Question: What Georgia town was the site of the country’s first major gold rush?
Answer: Dahlonega. Gold was first discovered completely by accident in the area in 1828, 20 years before the California Gold Rush. Deer hunter, Benjamin Parks, tripped over a rock about 2.5 miles south of what is now Dahlonega and, upon inspecting the rock, he discovered that it was full of gold. Within one year’s time approximately 15,000 miners rushed to Dahlonega to find some gold for themselves.