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We’ll never know exactly when gold was first discovered in Georgia, but the first documentation of it was in August 1829 in an article in the Georgia Journal, a Milledgeville newspaper.
The article announced the discovery that the streak of gold found in North and South Carolina extended to Georgia. “And another anticipation of ours will hereafter come to pass, namely, that it will be a sad day for Georgia.” The author suggested the Legislature should prohibit the working of any gold or silver mines.
It’s not clear why the author was so anti-mining, but the Gold Rush didn’t last.
– Jan Schroder, The Georgia 100