Page 16 � Union County GA Magazine � Summer 2022

By Norm Cooper Editor , Union County GA Magazine

There are many places in Union County to buy lottery tickets - be they scratch off tickets or those selected for the drawings seen on television . Occasionally a few lucky people will win some money , but most people who purchase the lottery tickets always walk away empty handed .

A few win while thousands lose . Many believe that lottery gambling is fairly new , having been formed in 1992 , with half the money going to prizes , onethird to education , and the rest to operating and marketing .

However , a lottery was part of Georgia ’ s history in the early 1800s . Creek Indian land was part of five lotteries from 1805 to 1827 . The Cherokee Indian nation land was gambled away in the sixth lottery in Georgia ’ s history in 1832 and 1833 . Part of that lottery included land which is today Union County .

Gold was discovered on Cherokee Indian land in the late 1820s . That discovery brought thousands of miners to North Georgia .

The long time desire for Cherokee land and then the desire for gold spelled the end of the Cherokee Indian nation in Georgia . The Georgia Assembly had already passed a law in December 1828 that stated the

Georgia portion of the Cherokee Nation and the 16 counties it was divided into by the state in 1832 . Red area was the part that was raffled off in 40-acre gold lots because it was thought that gold may be in those areas . The rest were 160- acre lots .

This map shows the present 24 counties which occupy the same region as the map seen above . The county colored in is Union County . www . unioncountymag . com � 10th Anniversary

Tennessee

3

4 5 6

10

Cherokee Indian nation in the state would be subject to Georgia laws .

When potential gold miners flooded into the area in 1829 , the Cherokees asked the federal government to honor treaties and get rid of the invaders . The United States Army was sent , but

9

2 7 8

North Carolina

1

Union County

had no success . Local counties opposed federal troops . U . S . President Andrew Jackson withdrew the Army . A Georgia Guard was established to protect the mines , but it failed . A case that went to Washington , D . C ., the United States Supreme Court ruled against Georgia and

declared the Cherokee Nation to be a distinct community occupying its own territory .

The practice of distributing land by lottery was a Georgia idea . Citizens of the state , but not Indians , could register for the lottery .

A popular song of the day stated , “ All I want in this creation , Is a pretty little wife and a big plantation , Away up yonder in the Cherokee Nation .”

In February 1831 , 96 district surveyors were chosen to map the Cherokee territory .

Each land lot was 160 acres , unless evidence of gold was found in the district , in which case the lots were 40 acres .

These gold lots were distributed in a separate lottery , and there was also a third drawing where fractional lots were awarded .

On October 22 , 1832 , there were 85,000 people looking for 18,309 prizes . In the Gold Lottery , 133,000 people were hopeful to win one of the 35,000 lots .

One of the most desired spots was just south of Union County .

About three out of every four people went away with nothing .

The biggest losers in the 1832 Georgia lottery were the Cherokee Indians , victims of cultural and territorial imperialism .