Anglers love to tell the story about the big one that got away. But imagine if you could predict your catch BEFORE a fishing trip began?
Well, maybe you can’t quite predict your specific catch, but a handy forecasting tool from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources does offer some insights into what’s likely biting in lakes and rivers around the state.
Georgia’s annual fishing forecasts include 31 reservoirs in the state, and 19 rivers.
Georgia’s Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) fisheries biologists and technicians annually update the fishing forecasts for 31 Georgia reservoirs and 19 rivers, and they are available in one convenient location: GeorgiaWildlife.com/fishing-forecasts.
“These forecasts provide information, such as best bets, technique tips and more. Each is connected to an interactive map, which provides an additional layer of information to this already excellent resource,” explains Scott Robinson, Chief of the WRD Fisheries Management Section.
Checking Out Lake Allatoona Tips
To check this out, we visited the fishing forecast site of nearby Lake Allatoona. The enlargeable map identifies major access points to the huge lake. That includes including boat ramps, public bank access, and kayak and canoe put-in points. But most helpful for prospective anglers: nearly 100 “fish attractor” locations. These habitats feature conditions most suitable for hauling in a great catch.
We sought out one of the nearby “fish accumulator” sites. But inexperience, flawed technique and crossed lines meant lots of fun, but no fish.
The standard maps indicate the species of fish most likely found in each of the state’s lakes and rivers. For Lake Allatoona, that included spotted bass, hybrid striped bass, white bass, and crappie. It also noted that Lake Allatoona hides large mouth bass, bream and catfish, but those species show up less frequently.
Local and “Insider” Knowledge
And, there’s more. For novice and experienced anglers alike, the fishing resource pages include recommended techniques and baits to catch specific species. Plus, it offers helpful “insider knowledge” about areas where conservation efforts improve fishing habitat.
For Lake Allatoona, we found this insider tip: “More than 1,000 shoreline trees have been toppled throughout the lake since 2007 as a means of improving bass habitat. The newest trees toppled in 2021 and 2022 can be found in the 5-fingers area of Stamp Creek.”
The fishing forecast includes lists of the most likely species, including bream found in many of Georgia’s lakes and reservoirs.
Lake forecasts include Allatoona, Andrews, Bartlett’s Ferry, Big Haynes (Randy Poynter), Blackshear, Blue Ridge, Burton, Carters, Chatuge, Chehaw, Clarks Hill, Goat Rock, Hamburg, Hartwell, High Falls, Jackson, Juliette, Lanier, Nottely, Oconee, Oliver, Rabun, Richard B. Russell, Seed, Seminole, Sinclair, Tobesofkee, Tugalo, Varner, Walter F. George, West Point, and Yonah.
Rivers detailed include the Altamaha, Chattahoochee, Chattooga, Conasauga, Coosa, Coosawattee, Etowah, Flint, Ochlockonee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, Ogeechee, Oostanaula, Satilla, Savannah, St. Marys, Suwannee and Toccoa rivers.
For even more fishing tips, be sure to check out the weekly Fishing Blog post at GeorgiaWildlife.blog/category/fishing/.
Don’t Forget Your Fishing License
And don’t forget, anglers need a fishing license for public lands in Georgia. Annual fishing or hunting licenses are good for 365 days from its purchase date cost $15 each for state residents. Discounted short-term licenses from one to 10 days are also available for residents and non-residents. A basic one day fishing license for non-residents is only $10.
You can purchase a purchase a license online or from a local agent, or call 800-366-2661.
The fishing forecast doesn’t guarantee success, but it will help even little guys find the biggest fish.
In 1879, the City of Marietta purchased a revolutionary new steam-powered fire wagon. Firefighting historians generally acknowledge that the Silsby Steamer was the innovation that created modern fire departments. Prior to its development, each fire company depended on bucket brigades and hand pumps to fight blazes.
And in Marietta, the newly arrived fire wagon also led to another first in 1881 — the creation of the Blue Eagle No. 2 Volunteer Fire Company, comprised entirely of citizens from Marietta’s black community.
When the new Silsby Steam fire wagon, Aurora, arrived in Marietta, it paved the way for formation of the city’s all-black volunteer company.
