----- Original Message ----- From: "Cindy Zadrozny" <cinzad@qtm.net> Subject: [GACHATTO] Seminole District Both my g-g-granddad, John Cobb, and his son, John Walter Cobb were listed on the 1900 census for Chattooga County. They were listed as miners and lived in the Seminole District. Does anyone have a clue as to just what mine they may have been working in and if there were any little mining towns in the Seminole District in which they might have lived? Sure would appreciate any info. Cindy up here in Michigan _____________________________ Cindy: There were several mines in the area. Seminole District joins the Cherokee County AL state line. This is some information about the mines. Mike Rutledge, Boaz, AL ( originally from Trion, Chattooga CO, GA) CHEROKEE COUNTY HERITAGE Volume IV, No. 1, January 1975 SHULER TOWN, CHEROKEE COUNTY, ALABAMA This mining adventure, somewhat like Bluffton in the south eastern portion of the county, was a. thriving operation one-and one half miles north of Gaylesville and extended northward perhaps another two miles. It was not planned on the grandiose scale of Bluffton, but. Nevertheless made an important contribution to the area and the county during the period c. 1895 to 1912. A 1905 U.:S. Postal Map-of the town showed some 50 houses near the mines. The houses were of standard mining camp construction and were built by the predecessor companies of Republic Steel Company, which was the chief promoter of the mining operation. The last one of these buildings stands near Randle Cemetery in a much-dilapidated condition. The town had a commissary and several small businesses. The indicated Population of Shuler was about 250, although it is believed that perhaps another 1oo people living elsewhere derived income in various capacities from the operation - many hauled ore from open pit or strip mining to the rail head. The ore assayed at 80% iron and was in sufficient tonnage to warrant the building of a spur track to the main line of the Rome and Decatur (Southern Railroad) Railroad at Lawrence - four miles east of Cedar Bluff. The line ran straight north and passed through Gaylesville 50 - 75 yards west of the Webb Chesnut home. The track bed can still be seen as well as the bridge piers beside the Chattooga River. The remains of two shafts sunk into Dirt Cellar Ridge and some evidence of strip mining can be seen in Ratray Hollow. This property, for the most part, belonged to Clarence E. Chesnut, Sr., Walter Fred Browder, H4 L. Garner, the Hiwassee Land Company and the Republic Steel Company. Dr. Robert Lee McWhorter and Mr. H. L. Garner at different periods were managers of the operation. Mr. E. T. Shuler, an executive of Republic Steel, was general manager and gave the operation its name. There is a bit of ore yet remaining in the area, quite which at some future date might yet be mined profitably. In this connection, there is precious metal - silver - to be removed in this area! It seems that the weekly payroll of the company was paid in silver dollars - estimated in the $5,000 range. This was hauled by wagon from Lawrence to Shuler in kegs prior to the rail spur. One such payroll was lost in fording the Chattooga River at Gaylesville in the late 1890's and is still on the bed of the river it is believed. Those 1890 silver dollars if recovered might be worth in numismatic market of today, 50 to.100 thousand dollars! While speculating on this it seems reasonable to believe that the Noble Brothers or Moses Stroup who prospected widely over the county. Must-have discovered this ore body. However, there is no evidence available that any was ever used at Cornwall Furnace, only three miles away. -63-

{Cindy: There were several mines in the area. Seminole District joins the Cherokee County AL state line. This is some information about the mines. Mike Rutledge, Boaz, AL ( originally from Trion, Chattooga CO, GA)} Thank you very much, Mike, for the info. I wonder how I could figure out just where they lived going by the census......any ideas? Again, thank you for the help. Cindy