 In the early 1900s, entrepreneur R. E. Woods decided to establish a railroad hub at the mouth of Eagle Creek for his Montvale Lumber Company, which was logging the upper reaches of Eagle Creek.Woods' sister-in-law suggested the name Fontana, which is the Italian word for fountain.In the 1930s, the Aluminum Company of America, which operated a large plant north of Maryville, bought up above the town of Fontana as part of a plan to build a large dam to provide power to its plants.