As Marietta’s volunteer fire department became more experienced and proficient with the Aurora — the name given to the new wagon — it also made the city’s Blue Streak hand pumper engine obsolete. So the older apparatus was eventually provided to the newly-formed Blue Eagle No. 2 Volunteer Fire Company.
Community Service, and Social Clubs
Unlike modern city-operated fire departments, volunteer units of the day were a combination of social club and emergency response units. According to local records and newspaper accounts, the Blue Eagle Fire Company elected officers, held regular meetings, participated in community events and joined firefighting competitions and fought fires — sometimes alongside their white counterparts.
A mention in the Marietta Journal from Dec. 21, 1882, reported on the annual meeting of the Blue Eagle No. 2 Company, and the election of its officers. W.P. Butler, a Baptist minister, was elected president, a position he would hold for many years.
Original members of the Blue Eagles are memorialized on the timeline in the Marietta Fire Museum.
While the Blue Eagle Fire Company No. 2 was a volunteer organization, the City of Marietta often interacted with the crew. Membership benefits included exemption from the $3 city street tax, which was granted in March 1883 for up to 30 members of the Blue Eagle crew. And in May 1883, a report to city council noted the cleaning of the Blue Eagles’ No. 2 hand pump engine by the members.
Unified Response
The Blue Eagle Fire Company often responded to local fires side-by-side with their white counterparts, answering the call of the fire bell for blazes throughout the city. The Sept. 13, 1883, edition of the Marietta Journal reported one of those responses as follows:
“An alarm of fire, Monday morning about, half past nine o’clock, brought out the fire department. The kitchen on the premises of Mr. Chuck Anderson was on fire, and the fire being between the ceiling and roof, rendered it difficult to reach. The Hook and Ladder put in prompt work, while the Blue Eagle Hand Engine (colored) with a good stream kept the fire in check.”
During a streak of bitter cold in January 1886, the Blue Eagles and the rest of the Marietta firefighters answered a call in subzero temperatures and high winds to fight a blaze at a railroad warehouse. Cotton bales had caught fire from the sparks of a passing train. In temperatures of four below zero with a “glacial gale blowing at a terrible rate,” the fire companies threw water on the burning cotton and “the water would freeze soon after hitting the bales,” the Marietta Journal newspaper reported. Their dedicated efforts in the sub-zero conditions saved most of the cotton and prevented the fire from spreading to surrounding warehouses.
The thankful owners of the Winters and Legg Warehouse thanked the firefighters for the quick response and dedication with an oyster dinner. As with many events of the time, the white members of Marrietta Fire Company No. 1 and the Marietta Hook and Ladder Co. enjoyed their dinner on a Tuesday night at the Whitlock House. Meanwhile, on the same evening, Winters and Legg treated the Blue Eagle Company to a similar oyster dinner at the Simm’s Restaurant, the Marietta Journal reported.
Parades and Contests
Marietta hosted a fire tournament on July 4, 1902, which featured all the city’s firefighting units. A 4 pm parade featured the fire fighters and their fire wagons, starting at the fire house on Atlanta Street and led by a military band. The Blue Eagle Firemen, with engine and reel, participated in costumes of black pants and blue shirts.
The Marietta Journal estimated “that some three thousand people were on the square at the time the parade and tournament took place. There was a regular jam of human beings.”
The day’s activities also included a reel race and foot races by the firefighters, with prizes of rubber fire coats and cash to the winners. The Blue Eagles received two rubber fire coats in the reel race. In the foot races, Blue Eagle member Gus Nelson won the $2 first prize and Ed Robinson received the $1 second prize.
Of the day, the Marietta Journal concluded: “Marietta has had no more enjoyable day than the fourth of July. Good order prevailed throughout the day, no drunkenness and everybody seemed to be in a good humor. We have a splendid citizenry, hospitable, courteous, clever and enterprising, and the best town in the state.”
The final reference we could find to the Blue Eagle Fire Company appeared in May 1911. While the white Marietta firefighters participated in a city recognition event, the Blue Eagles were provided a separate barbeque lunch for their members.
Final Chapter for the Blue Eagles?
The final chapter of Blue Eagle history is unclear.
The Marietta department responded to a fire call at Zion Baptist Church in July 1914, after which the pastor publicly thanked the department in the Marietta Journal. But no mention is made of the Blue Eagles, who likely would have responded to the emergency at the church which was the heart of Marietta’s black community.
