Monday, October 19, 2009

Weekend News



Some place in Cherokee County, Georgia, near Canton, an old gold mine shaft was discovered in a front yard. The heavy rains we have had lately eroded away the topsoil of a front yard and a mine shaft was uncovered. Looking down the dark hole you can see timber supports. Yep, it is an old mine.
It reminds me of my great-great-great grandfather Eugene Hargraves/Job Tyson (1798-.
Eugene went to Franklin College in Athens, Georgia. He excelled in Latin. Franklin College would soon change its name to the University of Georgia.
Gold was discovered near Dahlonega, Georgia, in 1832. The Dahlonega area was north of the Chattahoochee River in Georgia, therefore it was protected by a Treaty with the Cherokee and Creek Indians. It was their land. No white man could live in the area, with a few exceptions.

To make a long story, gold was gold and the treaty was void and the Indians were removed to Oklahoma via the infamous “Trail of Tears”.

Thus the term “Indian Giver” was invented. You would think the term Indian Giver would refer to habits of Indians who gave and demanded it back. It is just the opposite: “Old Hickory” was instrumental as an Army general giving the large area of land in north Georgia and the western Carolinas to the Indian nation, only as president ordering to be taken away. At the time, the “Indian Giver” was “Old Hickory”.

The State of Georgia conducted a lottery of land abandoned by the Indians in north Georgia. Some of it were land lotteries and some were gold lotteries.
Eugene H. Tyson won a parcel of land on the gold lottery. The land he won to mine gold on was on Kellogg Creek in Cherokee County, which according to the maps went as far south as their home place, which is on what is presently near the intersection of Hwy 92 and Bells Ferry Road.

It has been handed down that he made a good living mining for gold and of course it has also been handed down that he buried a large amount of gold on his land.*

*I would not doubt that the developers of the subdivision Tyson Estates in the area farmed that rumor.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

ARE YOU KIN TO BOB AND DONALD TYSON? I THINK BOB HAS PASSED AWAY, BUT DONALD IS STILL GOING STRONG.
PR

Eddie said...

PR,
Yep, they are my first cousins, once removed. Their father and my grandmother were siblings. We called Bob by his middle name Dalton. You are right, he died a few years ago.

The last I heard, Donald is doing great.

Anonymous said...

IN THE EARLY 60'S, BOB OWNED THE PASTIME BILLIARDS HALL,WHERE I MISSPENT MY YOUTH.THAT'S WHERE I MET RANDY(CHENEY) AND HOWARD(RACK).
PR

Eddie said...

At one time he also owned Terminal Taxi, just down the street at the Greyhound Bus Station. I forgot if that was before or after Mr. Goddard owned it.