Lake James

Infobox lake
lake_name = Lake James
image_lake = Lake_James_Image.jpg
caption_lake = View from the southern shore
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location = Western North Carolina
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type = reservoir
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catchment = approximately 60 billion gallons of fresh, clean mountain water.
basin_countries = United States
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area = convert|10.2|sqmi|km2|abbr=on
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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 between 1916-1923 as a hydro-electric project. [NC Division of Parks and Recreation "Lake James State Park" [http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/laja/home.html] ] It still generates power today, and is the uppermost lake on the Catawba River system.

Development

Lake James contains convert|10.2|sqmi|km2 of surface area and more than convert|150|mi|km of shoreline. Housing development on the lake has been considerable since the 1980s, and is concentrated on its southern and eastern shores. [Western Piedmont Council of Governments "Economic Indicators Newsletter" Fall 2006] Most of the non-developed area around Lake James is owned by Crescent Resources, Inc., a joint venture between Duke Energy and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund.

In 1999, several bald eagles were found nesting in trees on the northeastern shore of Lake James, stopping housing development in their vicinity. [US Fish and Wildlife Service "American Bald Eagle Habitat Conservation Plan for the Lake James Project Burke and McDowell Counties, North Carolina" [http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/birds/lakejameseaglehcp.pdf] ] A small species of jellyfish also lives in its waters. [Indiana University of Pennsylvania, "Jellyfish Sightings" 2003,2004,2005 [http://nsm1.nsm.iup.edu/tpeard/location.html] ]

Attractions

Lake James has two year-round marinas. Lake James State Park is located on the lake's southern shore. Crescent Resources worked with the State of North Carolina in 2004 to expand the state park, adding 3,000 acres to the park's original 605 acres.

Meetings of many of the Lake James area's 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.

In the fall of 2006, the first of 3.5 of new pathways on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (OVNHT) was certified by the National Park Service. The trail, which received its historic designation from President Jimmy Carter in 1980, commemorates the march of the “Overmountain Men,” a patriot militia who defeated the British at the Battle of Kings mountain during the Revolutionary War. The new section of the trail runs through the 1780 community, which is named after the year the militia marched through the Lake James area. Plans have been discussed to connect the OVNHT to the Mountains to the Sea Trail.

Literature

Morganton, the closest city to Lake James, was the setting of Jules Verne’s 1904 novel, “Master of the World,” in which special agent John Strock investigates “The Terror,” an incredible invention of the scientific genius, Robur. Verne never visited Morganton.

Community

Lake James has a community website, operated by the Community of Lake James, Inc., located at http://www.communityoflakejames.com/.

Notes