The presence of gold in the Appalachian Mountains was long known to the American Indians in the area. Gold was a traded commodity for the original inhabitants, but it was not valued with nearly the same reverence as it was for the Spanish Conquistadors that eventually landed in the Americas.
It was the rich discoveries in Central and South America that attracted all the attention. The gold in the Appalachians remained undisturbed for another centuries after the first Europeans arrives.
As the region grew more inhabited by farmers and ranchers, the discoveries of gold began to happen more frequently. First in North Carolina, then in the surrounding states of Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The gold was rich and the rush was on!
Earliest Search of Gold in the Appalachian Mountains
After landing in 1513 in La Florida, Ponce de Leon became aware of gold in the northern regions. But the rumors were validated only after Diego Miruelo received a small quantity of gold while trading with Florida Indians (…since gold is not found in Florida, most believe that this gold was likely traded from more inland regions of Georgia).
Several Spanish explorers and merchants who returned from the Appalachian Mountain regions had stories of Indians wearing gold ornaments to recount. They also talked of gold nuggets and gold in rivers. These rumors led to the first gold expedition to the region by Hernando De Soto.
From an Indian, De Soto heard of actual mining operations in the mountains. But he couldn’t find much gold or mines. Few other Spanish explorers who heard of gold in rivers tried their best but couldn’t find gold.
Before 1600, it’s believed that many Spanish miners used the route found by De Luna – an explorer – to reach the Nachoochee Valley. Gold prospectors found gold deposits in the same area in 1828. Later it was known that active mining was taking place in the area until 1733.
Gold Discovery by the Settlers
For the settlers, 1799 was an important year. In North Carolina, Conrad Reed found a large gold nugget. The nugget was evaluated only in 1802. It was in Reed’s mine that the settlers found gold.
The news of gold deposits led to the arrival of many settlers in Southern Appalachians.
At the end of the 1820s, several gold discoveries were made in the Appalachian Mountains. There were various claims of the ‘first discovery of gold.’ The precious metal was found in Pigeon Roost Mine, Bear Creek, Ward’s Creek, and near Dukes Creek. Two towns came up near the mines: Nuckollsville and Dahlonega. The population of Nuckollsville quickly grew to 10,000 by the end of 1830.
Read: The First Gold Nugget Discovered in the United States
The Start of Gold Rush in the Appalachian Mountains
While gold was always there in the Appalachian Mountains, only a few tried their luck at prospecting. It was only in 1829 that the real gold rush of Georgia began.
Thousands of prospectors rushed to the Southern Appalachian region after the Georgia Journal broke the story of gold deposits in the region. The news was picked up by other publications and almost all papers announced the discovery of alluvial gold that could be panned from river streams.
The report not only brought gold prospectors. The greed for easy money led to an increase in robbery, murders, and other heinous crimes in the region.
Deposits of various types were found in the Appalachians. After the gold rush started, an increasing amount of gold was mined. Gold was extracted from rocks with brown color gold mixed with iron. The rocks were crushed and the gold was removed. Gold-bearing quartz ore was also found in the mountains.
After Georgia elected its new governor in 1832, the native Indians were chased out of their land. Another important decision that was taken during the time was giving the citizens the right to control the mines.
Gold Lottery of 1832
Most of the gold mining locations in the Appalachian Mountains were owned by the Cherokee Nation. The authorities decided to capture the land and drive away the tribes from gold-bearing lands.
The seized lands were given to state veterans and settlers. They also decided to distribute the gold mines. For that, a gold lottery scheme was announced. For $10, the residents could enter the draw. The winners were allotted gold lots. But, there was no guarantee of gold availability on the land.
After the gold lottery, the population in the area swelled up to 25000. Several personal stories of that time are worth mentioning. The Pigeon Roost Mine was won by a farm worker, which he soon sold for a sum of $10,000. Another mine – Franklin Gold Mine – was started by Mary Franklin, who won a gold lot.
The region saw the highest gold production from 1830 to 1837. Gold, worth nearly $2 million, was transported to various mints.
The Decline in Gold Mining in the Mountains
The gold mining activities in the Appalachian Mountains gradually reduced. After 1849, gold mining saw a drastic fall in the region. In addition, the news of large gold discoveries in California resulted in mass migrations of miners to the West.
Some of the gold mines in the Appalachian Mountains remained operational into 20th century. Nearly all of the old mines are now abandoned and not being worked today, but gold panning and prospecting continue to date in the region on a very small-scale.
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