The Standard Banner, June 12, 2025
Felix Valdes, owner of Cherokee Lake Realty, presents a $1,000 Scholarship to David Eli Jones of Jefferson County High School for writing the winning essay on “How Cherokee Lake has changed the Jefferson County area, for Better or Worse.” (Photo by Dale Gentry | The Standard Banner)
EDITOR’s NOTE: Below is the winning essay in the scholarship competition sponsored and funded by Cherokee Lake Realty. It is written by recent JCHS graduate David Eli Jones.
As far as most of my generation know, the glittering blue waters and red banks of Cherokee Lake have always existed. But the lake has an interesting history, and is not quite as unchanging as it appears.
It might surprise some of my classmates to realize that there are Jefferson County residents that remember a time when the lake was a vague rumor, and the valley was populated with miles of fertile farmland. Turn the clock back to May 18, 1933. On this day, our 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, signed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act into law, radically changing the course of Tennessee’s history. Even though homes and businesses were flooded at its creation, whether it is reliable hydroelectric power or economy-bolstering tourism, Cherokee Lake has changed the Jefferson City area for the better.
Cherokee Dam was constructed in just 16 months and completed on December 5, 1941. Its original purpose was to generate hydroelectric power to support the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge during World War II. It and many other hydroelectric dams like it were key supporters of the United State’s role in the war effort. That alone, while not specifically affecting Jefferson City, is enough to argue that Jefferson City is better off as a result of the lake. It continues to power hundreds of thousands of homes in the area every year.
Besides hosting a dam that provides a clean source of energy, Cherokee Lake also attracts tourists from literally around the world. The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce’s Department of Tourism focuses a surprising amount of its time solely on the fishing industry. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact number of people that enjoy everything the lake has to offer, it attracts people who just want a casual day on the lake and professionals who come for bass fishing tournaments. Other than perhaps the influence of Carson-Newman University, Cherokee Lake has the biggest impact on Jefferson City’s economy of any other location in the area.
Unfortunately, the lake’s creation was very controversial because it destroyed many people’s homes and livelihoods. They were compensated for their property, but it was understandably upsetting for people having the places where they made so many memories be unceremoniously drowned. However, later, TVA learned from its mistake, and now has a program called Home Uplift specifically designed to help displaced residents find new homes to settle down in.
Overall, Cherokee Lake has vastly benefited Jefferson City with reliable, clean electricity and a bolstered economy from tourism, even if it came at the cost of people’s homes all those years ago. The fact that TVA recognized that there was a need for improvement and now families are better off because of it proves that the damage caused by the lake is not something that will pervade across generations.
Outside of economic reasons, the general happiness of residents is noticeably higher with a whole sector of recreation activities unlocked and the lake available. It is no mystery that Cherokee Lake is one of the best things to happen to Jefferson County.
