<Narrator> Known as the "Jewel" of South Carolina, Lake Murray is a 50,000 acre reservoir with roughly 650 miles of sparkling shoreline.

Fed by the Saluda River, the lake isn't just a recreational attraction for locals, but also serves as an essential power station providing 245 million kilowatts of hydroelectricity to the entire Midlands region each year.

The enchanting sunsets, curious islands, and rich history are best when you can experience them... From the Sky!

(soaring opening music) The beginning of Lake Murray's story starts with the creation of the Dreher Shoals Dam.

In 1927, the Lexington Water Power Company was granted a license to build the dam in the Saluda River Valley for the purpose of harnessing the river's hydroelectric potential.

After a successful endeavor of securing the land necessary, the building of the dam commenced.

One problem however, at the time there were approximately 5000 people living across the Saluda River Valley.

Settlements that included three churches, six schools, and 193 graveyards were relocated in order to make room for development.

There are still pieces of the past that lie at the bottom of the lake today, such as the Wyse's Ferry Bridge, a 19th century stone house, railroad cars and graves that were respectfully not disturbed.

At the completion of the dam in 1930, the Saluda Dam was the largest earthen dam in the world at 208 feet high, 375 feet thick, and one and a half miles long.

At the same time, the lake was the largest man-made reservoir in the world, and was named after William S. Murray, the dam's chief engineer.

The dam's emergency spillway system is controlled by six steel Tainter gates that feed back into the Saluda River.

Water is delivered to the power station via five water intake towers that travel through penstocks to the plant.

These intake towers may not look so grand at the surface, but each stand at 223 feet tall.

Several additions to the dam have been made over the years.

The biggest change came in 2005 when the backup dam was completed.

The purpose of the backup dam was to meet current earthquake safety standards.

In fact, it was projected that nearly 135,000 people living downstream in the Columbia metropolitan area could have been affected by flooding if the dam was ever to break.

During the 1940s, Lake Murray made its own place in US history.

After the attack of Pearl Harbor, Columbia Army Air Base, presently the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, became the nation's largest B-25 Bomber training facility.

Renowned World War II pilot General James H. Doolittle led Air Force volunteers on an extremely secret and dangerous mission in retaliation to the Japanese surprise attack, known as the Doolittle Raid.

Lake Murray, being only 10 miles away, served as a perfect area to conduct these exercises.

Seven of the lake's islands were used for target practice.

On April 4, 1943, during one of the exercises, a left engine of one of the bombers lost power, resulting in the plane being ditched into the lake.

Being 150 feet below the water and unsalvageable, it was written off as a loss.

62 years later, the plane was recovered by a team of divers and aviation historians and is currently exhibited in the Birmingham, Alabama's Southern Museum of Flight.

Today, a very different type of flight takes place over Lake Murray.

Every summer, upwards of 500,000 Purple Martins use one little island in the lake to rest their wings after a long migration.

During the winter, these birds travel as far as 5000 miles to the Amazon basin in search of food and nesting.

When the colony makes its way back to Lake Murray for breeding, the flock's population is so vast, it can even show up on weather radar systems.

It's not known exactly why the birds come back to Bomb Island each year, but it remains one of the largest nesting sites for Purple Martins in the nation.

From its marvel of engineering to its extensive history and natural phenomenon, Lake Murray is a breathtaking part of South Carolina, especially when you get a look... From the Sky!

(soaring closing music)