Fighting for the Gold Fields: The Land Battle in Georgia

by Denise Farnsworth

Council House Replica at Cherokee Capital

The ancestors of the Cherokee Indians occupied what is now North Georgia long before the inhabitants of the Valley Towns and Lower Towns in that region established trade with Great Britain. The native people allied themselves to the Mother Country during the American Revolution but with the Americans during the War of 1812. Despite Cherokee efforts to assimilate into the culture of their new white neighbors—including adopting the language, religion, their own newspaper printed in English and Cherokee, court system, and business and agricultural methods—when the state of Georgia gave up title to land to the Mississippi River, they received a promise from the federal government that the Indian people would be removed.

In December 1826, the state senate passed a resolution requesting the president take steps for a treaty to gain Cherokee lands. A series of December 1827 senate resolutions stated the Cherokee constitution was inconsistent with Georgia rights and that the General Assembly had the authority to claim Cherokee lands “not only upon ‘peaceable and reasonable terms [as stated by the Compact of 1802], but upon just such terms as they might [be] pleased to prescribe.” This declaration was based on the presumption that the lands which had been part of the British Empire had become Georgia land.

No one asked who the land belonged to before that.

In December 1828, state representatives authored a bill in the General Assembly to extend the laws of the state over the Cherokees. In 1829, the Indian Removal Act was introduced in Congress.

And then gold was discovered in North Georgia, near present-day Dahlonega. The state of Georgia stationed militia throughout the gold region to prevent confrontations between Cherokees and white settlers at mining sites. After the Cherokee land was awarded to white settlers through the land lottery of 1832, these mounted troops were also charged with protecting the Cherokees until they removed to their new homes in Oklahoma. Many chose to leave right away, but others lingered until the May 1838 deadline, hoping their representatives in Congress would find some way to secure their land.

Meanwhile, some settlers impatient to claim their new land harassed Cherokee families. Members of the Pony Club stole horses and cattle and committed other depredations designed to hasten the original owners from the land. Eventually, the mounted militia was tasked with rounding up the remaining Cherokees into removal forts and beginning the forced 800-mile march west now known as the Trail of Tears.

Book Two of The Twenty-Niners of the Georgia Gold Rush, The Maiden and the Mountie, releases February 17. A marriage of necessity. A secret buried deep. In Georgia’s gold country, love may be the most dangerous treasure of all. https://www.amazon.com/Maiden-Mountie-Twenty-Niners-Georgia-Gold-ebook/dp/B0FNYFLLJ3/

Denise Farnsworth, formerly Denise Weimer, writes historical and contemporary romance mostly set in Georgia and also serves as a freelance editor and the Acquisitions & Editorial Liaison for Wild Heart Books. A wife and mother, she always pauses for coffee, chocolate, and old houses. 

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A Splash of Color for Winter

By Suzanne Norquist

Now that the holidays are over and white landscapes abound, I would welcome some color in my dreary world. And what better way to find it than with festive balloons? The colored latex filled with air or helium are just the thing to brighten one’s mood.

Balloons haven’t always been fanciful party decorations. In ancient times, children played with balloons made of animal innards. And scientists used them in experiments. Galileo, in the 14^th century, used a pig’s bladder to measure the weight of air.

That’s enough about body parts—on to more recent history.

Larger balloons came along before the smaller ones. The Montgolfier brothers constructed a hot air balloon capable of carrying people in 1783. They first tested it with a sheep, a hen, and a duck. After that successful flight, people took to the air. That same year, Jacques Charles built a hydrogen balloon for passengers.

The smaller version came about as part of a scientific experiment to study the properties of gases. In 1824, Michael Faraday fashioned balloons out of rubber. He cut two pieces of rubber and pressed the gummy edges together. Flour sprinkled in the middle kept the insides from sticking. One of the things he learned was that hydrogen-filled balloons would float.

 

By the following year, Thomas Hancock, a pioneer in rubber manufacturing, was selling DIY balloon kits in England. They included liquid rubber and a syringe to blow it into a ball.

In 1847, J.G. Ingram of England introduced balloons made from vulcanized rubber latex, the prototype for modern balloons. Latex was harvested from rubber trees, which was then heated and processed with sulfur. The temperature didn’t affect these balloons as much as the natural rubber ones.

