[1] The completion of Great Falls Dam in late 1916 was an engineering triumph, marking the first successful attempt to impound the volatile and flood-prone Caney Fork.

The lake also includes a small stretch of the lower Rocky River, which empties into the Caney Fork about a mile east of the dam.

[2][4] Great Falls Reservoir has approximately 49,000 acre-feet (60,000,000 m3) of flood storage, 120 miles (190 km) of shoreline, and 1,830 acres (740 ha) of water surface.

[1][4] Throughout the 19th century, many attempts were made to harness the extraordinary hydro power potential of the Caney Fork only to be defeated by one of the volatile river's disastrous floods.

In 1901, Nashville entrepreneur Arthur Dyer formed the Great Falls Power Company and purchased land on the north side of the gorge with plans to build a dam.

The water was to be carried across the gorge in a steel flume and then in an open canal across Horseshoe Bend, a distance of 1.5 miles (2.4 km).

[7] With financing from Chicago business interests, Tennessee Power began construction work on the dam's foundation.

Tennessee Power struggled with finances but was able to resume construction in 1915, and by late 1916 the 40 feet (12 m) high dam had been completed.

After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the act, however, TEPCO was forced under eminent domain to sell its assets to TVA for $78 million.