Cherokee County, located along Georgia's golt belt, figured prominently in the gold rush of the 1830's and 40's. Several mines operated along a five mile area near the Etowah River in the northeastern part of the county, including the Franklin-Creighton, Sandow, and Latham Mines. More than 30 other small placer mines extended sowthwesterly across the county and included the Sices Mine, worked earlier by the Cherokees. After the 1860's, most gold mining operations in the county either slowed or ceased. The most successful, and most sophisticated, the Franklin-Creighton, continued operations until 1913, when a shaft collapsed and the mine was flooded.
