Why Build A U.S. Mint in Dahlonega Georgia?
It was a dangerous journey to the distant Philadelphia Mint or down to the New Orleans Mint. The Southern frontier had few roads and many rivers to cross. Along the way, bandits, highwaymen and Indians were all eager to steal your gold. The purpose of a mint facility was to take raw gold, nuggets, or gold dust brought in by the miners and convert them 90% fine gold. Then, to make official gold coins, liquid gold was flattened out on rolling mills, made into gold blanks which were then formed into gold blanks. Each coin blank was struck on a mint press using official United States dies and a gold coin was created that could easily be traded and was instantly accepted anywhere as real money. A miner would deposit his raw gold and return a few weeks later to pick up his finished new gold coins. The U.S Mint at Dahlonega opened in 1838. Its mission was to produce gold coins for circulation in what was then the Southern Frontier of the United States. The mint was supplied with state-of-the-
