Sixes mine
Encyclopedia
The Sixes Mine is a group of former gold
placer mines in the Georgia Gold Belt
. They are near Sixes
in Cherokee County, Georgia
, United States, located off Bell's Ferry Road, south of Canton, Georgia
. The mine's coordinates are 34.18389°N 84.55639°W.
. The discovery of six gold mines was the reason why the Cherokee Nation
was forced off their land. The Trail of Tears
march began in Cherokee County approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from where Sixes Mine is located. After the Cherokee Nation was driven off their land, the Georgia Land Lottery of 1832 took place, which granted 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) plots of land to Georgia residents who were fortunate enough to win the lottery. One such winner was Mrs. Mary G. Franklin, founder of the Franklin-Creighton Mine
.
The six mines that comprised the Sixes are the Three Hundred and One, Cherokee, Clarkston, Downing Creek Placer Mine, Macou Project, and the Putnam Mine.
. The Downing Creek Placer mine is located on private property on Downing Creek Court.
The Three Hundred and One mine was located on county plat 301, 15th district.
The Cherokee Mine is located off Wooten Road on Army Corps of Engineers property. Public access is difficult, and there is no easy approach. The mine can be accessed by boat on Allatoona Lake up Sixes Creek, or by foot into the Corps property tree line marked by red blaze
s on the trees across from the BridgeMill neighborhood swimming pool
. Visiting and gold panning
is allowed by the Corps, but only panning with shovel
s and pans in the stream bed
.
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...
placer mines in the Georgia Gold Belt
Georgia Gold Belt
The largest quantities of gold found in the eastern United States were found in the Georgia Gold Belt, which extends from eastern Alabama to Rabun County, Georgia. The biggest concentration of gold was found in White, Lumpkin, and northern Cherokee counties in Georgia. The gold in the Georgia Gold...
. They are near Sixes
Sixes, Georgia
Sixes is an unincorporated community in western Cherokee County, Georgia, United States, located about three miles west of Holly Springs and near the eastern shore of current-day Lake Allatoona. The community is located in the Georgia Gold Belt, which runs southwest to northeast along the southern...
in Cherokee County, Georgia
Cherokee County, Georgia
As of the census of 2000, there were 141,903 people, 49,495 households, and 39,200 families residing in the county. The population density was 335 people per square mile . There were 51,937 housing units at an average density of 123 per square mile...
, United States, located off Bell's Ferry Road, south of Canton, Georgia
Canton, Georgia
Canton is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 22,958.-Geography:Canton is located at ....
. The mine's coordinates are 34.18389°N 84.55639°W.
History
The Sixes Mine was originally worked by the Cherokee and was located near the Cherokee town called Sixes. It may have been in operation as early as 1819 and would therefore predate the Georgia Gold RushGeorgia Gold Rush
The Georgia Gold Rush was the second significant gold rush in the United States. It started in 1828 in the present day Lumpkin County near county seat Dahlonega, and soon spread through the North Georgia mountains, following the Georgia Gold Belt. By the early 1840s, gold became harder to find...
. The discovery of six gold mines was the reason why the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
was forced off their land. The Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
march began in Cherokee County approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from where Sixes Mine is located. After the Cherokee Nation was driven off their land, the Georgia Land Lottery of 1832 took place, which granted 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) plots of land to Georgia residents who were fortunate enough to win the lottery. One such winner was Mrs. Mary G. Franklin, founder of the Franklin-Creighton Mine
Franklin-Creighton Mine
The Franklin-Creighton Mine was a Georgia Gold Rush gold mine located in the town of Ball Ground in Cherokee County, Georgia. The mine was initially known as the Franklin Mine because it was started by a widow, Mrs. Mary G. Franklin, who obtained a lot in the Gold Lottery of 1832. Around 1883,...
.
The six mines that comprised the Sixes are the Three Hundred and One, Cherokee, Clarkston, Downing Creek Placer Mine, Macou Project, and the Putnam Mine.
Current status
The Sixes mine and Downing Creek Placer mines were both located in what is now the BridgeMill planned communityPlanned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
. The Downing Creek Placer mine is located on private property on Downing Creek Court.
The Three Hundred and One mine was located on county plat 301, 15th district.
The Cherokee Mine is located off Wooten Road on Army Corps of Engineers property. Public access is difficult, and there is no easy approach. The mine can be accessed by boat on Allatoona Lake up Sixes Creek, or by foot into the Corps property tree line marked by red blaze
Trail blazing
Trail blazing, or trailblazing, is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with blazes, markings that follow each other at certain — though not necessarily exactly defined — distances and mark the direction of the trail...
s on the trees across from the BridgeMill neighborhood swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
. Visiting and gold panning
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts because of its cheap cost and the relatively simple and easy process involved. It is the...
is allowed by the Corps, but only panning with shovel
Shovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
s and pans in the stream bed
Stream bed
A stream bed is the channel bottom of a stream, river or creek; the physical confine of the normal water flow. The lateral confines or channel margins, during all but flood stage, are known as the stream banks or river banks. In fact, a flood occurs when a stream overflows its banks and flows onto...
.