The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-07
CHEROKEE'S GOLD HILLS.
ABOVE THEIR HIDDEN WEALTH
LIE VAST ACRES OF FERTILE
SOIL.


Gold and Copper Have Been Work
ed From Time Observation-Disclosures
Riches Part of the Eel Dorado
Sought by DE Soto-CantOn, the
County Scat. IA Busy Town Filled
with Factories. Live Business
Houses and Handsome Residences.
some of the Leading Men of the
County.
Cherokee county is the richest gold
producing county in Georgia with the
put is greater than that Of any other
county. Its mines have been worked
from time imgnemorial. The county is
also rich in copper. and an old mine
of that metal is now being re-opened.
The county is mountainous, and the
beautiful Etowah divides it in almost
equal parts. 1t has large area of
fertile soil, which produces wheat, oats,
rye, corn, all the grasses, and cotton
Its agricultural and mineral resources
may be said to be inexhaustible 1t
was founded in 1892. and is the orig
inal territory from which twenty
counties were laid off The white set
tiers were quite numerous before the
Indians were moved from the state
and Canton was. the great trading
point
Besides the Etowah, there is another
mountain stream. Little river. which
flows into the Etowah, and several
bold creeks. The highest mountains
are Pine Log and Cat Mountains, near
Canton and Sharp, or Sugar Loaf
Mountain, in the Northwestern part
of the county
The population Of Cherokee county.
by the census of 1900 was 15,24S. de-
crease of / per cent. in ten years This
loss in population is doubtless due to
the gradual exodus of the negro from
the northern counties of the state,
| and marks an improvement in indus
trial and farming conditions.
De Soto doubtless passed through
Cherokee county, but did not discover
the gold that was hidden in its noun
| tains, The aboriginal F'loridians told
that gallant and adventurous Spaniard
that the precious ore was plentiful to
the northward. and the first white tour
list in Georgia and Florida lined up his
cavaliers and halberdiers on old Tam
pas sands and gave the order TO
march to El Dorado, which he fondly
hoped would equal in wealth the land
of Montezuma.
There is no doubt that the red Flo
ridians of the sixteenth century We're
very anxious to get rid of De Soto and
his army. and it is probable that thew
sent runners ahead of the Spaniards 10
advise the aboriginal Georgians of the
coming of the gold hunters. 1t is not
my purpose to tell the story of De So
tos march and the final catastrophe
After crossing the great rivers of Ger.
gia he arrived on the south bank of
savannah and camped near what is
now Silver Bluff. where we are told
he remained a sufficient period to rest
! his army and raise a crop OF maize.
Here De Soto saw golden trim
kets and valuable stones. and was told
that they came from the country pe-
yond. Tile coveted riches were ever far
away. A game of hide-and- seek was
being PLAYED, the Indians did the hi l.
ing and the Spaniard the seeking.
| The Henry Stanley of that bygone CEN
fury directed his march in the direc-
ton indicated by the Indians, and
reached the Coosa. There he found
| gold and pearls in small quantities. DE
| Soto, however. had left behind him the
| gold mines of the ChesolEees. No In
dian betrayed the secret and lhe. soll
mines near the Etowah were saved.
IThe Indians continued working the
mines. until they were removed from
/ Georgia to beyond the Mississippi This
ancient mine IS still yielding golden
| harvest, but the rude implement of the
! Indian have been replaced by eNpen-
sive machinery driven by electric
| mower.
| Canton, the county site of Cherokee
! county, is fortytive miles northeast OF
Atlanta. 1t stands or a high hill,
around which sweeps the waters of the
| Ftowah. 1t is quite a climb from the
| depot of the A. r. & n. Railway to the
business street as | know from expert
| ence. The site of the city is historical
| it having been from time immemorial
| the site of an Indian town of import
| ance, originally known at Etowah. The
| city is well built. and its business
/ streets have brick stores. and scattered
| over the hills are numerous neat resi-
! dences.
! A substantial court house. two hotels.
/ the Webb House and Ellis House, a
number OF churches. are the public
! places of note. I stopped at the Webb
| House, which is kept by ex-senator "
| j, Webb
! The Reinhart Normal College. under
! the control of the North Georgia Meth
! odist Conference. the principal educa-
tional institution Of Cherokee county,
! is al Waleska. eight miles from Can
! ton. 1t has 20 pupils. boys and girls
/ Prot. K. G. Sharp is president; Prof
/ /. M. Moore. principal of the business
] department, and Maj. j. w. West COM
nandant in charge of cadets It> is
/ such colleges as this that make
| amends for neglect of the state in the
| matter of educating its children
: According to the report of the Com
| missioner of Public Education. there
| are sixty-s six white and five colored
| schools in the county. having an en-
! rollnent of 4,012 white and 267 colored
/ pupils. The average monthly cost per
! pupil is $l.25 of which the state pays
! Si.00 This is a little better showing
| than is made In some counties. Cam
J ton is dry town. Ball Ground is the
/ only place in the county where liquor
| is sold
Among the first people to greet me
on NV arrival was my old friend, g
| . Perry ESQ. Of the Cherokee Ad-
N"rcA. md also assistant cashier OF
che Bank of Canton. The Advance was