The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-28

SiAOl e ciIlu the INDIANS Kept their
: knowledge to themselves
| Lumpkin county was laid off from
] the great county of Cherokee 1t is
one of the cluster of counties that has
no railroad. There is, however, a fair
| prospect of an electric line from
Gainesville to Dahlonega A part of
/ the route is graded, the work of a
company that twenty years since in
| tended to build a steam railroad. The
highways, however, are in good con-
dition, and are built through a beau
tlful and interesting country. The alb
sence of a railroad should not keep
south Georgians from visiting their
! own mountain towns. They are as
pleasant as any places on earth.
The county was named after Hon.
Wilson Lumpkin. 1t nestles in the
Blue Ridge, and is made up of a sue
cession of mountains and valleys,
through or around which flow those
grand rivers, the Etowah, Chestatee
-, and Tesnatee. The Amacocola, one of
several mountain streams, as it rushes
through the rocky gorges, forms nu-
| merous cascades and cataracts, and
| IN one place has a fall of 400 feet in
that distance. This cataract is known
as Amacocola Falls. Amacocola, in
| Cherokee, means rolling water. 1t is
| an appropriate name.
There are in Lumpkin county, as
! there are in every county in the noun
tains of Georgia, thousands of
sites for beautiful homes
and wealth-producing enterprises.
The county, though mostly noted
| for its gold mines, and it's de-
posts of magnesia and other minerals,
is also well adapted to agriculture. It's
soil is dark with rich clay sub-soil,
and yields good results to the intelli-
gent farmer. 1t produces corn, oats,
rye, potatoes, peas, grasses and sor-
ghum syrup, and vegetables of all
kinds do well. Cotton also does fairly
well, but is not cultivated to any great
extent. The county is noted for it's
fine apples, cherries, pears, peaches,
plums and ounces.
1t is essentially white mans coun-
try, the census of 1900 showing 6,951
whites and 4S2 colored.
At Dahlonega is the North Georgia
Agricultural College, a branch of the
State University in which there are
1853 boarding scholars, representing six
ty-five counties, among which there
are twenty-five young ladies. When 1
was there a new dormitory had recent
! ly been finished, which accommodates
l. fifty girls.
There are thirty schools for white
and three schools for colored children
in the county. My old friend, Col. w
r. Price, president of the board of
trustees of the North Georgia Agri-
cultural College and chairman of the
County Board of Education, informed
me that there had been great strides
in education in Lumpkin county in the
last four years. He had just COM
pleted a new school, No. 10, which is
called ASHLEY School," in honor of
Mr.. James Ashley. of Toledo, O., who
contributed one-half of the cost of the
building. Mr.. Ashley is largely inter
ested in dredge mining in the Chesta-
tee and Etowah rivers.
Those who are in search of springs
like that which Ponce de Leon
| searched for in vain, will find health
giving and -prolonging springs in
Lumpkin. Two of them, Porter
Springs, nine miles, and Sloan
Springs, four miles from Dahlonega,
| are world famous. These pure waters
may account for there never having
/ been suicide in the county! There
is nothing that keeps ones mind and
body in a non-suicidal state as good
/ straight water, and plenty of it.
1t is a drive of twenty-six miles from
| Gainesville and Dahlonega, and as the
| former is 1921 feet above tide water,
and the latter 2,237, it was a continu-
Gus climb, though it seemed to me
that we went as far down the noun
tains as we went up them. The trip
was as pleasant as a trolley ride from
| Savannah to Thunderbolt or Isle of
| Hone, After three hours driving my
| companion pointed to high ridge and
said that from the top of it l should
see the Golden City.
We rested on the crest of Findleys
Range and "viewed the prospect DER"
! Far below us was the comely town of
Dahlonega, a cameo in a frame of
thousand shades of green. The hill
sides and valleys were glorious in their
new coverings, budding trees and
grasses just coming UP under the sun
of spring. The scene was as
bright as the dreams of childhood.
Dahlonega, nesting upon a hill
among hills, was picture that once
seen can never be forgotten. The steep
road down the mountain side and the
ripping waters passing through many
! sluices on their way to mines and the
clang of the stamp mills, is drive to
be remembered.
The neatly painted homes of the
town. the large brick court house,
around which the business houses are
|
knoll in the distance, and the gold
mining works and farm houses scat
tered over the valley, are all part
| of the picture of the Golden CITY OF
| Georgia. Dahlonega is thriving town.
Its Indian name was Tau-lau-ne-ca'
not much of a difference, excepting IN
its photography. 1t means yellow
money. 80 o-x,.
Dahlonega is paved with shin
ing gold" Built upon the quartz bear
ing rock, which ground beneath the
wheels of passing wagons gives
forth its gold, the loosened
narticles are washed into the
cutters by every rain, to be picked
IN nv the children, and spent LOT
cakes and candy.
II was court week, and Judge Estes
nresided. and by his permission had
The use of the Court House Tor my
,,saatIne I met with a cordial recep-
| .Ion and smoke TO a large assemplase
- business men and farmers the gay
| af.or nav arrival III was my Inaldfh
saeech "the first gun OF the cam.
,atgn" from South Georgia. II haa
haa,, my intention when ! entered the
'.an,naten not 10 make speeches hui
st,,rI, meet the people personally, pui
7 snn1a that speaking had 70 DC zone,
"a ~ there seemed az that tlne 70
eneakerg on my side, excepting
Ftndley I decided 70 % my oNu 'niN
sng ana ! did a. hoWsff,
! spSke AZ any place unless
/ rerlallv asked 90 fffeh. 49,. .-ttt
! ny Dahl0neF- spee'N Alt IDS