Sixes mine

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The Sixes Mine is a Georgia Gold Belt mine. This lode mine is in Cherokee County, GA, located off Bells Ferry Road, south of Canton, Georgia. It is currently located on Army Corps of Engineers property. Public access is difficult - since there's no easy approach. However, visiting is allowed by the Corps - but no equipment (just "hands and pans"). The mine's coordinates are 34.18389, -84.55639 (nad27) N 34°11'2" W 84°33'23" UTM : 16 725206E 3785256N.

UPDATE : 6/2007 This site is now part of a subdivision: Bridge Mill. The site is on the S arm of Settler's Crossing, and W side of the roadbed. The property owners appreciated the story, but it's private property, and there's no surface finds.

The Sixes Mine was originally worked by the Cherokee and was located near the Cherokee town called Sixes. It may have been in operation as early as 1819 and would therefore predate the Georgia Gold Rush. The discovery of six gold mines by the United States Government was the penultimate reason why the Cherokee Nation was forced off their land. The Trail of Tears march began in Cherokee County approximately 2 miles from where Sixes Mine is located. After the Cherokee Nation was driven, by force, off their land, the Georgia Land Lottery of 1832 took place, which granted 40 acre plots of land to Georgia residents who were fortunate enough to have won a drawing, or raffle, in this lottery. One such winner of this lottery was Mrs. Mary G. Franklin, founder of the Franklin-Creighton Mine.

The six mines that comprised of the Sixes Community are the Three Hundred and One, Cherokee, Clarkston, Downing Creek Placer Mine, Macou Project, and the Putnam Mine.

The Sixes mine and Downing Creek Placer mines were both located in the Bridgemill Subdivision. The Downing Creek Placer mine is located on private property on Downing Creek Court.

The Three Hundred and One mine was located in the Copper Creek Subdivision on Sixes Road.

The Cherokee Mine is located on Federal Property off Wooten Road.