Dahlonega was the site of the first major U.S. Gold Rush and is the Heart of Georgia Wine Country,.
The first US gold rush was started here in 1928 and continued until around 1949 when many left for the gold rush in California. It is a beautiful city of about 5000 population nestled in the mountains. There are a number of gold mines still in operation in the area today.Today there is a vibrant wine industry as well as a whiskey distillery.
Consolidated Mines owns about half a dozen mines in the area but the one we visited is only open for tours. They also have a tour of an open pit mine but it was raining to much for a visit to that mine.
The pictures of the tour underground didn't turn out.
Many people travel into the hills and pan for gold in the streams even today.
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| View of the main building as you arrive |
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| Rose Panning for gold. You take a tin plate about the size of a pie plate and scoop up a plate full of sand and water. You shake the plate on an angle so most of the water runs out but not the sand. Since gold is heavier than the sand the gold settles to the bottom and the sand to the top. After shaking the pan for a minute or so you dip it into the water at the same angle as you used to get rid of the water. The light sand floats of the plate and you repeat the process until there is only about a hand full of sand left in the plate. At this point you sift through the sand and find the tiny pieces of gold. |
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