream from

Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-436: Was one of four dams—along with Cheoah , Santeetlah , and Chilhowee —built in the Little Tennessee Valley by Alcoa in the 20th century to provide electricity to its aluminum smelting operations in Blount County. The dam was one of the last to be completed in the Tennessee River watershed before TVA took control of the watershed in 1933. Alcoa developed the community of Calderwood, Tennessee , just downstream from

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