SML Dam Construction Video      Aerial View SML
   
John Lederer, in 1670, was the first recorded white man to visit the area. He led a small party of adventurers from Richmond up the James River to present day Lynchburg, then south towards present day Altavista to eventually stop at a Saponi Indian village. There he discovered the little river called "Rorenock" by the Saponi, which he explored northwest to an area near Leesville, just south of Smith Mountain.
A year later, in 1671, Abraham Wood led another party into our area. From Petersburg they traveled west to the same Saponi Indian village, then followed the Roanoke river northwest. They crossed thru Smith Mountain gap (where Smith Mountain Dam now sits), and  up the river to a Totcro Indian village in present day Roanoke. Settlers began slowly trickling in soon thereafter.
Smith Mountain is named for Daniel and Gideon Smith, 2 brothers from present day Pittsylvania County who owned thousands of acres here in the 1740's. The gap in the middle of the mountain is entirely natural, having been carved over millions of year by the river.
Despite the perfect natural site for a dam, the area has always been very rural,  which is probably why the dam, casually proposed after the turn of the century and officially proposed in 1924, took another 40 years to become a reality. The dam has turned the whole area into a retirement mecca, as well as a vacation stop for nearby Blue Ridge Parkway travelers. 

Dam Facts:  10' thick at the top;  32' thick at the base; 235' tall; 816' span
Lake Facts:40+ miles in length; 250+ feet deep in places; 500+ miles of shoreline; Largest lake in Virginia