Calhoun was a part of the Cherokee Nation ( including New Echota , capital of the Cherokee Nation ) until December 29 , 1835 . Cherokee leaders such as The Ridge and William Hicks had developed numerous productive farms in the fertile Oothcaloga Valley . When the Cherokee refused to give up the remainder of their lands under the Indian Removal Act , after years of land cessions to the United States for white settlers in Georgia , North Carolina and Tennessee , President Andrew Jackson sent US troops to the northern region of Georgia to force most of the tribe to move to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River , most notably present-day Oklahoma . ( See more information on Trail of Tears . ) In December 1827 , Georgia had already claimed the Cherokee lands that became Gordon County and other counties . A small town called " Dawsonville " was created and founded in the Gordon County , named for the owner of an early general store . Dawsonville was later renamed " Calhoun " to honor U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun , following his death in 1850
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Calhoun, Georgia