Updated 5/17/2016

In Podcast #71 the Trekkers take you to Lake Gaston on the border of Virginia and North Carolina.  Lake Gaston is actually a man-made lake created by a dam.  Discover the three reasons why they made Lake Gaston. Learn all about hydroelectric power. Watch Alfonso finally jump into the water! See where Brunswick stew was first created by an African American slave in 1828. Visit historic Fort Christanna, built in 1714, and find out which Virginia Indian tribe lived there.  Come on, let’s go trekking!

We showed you two dams along the Roanoke River in North Carolina, but it has three more dams in Virginia.  We’ll have to visit those in another video! The Roanoke River gets its start, like most rivers in Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, then it flows past the city of Roanoke. Its first dam forms Smith Mountain Lake (the largest lake completely in Virginia).  A second dam, further down, forms Leesville Lake. Then a third dam, near the border, forms Kerr Lake, the largest lake in Virginia (which it shares with North Carolina, like Lake Gaston). So the Roanoke River has provided many people with a lot of electricity and a lot of fun!

Problems watching the video?  You can view it on Vimeo and download it (698MB) 13:24

SOL Correlation:

VS.1a The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to e) make connections between past and present;

i) analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical events.

VS.2b The student will demonstrate knowledge of the physical geography and native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;

d) locating three American Indian language groups (the Algonquian, the Siouan, and the

Iroquoian) on a map of Virginia;

VS.4b The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by b) describing how the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of European (English,

Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians;

5. e)describing everyday life in colonial Virginia.
   

VS.10b The student will demonstrate knowledge of government, geography, and economics by b) describing the major products and industries of Virginia’s five geographic regions;

SOL3.11 The student will investigate and understand different sources of energy. Key concepts include

1. a)energy from the sun; b) sources of renewable energy; and c) sources of nonrenewable energy.
   

SOL4.9a The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources. Key concepts include a) watersheds and water resources;