Sawnee Mountain
Encyclopedia
Sawnee Mountain is a low mountain
between the piedmont
and Appalachian foothills
of the U.S. state of Georgia
, north of Atlanta
. The name Sawnee Mountain actually refers to the entire ridge
of approximately five miles (8 km) in length. At its summit, the elevation
is 1946 feet (593 m) above mean sea level
, and is roughly 750 feet (228.6 m) above the surrounding terrain
. The Sawnee Mountain range runs southwest to northeast, and consists of five knolls
and three gap
s (Chamblee, Sawnee, and Bettes). Located only a few miles north of Cumming, Georgia
(the county seat
), the mountain is easily the highest point in Forsyth
county. One of the highest peaks of metro Atlanta
, it nudges out its prominently known neighbors Stone Mountain
and Kennesaw Mountain
by a hundred or so feet each. However, Sawnee is in the far northern exurbs, putting it in third place behind Bear Mountain
and Pine Log Mountain
to the west.
may have used a natural clearing atop the mountain called the Indian Seats for ceremonial purposes. As white settlers migrated to the area, now known as Cumming, a local Cherokee
named Sawnee helped them adjust to the native land. As a well skilled carpenter and farmer he was known throughout the land, and the range was named in his honor. In 1829 gold
was discovered in Georgia in Auraria
at the site of Americas first gold rush. There are also mines in the ridges of Sawnee which is downstream the Chattahoochee
from the major strike. Current uses of the mountain are as a nature preserve park and a Radio station
, WWEV-FM
91.5, which transmits from a radio tower at the top of the mountain. Originally, the station staff actually drove recorded programming to the top where it played from broadcast automation
equipment, but it now uses a live studio/transmitter link
. The Sawnee Mountain Nature Center is located at 475 Spot Road and is one of the trailheads. The preserve protects 963 acres of the mountain and offers several ammenities.
Mountain
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between the piedmont
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
and Appalachian foothills
Foothills
Foothills are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills to the adjacent topographically high mountains.-Examples:...
of the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, north of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The name Sawnee Mountain actually refers to the entire ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
of approximately five miles (8 km) in length. At its summit, the elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
is 1946 feet (593 m) above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, and is roughly 750 feet (228.6 m) above the surrounding terrain
Terrain
Terrain, or land relief, is the vertical and horizontal dimension of land surface. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used...
. The Sawnee Mountain range runs southwest to northeast, and consists of five knolls
Hillock
A hillock or knoll is a small hill, usually separated from a larger group of hills such as a range. Hillocks are similar in their distribution and size to small mesas or buttes. The term is largely a British one...
and three gap
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
s (Chamblee, Sawnee, and Bettes). Located only a few miles north of Cumming, Georgia
Cumming, Georgia
Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,430 at the 2010 census. However, places with a Cumming mailing address have a population of around 100,000...
(the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
), the mountain is easily the highest point in Forsyth
Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county seat is Cumming, Georgia. Forsyth County is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
county. One of the highest peaks of metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
, it nudges out its prominently known neighbors Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock in Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States. At its summit, the elevation is 1,686 feet amsl and 825 feet above the surrounding area. Stone Mountain granite extends underground at its longest point into Gwinnett County...
and Kennesaw Mountain
Kennesaw Mountain
Kennesaw Mountain is a high-running ridge between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia in the United States with a summit elevation of . It is the highest point in the core metro Atlanta area, and fifth after further-north exurban counties are considered...
by a hundred or so feet each. However, Sawnee is in the far northern exurbs, putting it in third place behind Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain (Georgia)
Bear Mountain is a mountain located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, southwest of Waleska, Georgia. Situated between the northwest and west-central part of Cherokee County, Georgia, it is the second highest point in Cherokee County at . The metro Atlanta area lies to the south and...
and Pine Log Mountain
Pine Log Mountain
Pine Log Mountain is located in the state of Georgia with a summit elevation of . The peak is three miles west of the town of Waleska separated only by the high end community of Lake Arrowhead. The summit falls within Cherokee County, although the majority of the mountain range trails into Bartow...
to the west.
History
It is believed that Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
may have used a natural clearing atop the mountain called the Indian Seats for ceremonial purposes. As white settlers migrated to the area, now known as Cumming, a local Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
named Sawnee helped them adjust to the native land. As a well skilled carpenter and farmer he was known throughout the land, and the range was named in his honor. In 1829 gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered in Georgia in Auraria
Auraria, Georgia
Auraria is a town in Lumpkin County, Georgia, United States, southwest of Dahlonega. Its name derives from aurum, the Latin word for gold. In its early days, it was also known variously as Dean, Deans, Nuckollsville, and Scuffle Town.-History:In 1828, a man walked Findley Ridge, kicked a rock,...
at the site of Americas first gold rush. There are also mines in the ridges of Sawnee which is downstream the Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
from the major strike. Current uses of the mountain are as a nature preserve park and a Radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, WWEV-FM
WWEV-FM
WWEV-FM, known as "Victory 91.5", is an Atlanta radio station that plays Christian music. WWEV is a "Biblically based radio ministry that believes the answers for today's problems are found in the Word and in the person Jesus Christ." It is based out of Cumming, Georgia, United...
91.5, which transmits from a radio tower at the top of the mountain. Originally, the station staff actually drove recorded programming to the top where it played from broadcast automation
Broadcast automation
Broadcast automation incorporates the use of broadcast programming technology to automate broadcasting operations. Used either at a broadcast network, radio station or a television station, it can run a facility in the absence of a human operator...
equipment, but it now uses a live studio/transmitter link
Studio/transmitter link
A studio-transmitter link sends a radio station's or television station's audio and video from the broadcast studio to a radio transmitter or television transmitter in another location....
. The Sawnee Mountain Nature Center is located at 475 Spot Road and is one of the trailheads. The preserve protects 963 acres of the mountain and offers several ammenities.