Numerous gold mines were illegally developed in the area . Miners , entering illegally into the Cherokee Nation lands , came into conflict with the Cherokee , whose territory they had trespassed . The Cherokee lands were defined by the treaty between the Federal Government and the Cherokee Nation in the Treaty of Washington 1819 . The miners raised political pressure against the Cherokee because they wanted to get the gold . The Federal Government forced the Native Americans west of the Mississippi River to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears during Indian Removal . Dahlonega was founded two years before the Treaty of New Echota 1835 , which made its founding a violation of the Treaty of Washington of 1819
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Dahlonega, Georgia