In October, 1914, the Marietta Journal published a notice or a meeting for reorganization of the volunteer fire departments, but published no follow-up report.
And, Sometime in the 1900s, Marietta switched some of its firefighting duties to a paid force. The volunteer departments continued alongside for awhile. A request in the Marietta Daily Journal requested that volunteer departments continue answering the fire bell along with the city’s new department. But how long that arrangement lasted is unclear.
We’re continuing to search the available digital records of the Marietta Journal and other sources for more information. You can also find a reference to Marietta’s Blue Eagles at the Marietta Fire Museum, located in the main fire station near downtown. Check out our article on a previous visit.
Home to the National Restaurant Association trade show and many fine dining restaurants, Chicago is a foodie’s delight. But for visitors looking for breakfast, the hunt for good options in the downtown area often is confined to the offerings at your hotel. And that’s mostly because they don’t know about downtown Chicago diners.
But we refuse to pay marked-up hotel prices for average breakfast offerings. Instead, we seek out unusual spots known to and patronized mostly by locals. And that’s exactly what we found at the Pittsfield Cafe, a downtown Chicago diner in a historic setting.
The Pittsfield Cafe has welcomed locals to its friendly diner in an ornate, historical setting since the mid-1980s.
Tucked away near the intersection of Wabash and Washington Streets in a soaring atrium lobby loaded with antique architectural accoutrements. Pittsfield Cafe definitely fits the description of neighborhood downtown Chicago diner. Open for breakfast through late lunchtime, the classic diner menu is full of comfort food favorites plus some ethnic delights.
Architectural Wonder and City History
In addition to fantastic diner fare at reasonable prices, dining in the 5-story atrium is like stepping back in time. Looking up at the balconies covered in marble and adorned with brass and bronze, it’s easy to imagine elegant evenings of yesteryear held here. And as the building opened in 1927, Chicago’s highest society — and maybe a few of its famous gangsters — likely visited the newly-crowned tallest skyscraper in Chicago. Constructed by the Marshall Field’s family, it’s almost certain that the Pittsfield at 55 Washington Street was a posh destination from its opening in 1927.
Looking up at the balconies covered in marble and adorned with brass and bronze, it’s easy to imagine the splendor of the building’s opening as the tallest skyscraper in Chicago in the roaring 1920s.
We’ve visited this hidden gem on multiple Chicago trips. We first stopped in for a weekend breakfast before a non-stop day of the National Restaurant Association show. Our business associates – accustomed to those hotel offerings — sounded confused when we suggested a downtown Chicago diner. They looked delighted when they arrived. And by the time we left, all of us swore we’d likely never have breakfast anywhere else when visiting Chicago.
Perfect Start to a Chicago Day
We’ve kept that vow on multiple personal visits. We enjoy the slow pace, friendly confines and huge portions that are a perfect start to a day of touring or other leisure.
Inside the main restaurant, a classic diner-style atmosphere awaits, complete with counter service or comfortable booth seating. While that looks warm and inviting, we actually prefer the seating in the soaring atrium. It offers more distance from our dining neighbors in this post-Covid world while putting us closer to the incredible architecture.
The interior of the cafe is warm and inviting. But we prefer sitting the atrium, closer to the architectural history and farther from other patrons in this post-Covid world.
Breakfast is our favorite time to visit this downtown Chicago diner. It’s a great way to start a busy business or weekend day when you may not have time for lunch. Our go-to choices are the skillet breakfasts, with eggs and breakfast meats served over a steaming bed of hash brown potatoes. On our most recent visit, we polished off a massive Chef’s Skillet, loaded with bacon, sausage, ham and Swiss cheese — plus three eggs over-easy and that massive bed of potatoes. Oh, did we mention the side of wheat toast?
Traditional and Beyond
Ours was the most traditional skillet choice among options that included Steak, Santa Fe, Bronx Pastrami, Corned Beef and a Gypsy dish.
Our go-to choices are the skillet breakfasts, with sunny-side-up eggs and breakfast meats served over a steaming bed of hash brown potatoes.
If you prefer your items served separately, the omellete and scrambler plates are just as filling while allowing some separation among the main ingredients. Those choices include Meat Lovers, Corned Beef, Corned Pastrami, Midwestern, Veggie, Mediterranean, Denver, Sausage and Cheese, Ham and Cheese.
