Where The Road To Nowhere Leads

A while ago I heard friends talking about a hike and they referred to the "Road to Nowhere" in their location. Just the name alone perked up my ears and I made a promise to visit and find out a little more about this mystery located on the North Shore of the Fontana Dam in Bryson City, North Carolina. In 1943, when many rural North Carolinians were only beginning to recover from the depression and others had left to fight in WWII, the United States Government and the Tennessee Valley Authority displaced about 1300 people to build the Fontana Dam project and hydro electric plant. Many of these people received little or no compensation when forced to leave their modest yet thriving communities. As a "peace pipe" of sorts, the Department of Interior, the State of North Carolina, and TVA promised to build a new road to replace the highway that provided access to the area where 30 or so cemeteries were left behind. The National Park Service began to work on the promise in the 60's but after constructing apx. 6 miles of the 26 miles planned, stopped construction in 1971. It seems that acid bearing rock was discovered which when disturbed can cause dangerous runoff in the surrounding forest. The years that followed have been filled with anger and legal battles to have the road completed. The battle is still going strong today.

Don't be fooled by the light at the end of the tunnel. The Road to Nowhere stops right beyond the tunnel's exit.

I am sure this story is only the tip of the iceberg and there may never be a harmless solution. I suspect there could be environmental concern and awareness today that was unknown or possibly unimportant in 1943. I don't believe anyone having lived in this beautiful area would want to intentionally harm it in any way. But I also know that a promise is a promise, and a promise to a people deep rooted in the land and their heritage is a promise to those who follow after them as well. Folks not having access to their ancestor's grave sites (unless they are physically able to walk, hike, or ride a boat to get to them) is a big deal in this part of the land. Graveyards are people's tangible history and serve as their "fixed stars" when everything else in their world starts spinning with unwelcome change.

So take a walk on the Road to Nowhere, and maybe it will indeed take you somewhere--to a beautiful place deserving the remebrance of a broken promise and the sacrifice made by those who called this place home over 65 years ago.

In areas near the road, one can hike to the beautiful graveyards and also see the remains of several automobiles from the 30's left behind as families were forced to leave.