By 1889, people could purchase red rubber balloons in the Montgomery Ward catalog. However, they weren’t manufactured in the United States until 1907.

The long, skinny balloons used for balloon twisting were introduced in 1912.

They have provided entertainment for over one hundred years. In the early 1900s, Samuel Sarmiento was known as the "Balloonatic.” Ted Metz went by the title "King of the Balloon Twisters” in the 1920s and 1930s. And “Mr. Balloon” enthralled audiences of the 1950s and 1960s. Marvin Hardy dominated the balloon entertainment scene of the 1970s and 1980s.

When someone wanted balloons to float, they typically filled them with hydrogen. Unfortunately, the gas is notoriously unstable and tends to explode, causing harm to those around it. In the nineteen-teens, firefighters in New York tried to ban the use of this hazardous gas in balloons.

After a serious accident involving hydrogen balloons at a New York City function, hydrogen was banned in the city. Manufacturers switched to helium, which is also lighter than air but is chemically stable.

With the safer gas, creative individuals found all kinds of uses for them. Helen Warny started the Toy Balloon Company in New York, which used them for advertising, parade floats, and fashionable window displays.

In 1931, Neil Tillotson developed the modern process for manufacturing balloons by dipping a mold into the latex. This development enabled the safe and inexpensive mass production of balloons. It turned a novelty item into a party essential.

For fun, Tillotson cut a piece of cardboard into the shape of a cat’s head and dipped it. The result was a “cat’s head” balloon that kept its shape when blown up.

There have been a few other advancements, such as balloon-within-a-balloon and mylar balloons. However, the basic product has remained essentially unchanged for the last hundred years.

If I want to have a party to scare away the winter doldrums, I can decorate with balloons—the kind that don’t explode.

 

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Love In Bloom 4-in-one collection

“A Song for Rose” by Suzanne Norquist

Can a disillusioned tenor convince an aspiring soprano that there is more to music than fame?

“Holly & Ivy” by Mary Davis

At Christmastime, a young woman accompanies her impetuous younger sister on her trip across the country to be a mail-order bride and loses her heart to a gallant stranger.

“Periwinkle in the Park” by Kathleen E. Kovach

A female hiking guide, who is helping to commission a national park, runs into conflict with a mountain man determined to keep the government off his land.

“A Beauty in a Tansy”

Two adjacent store owners are drawn to each other, but their older relatives provide obstacles to their ever becoming close.

Republished from Bouquet of Brides

Buy links: https://books2read.com/u/bOOx8K

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Bloom-Mary-Davis/dp/B0FPLFYCXR/

 

 

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.

 

The Ice Flood of 1918: When the Bay Inlets Froze

    _By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Here's a look back at the winter of 1917-1918, when parts of the Chesapeake Bay and coastal inlets froze so completely that people and carts crossed on ice. Can you believe it?

The Winter the Coast Stood Still

The tide had stopped breathing. From Chincoteague to Crisfield, the sea lay silent under a crust of ice so thick you could drive a wagon across it. Steamboats and other waterway vessels sat stuck for nearly a month due to the frigid temperatures and blizzard that brought uncharacteristic cold further south than it had ever remained for this long.

For people who depended on the water for travel and livelihood, it brought things to a halt. That freeze rearranged priorities overnight. Mothers stretched meals, and churches drew people together for warmth and survival.

The freeze affected nearly everything. Watermen couldn’t get to their oysters and crabs. Small towns that relied on regular marine deliveries had to deal with delayed supplies or no deliveries at all. Even the mail struggled to get through when boats were stuck and roads weren’t much better.

They Must Survive

People adapted, as they always do. Sometimes, you simply don't have a choice. And sometimes, you get the opportunity to tackle things that got pushed aside for more important needs. Like how men spent the downtime repairing boats and gear that normally never stopped long enough to get a thorough overhaul. And children did exactly what you’d expect. They tested the ice, ignored stern instructions, and had adventures they’d retell for decades afterward. :)

Now, I'm sure a little bit of tall tale snuck in there during the retelling at some of my family gatherings, but the details still tracked with real events. And no one challenged the report of a few men on their bellies pulling a wide sleigh across the ice to get much-needed supplies to island residents.

