http://gwinnettherald.com/Articles-i-2008-02-29-170383.112113_Duluths_Nativ
e_American_history_showcased_at_museum.html#123

Duluth’s Native American history showcased at museum

by Scott Sowers

February 29, 2008

DULUTH – Older residents of Duluth know a secret. However, they may not be
willing to share with you. They know where to find millions of dollars of
buried gold. Actually, the gold is long gone, but they know where you could
have found it if you were in the city more than a century and a half ago.

The Cherokee buried this gold under white birch trees all over this area
before they were forced by the government to relocate to land west of the
Mississippi River. To mark this location they carved symbols into the trees
detailing the presence of gold.

They held hope that one day they could return to their land in north
Georgia to reclaim this wealth and live a happy life.

But they never did.

“It’s interesting because the Cherokee never really knew about the power of
gold at first,” said Candace Morgan, the Duluth Historical Society’s
archivist, who has done extensive research on the Native American past in
Duluth. “But once the settlers found out about it here it changed
everything.”

Morgan said the Cherokee were a very peaceful people that lived throughout
north Georgia, constantly in fear of being conquered by the neighboring
Creek tribe. But in 1818 the chief of the Cherokee nation didn’t trust the
“white man” and told his son never to trade with them.

“His son actually did end up trading a rock to a settler for a rifle, only
that rock turned out to be gold,” said Morgan. “The Cherokee always thought
of it as just a shiny rock, it only had value to trappers and traders.”

Once it was discovered there was extensive gold in the area – a vein made
its way down from Dahlonega to here – gold fever started in the north
Georgia hills. President Andrew Jackson decided he wanted the gold and
began rounding up the Cherokee to drive them out, Morgan said.

In 1838 these once native settlers to the land set out on what became known
as the Trail of Tears, one of the bloodiest events in America’s short
history. All Cherokee were forced to go to the western United States,
losing more than 4,000 along the way.

“They had always marked trees as a way of communication, but they were now
being used to hide the gold,” said Morgan. “They hoped they could one day
get the more than $50 million in raw gold that was buried. The Cherokee
never knew when they would be forced to leave – there was only enough time
to grab some clothes and maybe a few other things.”

Morgan has spent a great deal of time studying the Cherokee for her work
she does with the Historical Society. She started researching when trying
to find information on Henry Struck, grandfather of Alice Strickland, who
operated a gold mine in the area.

“I heard rumors about these trees and that it’s an old secret that a lot of
original Duluthians know about,” said Morgan. “But most don’t want you to
know the locations of them. The ones I found are surrounded by poison ivy
and are located deep in the woods.”

Morgan said that she has heard rumors there is still an intact fish trap in
the Chattahoochee River and it is her goal to find it to see it is
preserved. Right now, the Historical Society museum possesses a collection
of Native American artifacts including arrowheads and clay pots found
throughout the area.

“It really is amazing all of the things that the settlers learned from
them,” said Morgan. “One big thing is firing their clay pots in order to
help dry them. Also a lot of medicines and herbal remedies were learned
from the Cherokee, who would take herbs and plants from near the river to
heal their sick.”

People can visit the museum when it’s open on weekends to see the Native
American collection and to learn more about Duluth’s storied past before it
was even Duluth, but the carved trees that once marked gold you’ll have to
find on your own.

That secret is still closely guarded.