The Chestatee River carries one of the most consequential stories in American history. For centuries it was Cherokee homeland — a sacred waterway called Chestatee, meaning place of the fire light. Then in 1828 the first major gold rush in United States history was born here.

## Cherokee Heritage

The Chestatee flows through the heart of the former Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee people lived in this mountain territory for centuries, with towns, trade routes, and ceremonial sites throughout Lumpkin County. The river provided fish, fresh water, and transportation.

## The 1828 Gold Rush

In 1828 — nearly 20 years before the California Gold Rush — gold was discovered in the Chestatee River watershed near present-day Dahlonega. The Georgia Gold Rush that followed was the first major gold rush in American history. By 1838 over $6 million in gold coins had been struck at the Dahlonega Branch Mint.

## The Dahlonega Mint (1838-1861)

So much gold flowed out of the Chestatee watershed that the federal government established a branch mint in Dahlonega in 1838 — the only U.S. Mint ever located in the South. The mint struck over 1.4 million gold coins bearing the D mint mark.

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