Cove Lake State Park
Encyclopedia
Cove Lake State Park is a state park
in Campbell County, Tennessee
, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of 673 acres (2.7 km²) situated around Cove Lake, an impoundment of Cove Creek created by the completion of Caryville Dam in 1936. The park's location is adjacent to the town of Caryville
and just west of Jacksboro
.
Cove Lake is an extension of the much larger Norris Reservoir, which extends across the lower 15 miles (24.1 km) of Cove Creek downstream from Caryville Dam. Cove Lake State Park was one of several state and local parks developed in the 1930s as part of the Norris Dam
Project. The park includes a large campground, several small walking trails, and a wildlife observation area. A leg of the Cumberland Trail
passes near the park's northern boundary, connecting the park to nearby mountaintops.
to the north and west from the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley range
to south and east. Cross Mountain— which at 3534 feet (1,077.2 m) is the highest mountain in Tennessee west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
— dominates the view to the west. The southern tip of Fork Mountain overlooks the park immediately to the north. Cumberland Mountain, a narrow ridge that spans the entire northern rim of Powell Valley, stretches nearly 40 miles (64.4 km) between Bruce Gap (just north of Cove Lake) and Cumberland Gap
to the northeast. Cumberland Mountain's rocky western tip, known as Devil's Racetrack, is visible from most anywhere in the park.
Cove Creek rises in the mountains to the northwest (near the community of Pioneer) and flows southeastward for roughly 25 miles (40.2 km) before emptying into the Clinch River just north of Norris Dam. Caryville Dam spans the creek approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) upstream from the creek's mouth. The lake created by the dam spans a 2 miles (3.2 km) stretch of Cove Creek upstream from the dam and a 1 miles (1.6 km) stretch of the creek's Dog Creek tributary to form a U-shape around the park. The entire lake covers roughly 210 acre (0.8498406 km²).
Interstate 75
passes along the western boundary of the park, connecting the area to Kentucky
to the north and Knoxville
to the south. U.S. Route 25W passes through the southern and eastern sections of the park, connecting it with Caryville to the west and the Norris Dam area to the east.
(c. 1000-1500 A.D.) Native American
village near where US-25W now crosses Cove Lake, along the park's southern boundary. The site, known as the Irvin Mound Site, consisted of a large mound surrounded by a village that covered nearly 15 acre (0.0607029 km²) at its greatest extent. Researchers determined that houses in the village were made of small upright logs posted in trenches and lashed together using cane and grass. Several human burials, various pottery fragments, and tools and weapons made from stone, antler, and bone were uncovered at the site.
Euro-American settlers first arrived in Powell Valley in the early 19th century. The community of Wheelerville was established as a railroad stop in 1867, but by 1880 had changed its name to "Caryville" after a local family. Most of the early settlers were subsistence farmers
, although large-scale logging operations moved into the area in the late 19th century. In the 1890s, coal mining operations sprang up along the base of Cross Mountain, namely at Coal Creek (modern Lake City
) and Briceville
a few miles to the south. The Stone Mill, a gristmill
and sawmill built by Joel Stone around 1900, served as a community center and base for local business until it was purchased as part of the Norris Project in 1934.
and Cove Creek to control flooding and provide electricity to the area. The project was initially known as the "Cove Creek Project," but after the Tennessee Valley Authority
assumed control of the project in 1933, it became known as the "Norris Project." The project was named for Nebraska senator George Norris, who had advocated the creation of TVA in the early 1930s. The construction of Norris Dam began in 1934 and the dam's gates were closed in 1936, effectively creating the Norris Reservoir.
The Tennessee Valley Authority constructed Caryville Dam to protect Caryville from the Norris Reservoir, which would extend for several miles up Cove Creek. Regardless, several of the town's structures were condemned or moved, and two highways had to be rerouted. TVA planned Cove Lake State Park as one of the Norris Project's three demonstration recreational areas, the other two being Norris Dam State Park
and Big Ridge State Park
along the main reservoir to the east.
The Civilian Conservation Corps
began work on Cove Lake State Park in 1937. The CCC built the park office, restaurant, several stone cabins, a boat dock, park roads, and shelters, of which the park office and part of the restaurant are still standing. In 1950, the park was deeded to the state of Tennessee, which has since added more modern facilities.