Thankfully, that blizzard and winter didn't end in disaster. But when I read about that experience, I'm reminded that my great-grandparents dealt with that surprise weather without modern forecasts, heated trucks, or social media updates. They had to rely on their common sense, neighbors, and a lot of layers of clothing. One of many good things came out of it, though.

They left us the stories!

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Have you ever heard an older family member talk about extreme weather conditions they endured?

* Do you know of any famous weather stories from your own hometown?

* If you lived in a coastal community back then, which part do you think would have been hardest: food, work, or travel shutting down?

Leave answers to these questions or any comments on the post below.

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has embellished stories since childhood, thanks to a very active imagination and notations of talking entirely too much. Honing those skills led her to careers as an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker, while also working as a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help them get rooted in truth and live a life of purpose.

Currently, she lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, two dogs, and five cats in southeastern Kentucky. In her 20+ years as a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and has agent representation with Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Historians Say "Never." Springfield, Missouri Begs to Differ.

Photograph by Martha Hutchens, image on display at History Museum on the Square

by Martha Hutchens

“The gunfight in the middle of Main Street in an Old West town never happened,” historians say.

And mostly, they’re right. But there was that one time in Springfield, Missouri—the story that made Wild Bill Hickok famous.

Many of the details are disputed, but we do know that Wild Bill shot Davis Tutt on the Springfield square on July 21, 1865. Davis Tutt died. And it all started over a watch.

Image by @RobStark/ Deposit Photos

We have two main almost-contemporary sources: Colonel George Ward Nichols, who wrote for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in 1867, and Return I. Holcombe, who wrote The History of Greene County, Missouri in 1883. It was Nichols’s story that made Hickok famous, but was it accurate?

Both sources seem to agree that Hickok and Tutt were acquaintances. The men each earned their living by gambling and would have frequented the same places.

According to Nichols, Tutt had loaned Hickok money. Hickok had a good night at the tables, and Tutt asked for the $40 Wild Bill owed. Bill paid him, and Tutt then added that he was owed another $35 for a different loan. Bill didn’t question the second loan but believed he only owed $25 and wanted to check his records. Tutt scooped Bill’s watch off the table to hold as surety. Wild Bill took this as a mark against his honor, since it implied he was a man who didn’t pay his debts.

Holcombe tells a simpler story. Hickok and Tutt were playing each other, and Hickok had a bad night. He lost his money, his watch, his diamond pin, and his diamond ring.

Both sources say that Hickok requested (or demanded, depending on the account) that Tutt not wear the watch. But Tutt wore the watch to the town square the next day, July 21, 1865.

According to Holcombe, Hickok first called out to Tutt when he was roughly 100 yards away, warning him not to come across the square with the watch. By the time Tutt was about 75 yards away, he made the soon-to-be fatal error of reaching for his gun.

Hickok drew his pistol, steadied his right arm on his left forearm, and shot Tutt between the fifth and sixth ribs. Tutt died within a few minutes. The sheriff approached Wild Bill, who surrendered his pistols and admitted to shooting Tutt.

Nichols described an event much closer to what we see in Western movies, with the men facing each other about fifteen yards apart.

Image of Springfield Town Square, by Martha Hutchens

I’ve been to the square and seen the places where the men stood, or at least where the historical markers say they stood. It is far closer to seventy-five yards, which would be a difficult shot even today. With the pistols of 1865, even a skilled marksman would have needed a great deal of luck. Whether that was good luck or bad would depend on which side you stood on.

Hickok stood trial and was acquitted under self-defense, or more accurately, reasonable doubt that he was the aggressor. According to Holcombe, Tutt’s handgun was displayed as evidence, and it had a single chamber empty.

At this point we gain another contemporary source: the local newspaper, The Weekly Patriot. Unfortunately, it tells us very little, only that the jury reached its verdict in minutes and that there was general dissatisfaction with the outcome. Under Missouri law at the time, self-defense did not apply if a man willingly entered a fight he could reasonably avoid. The jury appears to have set aside this standard.

Image by @marzolino/Deposit Photos

There may have been another underlying issue. This shooting took place only three months after the end of the Civil War, and southwest Missouri had seen violence years before 1861. Hickok served with the Union, and Tutt with the Confederacy. But the story is complicated. Tutt was almost certainly acting as a double agent, reporting Confederate movements to the Union, and considering the units each man served in, it is likely Hickok knew this.

