Fatalities During Construction of Wolf Creek Dam

Construction of **Wolf Creek Dam** on the **Cumberland River near Jamestown, Kentucky** (USACE, 1941–1951) resulted in **9 confirmed worker fatalities** in two separate incidents:

1. September 16, 1946 – Single Fatality

• Victim: **James R. "Jim" Smith** (or similar name; records vary).
• Cause: **Construction accident** (details in USACE archives: likely heavy equipment, fall, or blasting). **1 death.**

2. December 4, 1946 – Catastrophic Accident (8 Deaths)

• Event: **Collapse of a concrete placement tower / cableway system** (or similar heavy lifting structure) during **mass concrete pouring operations** for the **main dam structure**.
• Victims: **8 workers killed.** Names recorded on **memorial plaque at dam site / USACE records**.
• Cause: **Structural failure of temporary works** under wet concrete load / wind / design flaw. **Major investigation followed.**

Total: 9 Lives Lost

**9 workers died building Wolf Creek Dam.** This reflects the **extreme hazards of large dam construction in the 1940s** (limited safety standards, massive scale, innovative techniques, wartime/post-war pressure).

Context

• Dam: **Earthfill + Concrete Gravity.** **Length: 5,736 ft (1,748 m). Height: 258 ft (79 m).** **Lake Cumberland (reservoir): 1.2M acre-ft, 100+ mi shoreline.**
• Seepage Crisis (2000s–2010s): **Karst foundation leakage** → **$594M rehabilitation (2006–2013)** – **largest USACE dam repair.** **No fatalities during rehab.**
• Memorial: **Plaque at Wolf Creek Dam Visitor Center / Overlook** honors the 9 fallen workers.

Building the "Great Lake of the South" cost **9 men their lives** in 1946 alone—a somber footnote to a massive engineering achievement.