Debbie Fletcher's Dive back to Home
by Liv | Published on February 20th, 2009, 1:34 pm | Sports
“To realize there is this part of Jocassee that I thought was lost forever, and to find it again was just incredibly wonderful for me,” Fletcher said.
I so understand this feeling...
Jocassee Valley, peacefully tucked in the arms of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Oconee County, was finally laid to rest in 1973. Duke Power Company's multi-million dollar Keowee-Toxaway project abruptly choked the natural flow of four wild rivers: Whitewater, Toxaway, Horsepasture, and Keowee, inundating the Valley under a chilling shroud, in some places over 300 feet deep.
The idyllic sights and sounds of Jocassee are forever lost . . . except in the hearts of those of us who lived and played there. For many, the loss was great. We lost our gathering places, our heritage, our homes . . . and a piece of our hearts.
But a wonderful thing happened in August, 2004. Divers located my family's homestead, Attakulla Lodge (shown above). She is still standing in 300 feet of water and has been visited on numerous occasions by divers who have become my dearest friends. They have brought me a sidelight from the front door of the Lodge, and by doing so, have restored a piece of my heart. I feel like I can go home again!
http://www.JocasseeRemembered.com
Wow!
“It was neat to find the bridge at 320 feet. You can see the graffiti on it. And the girls’ camp (entrance)looks just like it did when the lake filled up. It’s pretty eerie,” Routh said. VIA