The extensive menu offers lots of other traditional breakfast options and quantities. Plus, there’s a full lunch menu of hot, fresh-cooked dishes and sandwiches. While we’ve admired the plethora of lunch offerings, we’ve never gotten beyond the incredible sandwich choices. The traditional club is our personal favorite. But we’ve committed to trying a broader range of lunch foods, including the gyros.
This huge omelet kept us going for a full day. But there are lots of other breakfast and lunch choices, too.
Don’t Miss the Art Deco and Gothic Features
And if you’re a fan of classic Chicago architecture, stroll through the exit on Washington Street for an extra treat. Frankly, if this lobby area isn’t on a Chicago architectural tour, it should be! As the exterior of the building is under renovation, we’re sincerely hopeful that all of the classic style and traditional adornments will be restored fully and carefully preserved.
With exterior renovations and street improvements, it’s easy to miss this foodie and architectural treasure when walking by.
Near the elevators, it’s easy to imagine a uniformed elevator attendant calling out your boarding instructions and floor stops. The intricate bronze designs on the elevator doors reflect the craftsmanship common to this period.
The intricate bronze designs on the elevator doors and ceilings reflect the craftsmanship common to this 1920s architectural period.
Look up and the bronze ceiling displays that same period craftsmanship and attention to fine detail.
And, be sure to check out the vintage mail collection box. It features long drop chutes (perhaps running the full height of the building) that terminate in the lobby.
More Pittsfield History
We found these sources to provide some additional interesting historic background about the building:
Chicagology, which includes some newspaper clips, too.
Is the Pittsfield Building Cursed? You’ll need a subscription to Crain’s to view this story, which delves into some unlucky happenings at the building.
Don’t miss the vintage mail collection box in the Washington Street lobby.
Before learning about this Korean bowl-styled dish on Food Network’s “Chopped,” I had no idea what deliciousness was contained in this nursery rhyme sounding meal. Now, on cold days, when I’m craving a hearty meal or whenever I see a Korean restaurant, it’s the first image that pops into my mind.
So when we travelled north along I-75 for my wife to visit with an old friend, my thoughts wandered away from my planned hiking adventures and straight to Chopstix on Lee Highway in Northeast Chattanooga.
For the unfamiliar, bibimbap is comprised of assorted vegetables topped over steamed rice. Gochujang sauce, a Korean spicy bean paste sauce, is served on the side. While it can be vegetarian, most choose a favorite protein to include, such as chicken, pork, beef or tofu. The components are usually placed carefully on a plate in their own defined space. Then the dish is covered with a fried egg to add extra flavor and what in-the-know chefs describe as unctuousness.
The loose translation of the Korean name means mixing cooked rice. Once stirred with Gochujang sauce, the first and every bite is a flavor explosion.
Meant to Mix
While the initial serving looks like a compartmentalized, it’s meant to be stirred together and eaten in mixed bites to capture all the different textures and flavors together. In fact, the loose translation of the Korean name means mixing cooked rice.
On this visit after some hiking, I chose the bibimbap with chicken. I also selected a side order of spring rolls, a small reward for all that effort expended on my morning hike.
As on all my visits, the service was quick and efficient, and my food delivered promptly. The steaming aroma from the huge bowl of veggies, chicken and rice caused me to over over the dish for a moment, simply enjoying the sensory experience.
I added a side order of spring rolls, a small reward for all that effort expended on my morning Chattanooga River Walk hike.
A Perfect Bite
I broke the runny yellow egg yolk over the center, then slowly stirred in some of the Gochujang sauce as I mixed the vegetables together for the perfect first bite. When the fork finally reached my mouth, the flavor explosion exceeded the wild expectations my mind had formed during the prolonged wait. I won’t say it was the perfect bite, but I will state without equivocation that it was one of the best first bites I’ve enjoyed while traveling to 47 states and nearly as many countries.
Bibimbap is not a dish meant to be rushed, so I took my time, extending my solo lunch dining experience to over one hour — well over my usual lunch seating time. And though I had arrived near the end of the traditional lunch hour, the restaurant remained relatively busy throughout my stay. That gave me an opportunity to check out the dishes of bulgogi, pho, banh mi and stir-fried noodles being enjoyed with huge smiles by patrons at tables around the dining area.
I took my time, extending my solo lunch dining experience to over one hour and completely devouring the huge bowl.