When completed, the Cumberland Trail will connect Cumberland Gap at the Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky border with Prentice Cooper State Forest near the Tennessee-Georgia border. The first 47 miles (75.6 km) of the trail, known as the Cumberland Mountain Segment, will traverse the crest of Cumberland Mountain, connecting Cumberland Gap and Cove Lake State Park. At present, an 11 miles (17.7 km) section of the Cumberland Mountain Segment is complete, and connects Cove Lake State Park with Tank Springs in LaFollette
. The second segment of the trail, the 36 miles (57.9 km) Smoky Mountain Segment (named after a mountain in the Cumberlands, not to be confused with the Great Smoky Mountains
), will connect Cove Lake State Park with Frozen Head State Park
. Cove Lake State Park's Cumberland Trail access point is located along Bruce Gap Road, at the park's northern boundary. Going east from this access point, the trail leads up the flanks of Fork Mountain before crossing Bruce Creek and ascending to Devil's Racetrack. Going west, the trail passes under I-75 and ascends Cross Mountain en route to interior of the Cumberland Mountains.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
in Campbell County, Tennessee
Campbell County, Tennessee
Campbell County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 40,716. Its county seat is Jacksboro. The Census Bureau has identified the county as a Micropolitan Statistical Area, designated the LaFollette Micropolitan Statistical Area for the largest...
, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of 673 acres (2.7 km²) situated around Cove Lake, an impoundment of Cove Creek created by the completion of Caryville Dam in 1936. The park's location is adjacent to the town of Caryville
Caryville, Tennessee
Caryville is a town in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,297 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Caryville is located at ....
and just west of Jacksboro
Jacksboro, Tennessee
Jacksboro is a town in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,887 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Campbell County.-Geography:Jacksboro is located at...
.
Cove Lake is an extension of the much larger Norris Reservoir, which extends across the lower 15 miles (24.1 km) of Cove Creek downstream from Caryville Dam. Cove Lake State Park was one of several state and local parks developed in the 1930s as part of the Norris Dam
Norris Dam
Norris Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control structure located on the Clinch River in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, USA. Its construction in the mid-1930s was the first major project for the Tennessee Valley Authority, which had been created in 1933 to bring economic...
Project. The park includes a large campground, several small walking trails, and a wildlife observation area. A leg of the Cumberland Trail
Cumberland Trail
The Cumberland Trail is a hiking trail following a line of ridges and gorges along the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. The trail begins at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and ends at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife...
passes near the park's northern boundary, connecting the park to nearby mountaintops.
Geographical setting
Cove Lake State Park is located at the western end of Powell Valley, a 50 miles (80.5 km) valley dividing the Cumberland MountainsCumberland Mountains
The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in southern West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the Crab Orchard Mountains...
to the north and west from the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley range
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
to south and east. Cross Mountain— which at 3534 feet (1,077.2 m) is the highest mountain in Tennessee west of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
— dominates the view to the west. The southern tip of Fork Mountain overlooks the park immediately to the north. Cumberland Mountain, a narrow ridge that spans the entire northern rim of Powell Valley, stretches nearly 40 miles (64.4 km) between Bruce Gap (just north of Cove Lake) and Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
to the northeast. Cumberland Mountain's rocky western tip, known as Devil's Racetrack, is visible from most anywhere in the park.
Cove Creek rises in the mountains to the northwest (near the community of Pioneer) and flows southeastward for roughly 25 miles (40.2 km) before emptying into the Clinch River just north of Norris Dam. Caryville Dam spans the creek approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) upstream from the creek's mouth. The lake created by the dam spans a 2 miles (3.2 km) stretch of Cove Creek upstream from the dam and a 1 miles (1.6 km) stretch of the creek's Dog Creek tributary to form a U-shape around the park. The entire lake covers roughly 210 acre (0.8498406 km²).
Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
passes along the western boundary of the park, connecting the area to Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
to the north and Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
to the south. U.S. Route 25W passes through the southern and eastern sections of the park, connecting it with Caryville to the west and the Norris Dam area to the east.
Early history
Archaeological excavations in the 1930s uncovered evidence of a Mississippian periodMississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
(c. 1000-1500 A.D.) Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
village near where US-25W now crosses Cove Lake, along the park's southern boundary. The site, known as the Irvin Mound Site, consisted of a large mound surrounded by a village that covered nearly 15 acre (0.0607029 km²) at its greatest extent. Researchers determined that houses in the village were made of small upright logs posted in trenches and lashed together using cane and grass. Several human burials, various pottery fragments, and tools and weapons made from stone, antler, and bone were uncovered at the site.
