Dahlonega’s “Great Intrusion”: When gold fever trumped Cherokee rights

Benjamin Parks’ Deer Hunt That Doomed the Cherokee

Benjamin Parks just wanted to hunt deer near Dahlonega in 1828. Instead, he found gold “yellow like yolk of eggs.”

Word spread fast. Soon, 15,000 miners swarmed Cherokee land in what natives called the “Great Intrusion.”

Men came “afoot, on horseback and in wagons, acting more like crazy men,” Parks said. This gold rush led straight to tragedy.

By 1830, President Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. Eight years later, troops forced 16,000 Cherokee on a brutal 1,200-mile march where 4,000 died.

The story of this devastating chain of events unfolds at Calhoun Mine, where a marker stands at the very spot that changed American history forever.

A Hunter Stumbled Over Gold and Changed History

Ben Parks tripped over a gold-filled rock while hunting deer near Dahlonega, Georgia in 1828. The rock looked “yellow like egg yolk” and was full of gold.

Cherokee people knew about the gold for over 100 years but mostly left it alone. Parks found the gold on Cherokee land, not Georgia state property.

News about his find spread quickly, starting Georgia’s first gold rush.

Thousands Raced to Strike It Rich

Within a year, about 15,000 miners flooded the area in 1829, earning the nickname “Twenty-Niners. ” They came “from every state” on foot, horseback, and wagons, acting “more like crazy men than anything else.”

Towns like Dahlonega and Auraria grew quickly with bars, shops, and businesses. By 1830, around 4,000 miners worked on Yahoola Creek alone, pulling out over 300 ounces of gold daily.

The Philadelphia Mint got $212,000 in Georgia gold that year.

Cherokee Watched as Strangers Invaded Their Land

Cherokee people called this flood of miners the “Great Intrusion” since most gold sat on their land. The Cherokee Phoenix, the first Native American newspaper in the US, began covering the crisis in 1828.

In February 1829, the paper wrote: “Our frontier neighbors in Georgia are moving in fast and settling on the lands belonging to the Cherokees.”

Cherokee families had successfully farmed the land using European-style methods for years before miners arrived.

Georgia Grabbed Land Despite Legal Treaties

In 1830, Georgia’s lawmakers claimed control over all Cherokee land within state lines, ignoring existing treaties. The Treaty of Hopewell from 1785 had promised Cherokee control over their lands.

Georgia created the Gold Lottery of 1832, cutting Cherokee lands into 40-acre mining lots and 160-acre farm lots. About 133,000 Georgia residents signed up for just 35,000 available lots.

Only white men who lived in Georgia for at least three years could join.

President Jackson Pushed Native Removal Forward

President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act on May 28, 1830. The Senate passed it 28-19 and the House 101-97, showing how many people opposed it.

This law allowed the president to make removal treaties with southeastern tribes. Jackson had already helped create 9 of 11 major removal treaties as a military officer before becoming president.

The Act set aside $500,000 to pay for moving tribes west of the Mississippi.

Supreme Court Sided With Cherokee Nation

Cherokee Nation filed lawsuits to protect their rights, taking their case to the US Supreme Court.

In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the Court ruled 5-1 that Cherokee Nation was independent and Georgia laws didn’t apply there.

Chief Justice Marshall said Cherokee territory was separate from Georgia with “boundaries accurately described. ” The ruling stated Georgia citizens had “no right to enter” Cherokee land without permission.

The Cherokee Phoenix called the President’s refusal to enforce this ruling “an impeachable offence.

Jackson Ignored the Court and Backed Georgia

President Jackson refused to enforce the Supreme Court decision and supported Georgia instead. He reportedly said, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it.”

Georgia kept taking Cherokee lands and enforced state laws in Cherokee territory anyway. The Cherokee Phoenix reported that Jackson broke the Constitution and deserved impeachment.

Gold production kept growing, with the Philadelphia Mint getting over $500,000 in Georgia gold by 1832.

Twenty Men Signed Away Seven Million Acres

In 1835, a small Cherokee group led by Elias Boudinot signed the Treaty of New Echota without proper tribal approval. This treaty traded 7 million acres of Cherokee land for $5 million and help with moving.

Chief John Ross and the Cherokee National Council fought the treaty and sent a petition with thousands of signatures. Only 20 Cherokee men signed it, none of them elected tribal officials.

The US Senate approved the treaty by just one vote in May 1836.

Federal Mint Opened on Stolen Cherokee Land

Congress approved the Dahlonega branch of the US Mint in 1838, making Georgia’s takeover of Cherokee lands official. The mint made over $100,000 worth of gold in its first year.

By 1838, only about 2,000 Cherokee had willingly left Georgia for Indian Territory. Gold became harder to find through simple panning by this time.

Soldiers Forced Cherokee from Their Homes at Gunpoint

On May 26, 1838, President Martin Van Buren sent General Winfield Scott with 7,000 federal troops to force Cherokee removal.

Soldiers rounded up over 15,000 Cherokee at gunpoint and put them in wooden stockades and camps. Cherokee families got no time to gather belongings as soldiers looted their homes.

Diseases like whooping cough, measles, and dysentery spread quickly through the crowded camps. Some Cherokee stayed in these camps for up to five months before the march began.

Thousands Died on the Brutal Journey West

Starting in October 1838, Cherokee people were forced to walk over 1,200 miles to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma.

The journey happened during the harsh winter of 1838-39, with not enough food, clothing, or shelter. Cherokee traveled in 13 groups of about 1,000 people each, mostly on foot.

Around 4,000-5,000 Cherokee died from disease, starvation, and exposure during the removal.

By March 1839, the last groups arrived in Oklahoma, completing the forced removal that directly resulted from the 1828 gold discovery.

Visiting Calhoun Mine, Georgia

You can find a historical marker about Benjamin Parks’ gold discovery on Georgia Highway 60, about 3.7 miles south of Dahlonega.

Parks found gold here during a deer hunt on October 27, 1828, which started the Cherokee removal. The actual mine site is private property, so you can’t visit it.

Head to Dahlonega Gold Museum at 1 Public Square for Cherokee removal exhibits ($4. 50-$7.00 admission) or check out Yahoola Cherokee Museum for Trail of Tears displays.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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