As you might expect, Nichols and Holcombe disagree about the role the war played in the gunfight. Nichols claimed that Hickok had killed one of Tutt’s friends during the war, while Holcombe maintained that once the war was over, it was truly over for Hickok.

It is also difficult to ignore the possibility that a jury composed entirely of Union loyalists in postwar Springfield felt little sympathy for a former Confederate.

To tell the truth, I find the disagreements in this story to be one of its most interesting aspects. History is so seldom as cut-and-dried as it appears in textbooks.

What everyone agrees on is that Nichols’s article in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine made Wild Bill Hickok a celebrity, and he went on to become one of the most well-known names in the Old West.

Historians are right to distrust the word never—and Springfield, Missouri, reminds us why.

If you'd like to learn more about the background of both men in this fight, you can find that information here, on my website.

Best-selling author Martha Hutchens is a history nerd who loves nothing more than finding a new place and time to explore. She won the 2019 Golden Heart for Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements. A former analytical chemist and retired homeschool mom, Martha occasionally finds time for knitting when writing projects allow.

Martha’ debut novel, A Steadfast Heart, is now available. You can learn more about her books and historical research at MarthaHutchens.com.

When his family legacy is on the line, rancher Drew McGraw becomes desperate for someone to tame and tutor his three children. Desperate enough to seek a mail-order bride. But when the wrong woman arrives on his doorstep, Drew balks.

Heiress Kaitlyn Montgomery runs straight from the scandal chasing her toward a fresh start on a secluded ranch. She strikes a bargain with Drew—a marriage convenient for both of them.

But the more Kaitlyn adapts to ranch life and forms a bond with Drew’s children and their enigmatic father, she realizes that this ranch is where she is meant to be. And then her past catches up with her…

Charles Marion Russell by Nancy J. Farrier

 

Charles Marion Russell

Charles Marion Russell, probably best known as an artist who depicted life in the Old West, also wore many other hats. He was a well-known story teller, a writer, historian, and an advocate for the Western Plains Indians. He loved the outdoors and he loved his adopted State of Montana so much that he didn’t want to leave.

Camp Cook's Troubles
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Born in 1864, in St. Louis, Missouri, Charles wanted to grow up to be a cowboy. His father partnered in a brick manufacturing business, but Charles, who struggled with book learning, wanted to go west. Just shy of his sixteenth birthday, he arrived in Montana ready to fulfill that dream. He started out learning the wilderness from a hunter and trader, Jake Hoover, spending two years with him.

The Tenderfoot
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

In 1882, he began to live his dream as a night herder for some cattle outfits. What he didn’t realize at the time, was that he would gain more than learning to wrangle cattle. He would learn firsthand how the men and animals of the west interacted. Later, he would turn those memories into paintings and sculptures so realistic they would seem to take on a life of their own.

Waiting for Chinook
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

In a depiction of a particularly brutal winter, Russell painted a watercolor of a starving cow surrounded by wolves. This picture brought him widespread recognition in 1887. By this time, he was already known locally for his story telling. He had a quiet way of speaking that kept his audience enthralled.

The Cryer
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

By 1893, Russell turned to art full time. In 1896, he married Nancy Cooper. She had a head for business and in time became his business manager. Russell painted more than 2,000 pictures, plus the many bronze sculptures he made. His artwork appeared on postcards, color reproductions and in calendars. He was considered the first “Western” artist to live most of his life in the West. 

Buccaroos
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Stories abound on the life of Charles Russell. He was known as a constant smoker. It’s said that as soon as one cigarette finished, he would stop and roll another one. This often happened when he would be telling stories to an audience. Even if he had come to a critical place in the story, he would stop talking until he’d finished rolling and lighting his next cigarette. He expected his listeners to wait and they were so caught up in the tale he’d been unravelling that they did wait for him.

To the Victor Belongs the Spoils
Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Russell was also noted for not laughing as he told stories. He spoke in a slow, drawling narrative, is expression deadpan. Even if he had his listeners laughing aloud, he didn't smile, or change from his serious demeanor. 

I love Russell's vivid portrayal of the West. Have you ever seen any of Charles Russell's paintings or sculpture? I appreciate that he lived the life before putting it on canvas, in bronzes or in words. What other artist do you know that did this?

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.