Euro-American settlers first arrived in Powell Valley in the early 19th century. The community of Wheelerville was established as a railroad stop in 1867, but by 1880 had changed its name to "Caryville" after a local family. Most of the early settlers were subsistence farmers
Subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to eat and clothe themselves during the year. Planting decisions are made with an eye...
, although large-scale logging operations moved into the area in the late 19th century. In the 1890s, coal mining operations sprang up along the base of Cross Mountain, namely at Coal Creek (modern Lake City
Lake City, Tennessee
Lake City is a town in Anderson and Campbell counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, northwest of Knoxville. The population was 1,888 at the 2000 census...
) and Briceville
Briceville, Tennessee
Briceville is an unincorporated community in Anderson County, Tennessee. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community is named for railroad tycoon and one-term Democratic U.S. Senator Calvin S...
a few miles to the south. The Stone Mill, a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
and sawmill built by Joel Stone around 1900, served as a community center and base for local business until it was purchased as part of the Norris Project in 1934.
The Norris Project
In the 1920s, several groups began lobbying state and federal legislators for the construction of a dam at the confluence of the Clinch RiverClinch River
The Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, Virginia and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...
and Cove Creek to control flooding and provide electricity to the area. The project was initially known as the "Cove Creek Project," but after the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
assumed control of the project in 1933, it became known as the "Norris Project." The project was named for Nebraska senator George Norris, who had advocated the creation of TVA in the early 1930s. The construction of Norris Dam began in 1934 and the dam's gates were closed in 1936, effectively creating the Norris Reservoir.
The Tennessee Valley Authority constructed Caryville Dam to protect Caryville from the Norris Reservoir, which would extend for several miles up Cove Creek. Regardless, several of the town's structures were condemned or moved, and two highways had to be rerouted. TVA planned Cove Lake State Park as one of the Norris Project's three demonstration recreational areas, the other two being Norris Dam State Park
Norris Dam State Park
Norris Dam State Park is a state park in Anderson County and Campbell County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park is situated along the shores of Norris Lake, an impoundment of the Clinch River created by the completion of Norris Dam in 1936. The park consists of managed by...
and Big Ridge State Park
Big Ridge State Park
Big Ridge State Park is a state park in Union County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of on the southern shore of the Norris Reservoir, an impoundment of the Clinch River created by the completion of Norris Dam in 1936...
along the main reservoir to the east.
The Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
began work on Cove Lake State Park in 1937. The CCC built the park office, restaurant, several stone cabins, a boat dock, park roads, and shelters, of which the park office and part of the restaurant are still standing. In 1950, the park was deeded to the state of Tennessee, which has since added more modern facilities.
The park today
Cove Lake State Park maintains a 100-site campground, an indoor pavilion, a restaurant, and several athletic fields and courts. Several small walking trails meander through the park, including a 3.5 miles (5.6 km) paved trail that follows the lakeshore and a trail that provides access to Wheeler Cemetery and Caryville Dam on the east side of US-25W. The park's wildlife observation area is located at the northwest section of the park and includes a 15 feet (4.6 m) observation tower.When completed, the Cumberland Trail will connect Cumberland Gap at the Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky border with Prentice Cooper State Forest near the Tennessee-Georgia border. The first 47 miles (75.6 km) of the trail, known as the Cumberland Mountain Segment, will traverse the crest of Cumberland Mountain, connecting Cumberland Gap and Cove Lake State Park. At present, an 11 miles (17.7 km) section of the Cumberland Mountain Segment is complete, and connects Cove Lake State Park with Tank Springs in LaFollette
La Follette, Tennessee
LaFollette is a city in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 7,926 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the La Follette, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Campbell County, and is a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette...
. The second segment of the trail, the 36 miles (57.9 km) Smoky Mountain Segment (named after a mountain in the Cumberlands, not to be confused with the Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
), will connect Cove Lake State Park with Frozen Head State Park
Frozen Head State Park
Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area is a state park in Morgan County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park, situated in the Crab Orchard Mountains between the city of Wartburg and the community of Petros, contains some of the highest mountains in Tennessee west of the Blue...
. Cove Lake State Park's Cumberland Trail access point is located along Bruce Gap Road, at the park's northern boundary. Going east from this access point, the trail leads up the flanks of Fork Mountain before crossing Bruce Creek and ascending to Devil's Racetrack. Going west, the trail passes under I-75 and ascends Cross Mountain en route to interior of the Cumberland Mountains.
External links
- Cove Lake State Park — official site
- Tennessee Hiking Guide to the Cumberland Trail — site provided by the Tennessee Trails Association