# indian gold in the etowah



## Rays123

has anyone on here heard the old story about the hidden indian gold on the etowah river? just wondering if theres any truth to it?


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## shawn mills

Oh yeah! Ive hunted arrowheads all over the Etowah and am always keeping the stolen Cherokee gold in the back of my mind. Read the book "Cry of the eagle". It is about the Cherokees in the Etowah region.


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## Rays123

shawn mills said:


> Oh yeah! Ive hunted arrowheads all over the Etowah and am always keeping the stolen Cherokee gold in the back of my mind. Read the book "Cry of the eagle". It is about the Cherokees in the Etowah region.



what do you mean by stolen? ive never heard the whole story on it. i just heard it located in the beak of the eagle in the river whatever that means


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## Nicodemus

There are lost treasure stories, all over this country.


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## Rays123

Nicodemus said:


> There are lost treasure stories, all over this country.



very true i just thought it would be an interesting topic being it was so close to home


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## Nicodemus

For sure, and I would dearly love to find some!


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## Rays123

Nicodemus said:


> For sure, and I would dearly love to find some!



ha me and you both, the only problem would be if anybody ever really did find the supposed lost treasure some big wigs from the state or gov. would be down to pick it up in an hour or so but we can all hope. anyone else got any info?


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## bufordbox

These "Cherokee gold" stories have some basis for fact, that is for sure. The Etowah washes down from the Dahlonega area, which turned out to have a pretty rich deposit eventually exploited by white miners. Up until the emergence of the white man in this area of Georgia, the Cherokees are now known to have mined gold themselves for years, maybe centuries. But I don't believe they valued it as currency, instead they used it ornamentally and used it for trade purposes. I'm pretty sure that the Cherokees mined at Sixes, near where the Etowah and the Little River tributary meet in the upper Allatoona Lake waters.
Thus, over the years, the Cherokees had privately built up some nice collections of gold. Once they realized the value it held to the white man, I am sure they naturally began to hoard it, if for no other reason than to use as a bargaining chip in their constant negotiations with the white man for land cessions, etc.
Once relations hit bottom, and the Cherokees resigned themselves to be relocated in Oklahoma territory, many of them "hid" their gold before leaving. I have no reason to doubt that this could well be true, it sounds very plausible. It is what I would do with my valuables if I knew I would soon be taken to a stockade to await relocation.
There is a fascinating book in the Cherokee county library system that examines this idea of hidden Cherokee gold. The book goes into quite a bit of detail about the "sign" that the Cherokees used to mark the location of their treasure so that it might be found should he ever come back to the area. Things like if you find a small rabbit pictograph etched into a rock, that there is gold nearby, and in the direction the rabbit is facing. Many other "signs" like this are described. A "must read" if you have an interest in this. It will make you want to hit the trail looking for sign !!


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## westcobbdog

I have a book somewhere at home that is titled"Buried treasure in Ga" and has many cool stories about this subject. The Cherokees were very smart and knew the value of gold and hid plenty of in the mountains.

One part of this book tells the story of a train conductor who for many years watched an old Indian get off the train around the I-285 / I-75 intersection. Finally the old Indian opened up to the conductor and told him that some years earlier his friend or relative hid gold here and he was trying to locate it with weekly or monthly trips for years to no avail.


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## shawn mills

Ive heard and read lots of stories about the cherokee collecting gold also. Also there was a wagon load of gold stolen by the cherokees and hidden in the area along the etowah. The eagles beak you refer to is in the area around Old Federal rd off of hwy 9. Ive speant many summer days between there and pooles mill "hunting". I have a friend that lives on setting down creek not too far from there and he has monsterous beech trees with many "signs" on them way up the tree. Not sure just how long those trees live but its intresting to see.


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## AMMO

shawn mills said:


> Ive heard and read lots of stories about the cherokee collecting gold also. Also there was a wagon load of gold stolen by the cherokees and hidden in the area along the etowah. The eagles beak you refer to is in the area around Old Federal rd off of hwy 9. Ive speant many summer days between there and pooles mill "hunting". I have a friend that lives on setting down creek not too far from there and he has monsterous beech trees with many "signs" on them way up the tree. Not sure just how long those trees live but its intresting to see.



It's off hwy 369 and runs over to Yellow creek road both are only a few miles from where I live.Sawnee Mtn is also said to hold some hidden gold.Very interesting stuff.There are a lot of old Indian burial grounds around this area.


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## bufordbox

Wonder what the better odds favor: me finding a cache of hidden Cherokee gold somewheres along the Etowah, or me hitting that big lottery tonite? Well, I know which requires the least effort, which is my usual path of resistance.


