The Georgia Gold Rush, which started in Lumpkin County in 1829, is considered the first major gold rush in the US. Though the major discovery of gold was noted in 1828 in Georgia, there were some accounts of gold discovery in the mountains of North Georgia quite earlier. When the European explorers came there, the American Indians told them about the little amounts of gold that they got from the mountains. There are some other accounts, which have not been documented in a proper way, indicate that French and Spanish have been mining gold in this region during 1560 to 1690. However, many experts say that these accounts are based on rumors and suppositions that were passed on by the American Indians.
Many of these traditions and accounts about gold mining in this region feel very plausible, but at the same time, they feel quite unbelievable as well at certain points, as one can hardly believe that Spaniards could abandon mines that were quite profitable.
When gold was discovered in North Carolina in 1798, the speculations regarding occurrence of gold in Georgia greatly increased. Gold discovery in Georgia caused two such factors that led to the first gold rush in the United States in 1829. The first factor was the placer deposits which showed that it wasn’t hard to collect gold in the region, and the second factor was those speculations and rumors that quickly spread in many different parts of the US just like a jungle fire.
There are different stories about who made the first discovery of gold in Georgia. According to some anecdotes, Frank Logan made the first discovery in Duke Creek. Another anecdote says that John Witheroods made the first discovery that was a three ounce nugget in Dukes Creek. These difference stories led to the gold fever all around the US and people rushed to Georgia to find John like gold nuggets.
No matter who made the first discovery of gold in the region at that time, but gold rush had started there, and it could have been seen at its peak quite soon. It was on August 1, 1829 when first public account of gold discovery in the region emerged in the Georgia Journal. A news item, published in that journal, explained that two gold mines had been discovered in the region, and