I have several pictures from the late 1930's taken by my father from a small fishing boat and by car of the Veterans Bridge over Norris Lake not long after completion. It must have been something, a bright shinny structure over a new lake. Also in this group of pictures is another bridge which at first I thought might have been the old Highway 33 bridge, but if you look close you can see a train crossing it. After much closer inspection I see that this is what we always called "Lone Mountain Trestle", or Days Siding or Days Mill Trestle.

The 1,915-foot-long Veterans Memorial Bridge replaced a single-lane, wood-deck, metal-truss structure that was built in 1916-17 called the Ousley Bridge/Miller's Ferry Bridge, Manning said. When Veterans Memorial Bridge was built, workers moved the old Ousley Bridge to Grainger County, where it carried vehicles over Hogskins Creek on Black Fox Road until about 10 years ago. The old bridge is still used by pedestrians.

Also pictures of my brothers at the first swimming hole, somewhere near Needham Hollow, where the public launch ramp is now situated. I have several other pictures around the lake from this early time that I will share. If anyone else has some early Norris Lake pictures you could email me and I will be happy to display them with a link from the my Claiborne County Page.