LUMPKIN COUNTY. 391 



100 years old ; Mrs. Smith lived to the age of 103 ; Mrs. Sally 

 Bright died at the age of 112. 



Character, Amusements. — The gold mines have brought 

 together a large number of persons, and consequently the 

 population of this county is composed of a great diversity of 

 character. Many of the operatives in the mines are dis^fpated 

 and regardless of the future. The permanent inhabitants are 

 intelligent and spirited. Fishing, dancing, hunting, and pic- 

 nics, are the favourite amusements. 



Nature of the Soil, Productions, Average Product, 

 Fruits. — Some fine bodies of land are on the rivers and 

 creeks. The soil is dark and easily cultivated, peculiarly 

 adapted to corn and w^heat, worth $20 per acre. The hickory 

 and oak lands have a mulatto soil, producing corn, wheat, and 

 tobacco, valued at $5 per acre. The ridge lands are valuable 

 only for timber and mining ; value $1 per acre. Average pro- 

 duct of corn per acre, six barrels. The crops of wheat and 

 rye are uncertain. Apples succeed well. Some attention 

 is paid to horticulture. Dr. Singleton has raised oranges and 

 lemons of remarkable size in his garden at Dahlonega. 



Gold Mines. — Dr. Singleton's mines embrace 2,080 acres 

 in the vicinity of Dahlonega, most of which were originally 

 purchased for farming purposes, but subsequently found to 

 contain gold. Some have been profitable, others would hardly 

 pay the cost of working. On one single branch, known as 

 Stover's Branch, more than 150,000 pennyweights of gold 

 have been found. Some of the branch mines have been 

 worked over, three or four times, and proved a source of 

 profit to the operators. 



We consider this an appropriate place to give a general 

 account of the gold mines in Cherokee Georgia, for which our 

 thanks are due to Dr. Stevenson, formerly of Canton, a gen- 

 tleman of science, and perfectly familiar with the mining ope- 

 rations. 



" The first discovery of gold in this State was made on 

 Duke's creek, Habersham county, in 1829. The mass weighed 

 three ounces. After this, discoveries were rapidly made in all 

 directions from Carolina to Alabama, and some of the mines 

 were immensely rich. The gold obtained for the first few 

 years was from the alluvion of the streams ; after which many 



