Lake Greenwood
A Changing Landscape
A Lake is Formed
The Great Depression of the 1930s altered the economy and landscape of Greenwood County. Farmers were impoverished, land values declined, and local textile mills struggled to survive. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs offered work relief for the unemployed.
The lake in front of you is the result of the largest New Deal project in this area -- the construction of Buzzard's Roost Hydroelectric Dam. Planners believed the damming of the Saluda River would stimulate industry and relieve rural poverty by creating affordable electricity. Another work program of the same era -- the Civilian Conservation Corps -- developed the park and recreational facilities beside the lake.
Marker can be reached from State Park Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
