Often cited as one of Lumpkin County’s oldest and best‑known claims, the Calhoun Mine dates to the very dawn of the Georgia Gold Rush in 1828. After Benjamin Parks’ famed discovery of gold‑studded quartz nearby, South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun purchased a large tract along the Chestatee River and organized a company to work it; his son‑in‑law Thomas Green Clemson later helped manage the operation. Rich lodes produced steadily for decades, and dramatic hydraulic “monitor” hoses were eventually used to wash away hillsides—a practice remembered in photographs of water cannons blasting the Calhoun’s saprolite. The property changed hands in the late nineteenth century and saw sporadic revivals, including a small pocket worked in 1939. Recognized for its national significance, the Calhoun Mine was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973. Though it sits on private land today, the name endures as a touchstone of the discoveries that made Dahlonega synonymous with gold.