Eight years in the making, the J. Strom Thurmond Dam was a monumental task for engineers and construction workers in the 1940s and ‘50s.
Archival footage in this video shows the steps they took to layer power plant fixtures as the dam was being built.
The $79 million price tag could have been much higher had they not discovered a motherlode of granite within a mile of the construction site on the Georgia side of the river.
Today, the reservoir’s 71,000 acres of water and 1,200 miles of shoreline offer ample recreation opportunities while also providing power to surrounding communities.
The project houses 7 generators and in one hour, a single generator can produce enough electricity to power more than 200 homes for one year.