Few know that one of the nation's first gold rushes took place in Georgia during the first half of the 19th century.

Despite the historical distinction, a Wright State environmental history professor called the era an ugly chapter of Georgia's past.

Like the better-known gold rushes in California and Alaska, the Georgia gold rush has been romanticized, shaped by the myth of Appalachian "exceptionalism," said Drew Swanson, who holds a University of Georgia doctorate.

But it wreaked enormous environmental damage in the north Georgia mountains many people think of as pristine, explained Swanson in a recent talk.

It was also an underlying reason for the forced eviction of Cherokee Indians and the Trail of Tears, Swanson recently told a packed auditorium in UGA's Russell Libraries Building, where librarians with the Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscripts Library have mounted an exhibit on Georgia's gold rush.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a collection of 62 gold coins - an example of every gold coin produced from 1829 to 1861 by a federal mint operating in Dahlonega. The mint only produced gold coins in denominations from $1 to $5.

The Thomas Leverette McMullan Reed Creek Collection of Dahlonega Mint Coins is one of only a few complete collections, although a handful of people in Athens and Oconee County also own sets. John and Marilyn McMullan recently donated the collection, valued at about $715,000, according to one estimate.

In addition to the coins, the exhibit features gold nuggets, postcards, historic maps, and even a couple of old movies.

The Civil War put a temporary halt to most Georgia gold mining, but it resumed afterward, bigger and even more environmentally destructive, he said. Gold production peaked circa 1900, then faded in the wake of new discoveries in Alaska, Australia and other places, he said.

One more speaker is scheduled in connection with the exhibit, which runs through Dec. 5 in the Russell Building. UGA history professor Stephen Mihm is scheduled to speak Sept. 21 on "A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men and the Making of the United States."

To read the complete article, see:
UGA library exhibits items from Georgia gold rush(http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-07-27/uga-library-exhibits-items-georgia-gold-rush)

To read the earlier E=Sylum article, see:
EXHIBIT: GEORGIA - AMERICA'S FIRST GOLD RUSH(http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n30a32.html)