Above: The Dahlonega Mint

Native Americans and Land Expansion

Deriving its name from the Cherokee word for yellow, the town of Dahlonega opened a branch of the United States Mint in 1835 just as the Cherokee were being removed from the area. On April 17, 1838, the first gold coins were minted, capping off nearly a decade of settlement and economic expansion in the wake of the Georgia Gold Rush. The Georgia Historical Society hosts an online exhibit of primary documents from the time. An episode of Today in Georgia History is also available, along with a daily activity. 

Just ten years earlier, Lower Creek chief William McIntosh, also known as Tustunneggee Hutkee or the White Warrior, was killed by his own people on April 30, 1825, for signing the Treaty of Indian Springs. During McIntosh's time as chief in the years following the War of 1812, the Creeks ceded nearly all of their land to Georgia and the United States. 

GeorgiaInfo has a copy of the fateful 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs. The Georgia Historical Society hosts an episode of Today in Georgia History on McIntosh's death along with a daily activity. For a more in-depth look at the Creek role in military affairs in the region, the National Park Service offers a document-based lesson on the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. 

Our Film Crew Travels Across the State

In April we will be in at least three more parks: Chattahoochee Bend State Park for the Chattahoochee River, Stephen C. Foster State Park for the Okefenokee Swamp, and Reed Bingham State Park in Adel for the geography of the Coastal Plains. Lastly, we will drop by the  Chief John Ross House for historical interviews and coverage of the Cherokee Nation and the Battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War as well as historical interviews. 

All of this footage will soon be available to Georgia educators and students in the form of virtual field trips accompanied by teacher resources. Check out our current virtual field trips at http://www.gpb.org/education/virtual-field-trip and stay tuned!