Georgia Gold Mining collection, 1807-1920

Summary

Creator:
Stephenson, Matthew F., Findley Gold Mining Company, Chestatee River Mining Company, Marietta and North Georgia Railway Company, Pigeon Roost Mining Company, and Etowah Gold Mining Company
Date:
1807-1920
Extent:
0.25 Linear Feet (1 half Hollinger)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Georgia Gold Mining collection, ms4167, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection includes letters, land grants, gold grants, stocks and bonds, photographs, currency, and business prospectuses regarding gold mining in Georgia. Materials cover the 1830s gold rush and gold mining and processing operations throughout the state into the 20th Century.

Biographical / historical:

Gold mining in Georgia began with a rush in the late 1820s, primarily in Lumpkin County and on a smaller scale in Villa Rica, and continued through the 1830s. The Gold Lottery of 1832 divided up what had been Cherokee Nation land, after the forced removal of native people, into 40 acre tracts for mining. Mines, mills, railroads, and towns were quickly established to facilitate the efforts as the rush gained momentum. A U.S. Mint was created in the new town of Dahlonega, in Lumpkin County, for a time to process the large amount of gold extracted. Mining processes evolved over time and a renewed effort was made to improve methods in the 1850s with the introduction of hydraulic mining systems. The Civil War eventually slowed gold mining operations in north Georgia to a near halt. For more information, see the New Georgia Encyclopedia article about the Georgia gold rush.

Access and use restrictions

Preferred citation:

Georgia Gold Mining collection, ms4167, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.