![]() Once across the lake, visitors and former residents can hike up the country trails, through what little remains of Proctor and the surrounding ghost towns to explore the overgrown cemeteries of the north shore. Otherwise, the Hazel Creek area of the Great Smokies can now only be reached by boat or by hiking around 10 miles from the nearest road. The only time group transportation is available is during the annual Decoration Days event hosted by the Park Service visitors are shuttled via pontoon boat to decorate the graves at four cemeteries and share a meal together. The unfinished road remains in place to this day, now known as the Road to Nowhere. Only seven miles of the road was ever built, however. As a consolation, the federal government agreed to build a road to the north shore of the new lake, providing access to the parts of Hazel Creek that remained above the water level, such as the local cemeteries. Yet back in 1943, the displaced townspeople were promised something different. Today, the former site of Proctor is a serene backcountry campsite in the national park. Soon after the dam was built, Proctor and the rest of Hazel Creek became part of the newly established Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and what remained of the village was razed. The textile village had its own mill, dam, water source, and even began to get walkways and a company store. Yet these eerie ruins are a reminder of an industrial past. Today, little is left of the former boomtown except for the remains of the old Ritter Lumber Mill, a single house that is now used by the National Park Service, and the cemeteries located above the water level. Henry River Mill Village made its claim to fame as District 12 in the Hunger Games movies. In the early 20th century it was a thriving company town that grew up around the local lumber industry-and by the 1930s had declined with it too. The town of Proctor was named after the first European settlers of Hazel Creek, Moses and Patience Proctor. The floodwaters also washed out Highway 288, the only major road leading in or out of Hazel Creek. The lake formed by the dam displaced the local residents from their homes and most of the town was submerged by the rising water. A fourth reason why the Corps doesnt lower Mississippi River pools is that it is illegal to do so above Lock and Dam 15 in Rock Island in accordance with the Anti-Drawdown Law. Proctor, along with the other communities of Hazel Creek, was flooded when the Fontana Dam was created in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack to power a nearby aluminum plant-The Aluminum Company of America in Alcoa, TN-for the war effort. Underneath Fontana Lake lies the lost town of Proctor, North Carolina, a once-booming lumber town on Hazel Creek, a tributary of the Little Tennessee River. Accessible only by boat or a long hike, this region is also one of the largest stretches of roadless land in the eastern United States. Anthony Lock and Dam and nearby attractions Minneapolis River Walk: A Self-Guided Audio Tour 25 City Tours from 7. The southern boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is marked by Fontana Lake, and the area along its north shore, Hazel Creek, is one of the most remote and isolated parts of the park.
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