Message text written by INTERNET:SC-OLD-PENDLETON-DIST-L@rootsweb.com >Gary, I live in Clay County, AL not too far from Sand Mountain,AL. There was a great migration to AL around 1830. The second largest gold rush was to Alabama. This,and neighboring counties had many gold, sulphur,mica, graphite,pyrite and a copper mine. My farm has two abandoned mica mines on it. Sand Mountain is a part of this chain of mountains where all the minerals were found. That could have been the reason so many people came this way. Sand Mountain got its name from the beautiful black sandy soil that grows almost anything. It's plateau is wide and long, and some of the most beautiful farms are there. I hope this answers your question. Pam Shirey < ************************************ Pam, Thanks for the response. Besides the rich mineral deposits luring settlers, didn't all the land vacated by the forced removal of the Indians bring many settlers as well during the 1830s? I think there was a second major migration during the 1850's. My people migrated there as farmers according to the AL agricultural census of 1860. I can't speak for other families. I'm sure there were a variety of reasons for heading to Sand Mountain. When I'm at the SC Archives in about 3 weeks, I'll see what I can find out about the movement of people to Sand Moutain in the 1850's and what was going on in Anderson at the time that may have made them pack up and move. I agree with you about the beauty of the area. I really enjoyed my visit up there. It looks like a great place to live and it appears several of my ancestors felt the same way. Take care, Gary