It wasn’t that long ago that Lake Norman, the largest man-made lake in North Carolina, was a forest. Cowan’s Ford Dam, pictured under construction in December 1961, was one of the finishing touches on the massive construction project.

The lake has led to Denver’s rapid growth, including a 50-percent jump from 2000 to 2010. The lake, as part of the Catawba River, provides a dependable supply of water to Lincoln County and the communities of Davidson, Mooresville, Charlotte and Huntersville.