The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-04-01
GEORGIA PRODUCES
VERY LITTLE GOLD
men DEPOSITS IN STATE,
Lar rT VALUE OF OUTPUT is
bO ,I,1T HISTORICAL FACTS.

,-,+;on OF gold in Georgia, now
fTg ,,,, ebb, is likely to continue on
at a ,I inward trend unless some
b~,oer method or process 81, OF iii M
clS'r metal is found, according to D.
tae RR5f~CaIlie, state geologist, j..
W. ~, 1l' ,raIue of the yearly output OF
ING the state has dropped from a
goIa y, i, of $5O1,295, reached in l845,
nsil .,o,'~rlo'ximately $500 in 1922, it
oointed out. 1000 oo,,,d
devised to extract the g0ld' at
pc ~ Cosr than is now possible, the
e IA mining industry in the state
8oIu, "A ,[robably go ahead with big
1Woall"" 55r McCallie said. There are
foSn, -irh veins in the gold mining
may .;a, renaining to be worked, and.
Sc t ''' lar the greater part OF the gold
ill"s baa- produced by placer mining.
l' 4s .tates that prior to the world
~ when labor could be had at a
WA, %@.' 6ggre, gold mining operations
Wv .-9rried on in the state on an ex-
WY srale and during the years Just
l5' :sra he war the value of the annual
oel2 l.,.. 5,' was around $4,000
Interesting History.
r,. discovery and development of
. L,,7, gold fields form one OF the
,,[o+ : Interesting chapters in the his
t .1 nj the state, the geologlst says,
IN ,i;oo attention to the fact that the
Georgia fields were, at one time, the
c r,t,T d the gold mining in the Unit
gu c ci was discovered in Georgia
,,o %e' Than 20 years before the Califor-
\ IN, ;o' discovery. and nearly so years be-
;ara The discovery in the Klondyke re-
r;on 81 Alaska. it is shown in a vol
s,0a Gold Deposits OF Georgia" on
/ fir in the office of the state geologist,
The first authentic discovery in
caorgia If is recorded, was made on
nrke's creek, in what was then Hab-
rr,bsn county, in 1929.
"Only few months after the news
If the discovery of gold i'll north Geor-
ola was broadcast" it was reported,
SS5nndreds of gold seekers from all
sections OF the country were buslly
Engaged on various streams IN search
1 OF the yellow metal.
Gov Gilmer, in letter dated May
II 1870 addressed to the attorney gen
er3l Of the United States, said:
~ an in doubt as to what should
] be- done with the gold diggers. They,
with their attendants, toragers and
,1opEers. make up between 5000 and
Hl00O0 persons. They occupy the terri
torv between the Chestatee and Etc
svab rivers, gold being found here in
the greatest quantities deposited in the
small streams that flow into these
rivers
An Armed Force.
In Tine of the following year the
governor issued a proclamation pro-
8hibiting mining il north Georgia,
(which was then known as Cherokee
scountv. and an armed force was sent
8mto the region to enforce the procla-
#mation. Mining activities were retard-
led but the desire for gold was not
q lessened and many miners were able
n to eyade the law. The gold seekers
fused little system in mining. They
worked >ingly and in small gangs, at
Todd time, during the year, and Jump
#ed from place to place as new dis
8coyerlcs were reported.
The United States government, in
1883, established a mint at Dahlonega
which continued in operation until
1851 A total of 1,381,784 coins, valued
at $6ll5,569 were made at the mint.
NcCalhe estimates the total value
10 gold production in Georgia since
the discovery OF the metal to be about
aSI8000 600.