Gold that helped cause the Trail of Tears
Cherokee were panning gold here before 1827, when a soldier’s find made it public and set off a rush that fed directly into the pressure for removal. The Trail of Tears passed within miles. The creek still produces fine gold and is open to recreational panning on Forest Service ground, which makes it one of the few places where you can work a stream with this much history attached.
Monroe County, Cherokee National Forest
See it on the map
Other places on the map within a couple of hours of here.