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## Rays123

bufordbox said:


> These "Cherokee gold" stories have some basis for fact, that is for sure. The Etowah washes down from the Dahlonega area, which turned out to have a pretty rich deposit eventually exploited by white miners. Up until the emergence of the white man in this area of Georgia, the Cherokees are now known to have mined gold themselves for years, maybe centuries. But I don't believe they valued it as currency, instead they used it ornamentally and used it for trade purposes. I'm pretty sure that the Cherokees mined at Sixes, near where the Etowah and the Little River tributary meet in the upper Allatoona Lake waters.
> Thus, over the years, the Cherokees had privately built up some nice collections of gold. Once they realized the value it held to the white man, I am sure they naturally began to hoard it, if for no other reason than to use as a bargaining chip in their constant negotiations with the white man for land cessions, etc.
> Once relations hit bottom, and the Cherokees resigned themselves to be relocated in Oklahoma territory, many of them "hid" their gold before leaving. I have no reason to doubt that this could well be true, it sounds very plausible. It is what I would do with my valuables if I knew I would soon be taken to a stockade to await relocation.
> There is a fascinating book in the Cherokee county library system that examines this idea of hidden Cherokee gold. The book goes into quite a bit of detail about the "sign" that the Cherokees used to mark the location of their treasure so that it might be found should he ever come back to the area. Things like if you find a small rabbit pictograph etched into a rock, that there is gold nearby, and in the direction the rabbit is facing. Many other "signs" like this are described. A "must read" if you have an interest in this. It will make you want to hit the trail looking for sign !!



whats the name of the book im quite interested


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## Sixes

shawn mills said:


> Oh yeah! Ive hunted arrowheads all over the Etowah and am always keeping the stolen Cherokee gold in the back of my mind. Read the book "Cry of the eagle". It is about the Cherokees in the Etowah region.



That book was written by my Great Uncle.


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## bufordbox

Sorry ... can't remember the title. I have checked it out twice over the years ... last time a coupla years ago. The Cherokee county public library is part of the Sequoyah Library System, meaning Cherokee shares books with Pickens county I know for sure, maybe even some others. The last time I saw the book it was at the Woodstock main branch, probably still there. Not much call for that book to get bounced around the system.
This how to find it ... I would start at Woodstock main branch... find the section of "local interest, Cherokee county"... it is not in the reference section.... this book is able to be checked out. Look for a small skinny book... copyright prob '50s or '60s. This book doesn't get checked out much ... I bet it is still right there in Woodstock.
When you see it ... you will know it.
Please let us know if you find it !


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## Sutallee

My mother grew up in southeast Bartow County along the Etowah in the 1930s.  She can recall Indians visiting the community  for a few days at a time.  It was speculated that they were Cherokees from Oklahoma, but they would not talk about where they were from or what they were doing. Sometimes, they would eat with the family, pay for their meals, and sleep in the barn.  People would follow them, but they were wary and no one was able to determine what they were doing.  After several years, they stopped coming. 

In 1932, two farm boys deciphered a Cherokee inscription on a rock in Forsyth County and dug up 37 pounds of gold bullion. The problem was that the gold was found on another man's property, and he took them to court to recover the treasure.  The case ended up in the Georgia Court of Appeals, who ruled in favor of the defendants.  Legally, the gold should have belonged to the plaintiff, but the plaintiff's lawyer botched the case.


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## Miguel Cervantes

shawn mills said:


> Oh yeah! Ive hunted arrowheads all over the Etowah and am always keeping the stolen Cherokee gold in the back of my mind. Read the book "Cry of the eagle". It is about the Cherokees in the Etowah region.


 
After the 40 day floods are over, you wanna get a trip up for some more arrahead huntin??


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## sinclair1

Rose creek runs behind my neighbors house and a few years back they (Georgia Public TV) were filming something about gold panning ? Dont know the history on rose creek but It does flow into Little river.
The creek crosses Eagle Dr so I wonder if that has something to do with how the road was named?
Townlake was known as Thousand Acre Woods before some goon developed it and a bunch of us goons bought houses


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## Ducks4Me

Boys I have panned gold and done some pottery huntin and arrowhead hunting around sixes and the lake. My grandma is 100 percent Cherokee and she knows alot about things that went on back then. I also know where alot of gold mines are right here. The mill on Sixes Rd is where they held some indians before they ran them out on The Trail Of Tears Im told. Also some of Shermans soldiers camped in the area too.


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## J.D. Squire

Sutallee said:


> My mother grew up in southeast Bartow County along the Etowah in the 1930s.  She can recall Indians visiting the community  for a few days at a time.  It was speculated that they were Cherokees from Oklahoma, but they would not talk about where they were from or what they were doing. Sometimes, they would eat with the family, pay for their meals, and sleep in the barn.  People would follow them, but they were wary and no one was able to determine what they were doing.  After several years, they stopped coming.
> 
> In 1932, two farm boys deciphered a Cherokee inscription on a rock in Forsyth County and dug up 37 pounds of gold bullion. The problem was that the gold was found on another man's property, and he took them to court to recover the treasure.  The case ended up in the Georgia Court of Appeals, who ruled in favor of the defendants.  Legally, the gold should have belonged to the plaintiff, but the plaintiff's lawyer botched the case.



The plantiff was my great grandfather, he had two twin daughters one of which was my grandmother they have told me the story several times. The rock now sits in front of the antropology building at UGA.


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