Tea Time, Too
The restaurant also serves a full array of popular boba tea, the Asian-inspired tea served with tapioca or fruit-flavored pearls. While not my favorite, I noted multiple guests enjoying the milk tea drink.
If you check various online ratings (Google and Yelp, specifically), Chopstix rates highly, and seems to get lots of return visits by regular local customers. I noted, too, on the Google ratings that fellow “local guides” who tend to specialize in their home region gave Chopstix consistently high ratings.
As mentioned, the small family-run restaurant sits on a strip mall outlot along Lee Highway. This once was a major thoroughfare in Northeast Chattanooga before I-75 pulled through-passing traffic away from this local business strip. If you’re in the area, or passing through, it’s worth the short detour off exit 5 at I-75.
GPS: Chopstix Viet Bistro, 6903 Lee Hwy, Chattanooga, TN 37421
A short detour off exit 5 at I-75, a visit to Chopstix is totally worth the effort.
We’ve visited Duke’s Creek Falls near Helen, GA, in all seasons. And there’s no doubt in our mind which season is the best for a visit to these water falls. Stick with us to learn more.
Before you go, know that Duke’s Creek Falls is on a trail system in the Chattahoochee National Forest in North Georgia. The parking area is just off GA route 348, also known as the Richard Russel Scenic Byway. It’s about 10 minutes west of Helen, GA, or 30 minutes south and east of Vogel State Park, where the park’s refurbished cabins are a great multi-day base. Unicoi State Park near Helen is even closer, though we prefer the rustic and more natural feel at Vogel to the glamping, lodge and resort activities at Unicoi. Hey, but you do you!
Dukes Creek Falls is just off GA route 348, also known as the Richard Russel Scenic Byway for obvious reasons. It’s about 10 minutes west of Helen, GA
Distant View
Arriving at the trail, you can get a distant glimpse of the falls just a short walk from the parking lot. Binoculars will help you see the falls far in the distance. But if you take the 1.1 mile trail down, the payoff is a much closer and better view.
The walk down is easy, but remember that you’ll have to walk back up, too. So if you don’t have good walking or hiking shoes or an adequate supply of water, think twice before starting down. Also consider your fitness before descending as there is only one route in and out.
The falls are visible (center left) from an observation area near the parking lot. Binoculars will help. But the view is much better when you hike the trail.
Our crew loves the wide dirt path, filled with switchbacks down into the valley. As you descend, you’ll get closer to the creeks which form the falls, and you’ll spot lots of small falls and rapids along the way.
A boardwalk leads to the observation deck, then the trails. We’ve made the hike at age 66 with our teenager and grandkids. Want to guess who complained most about the grade and tiredness?
Two Waterfalls
At trail’s end, you’re treated to two waterfalls. The smaller falls, to your right at the end of the boardwalk, actually is where Duke’s Creek plunges down into the valley. (That’s the photo at the top of this post!)
High up and to the left, Davis Creek cascades more than 150-feet down the mountainside.
Trees and other greenery line the mountainside, obscuring much of the falls during spring, summer and fall. Now, if we had to pick a second-best time to visit, it would be fall. The colors along the trail and in the surrounding mountains can be spectacular. Remember the highway name – Richard Russel SCENIC Byway? And with some of the leaves falling or fallen, the view of the falls is more open.
Davis Creeks tumbles approximately 150-feet down the mountainside to create the larger, cascading falls. When deciduous trees loose their leaves, you’ll get a more unobstructed view.
Why Winter?
But for us, there’s no time like winter to visit Duke’s Creek for the best view of the falls. With most of the leaves gone, you can really appreciate the height of the falls — and the twisting, turning, plunging route the water follows down. And without leaves to absorb some of the sound, the falls really roar into the valley in the winter.
Without leaves to absorb some of the sound, the falls really roar into the valley in the winter.
Now, we’ve also spotted waders and swimmers in the creek in the summer – not recommended and against the rules, but it’s a thing. And you certainly wouldn’t want to do that in the winter.
One more tip. We like to get an early start, hike down before 10 am, and return to the parking lot by noon. That way, we avoid lots of other visitors, many of whom like late morning and afternoon visits.
Other Nearby Natural Treats
We often combine our visits to Duke’s Creek with other waterfall visits in the area. The twin waterfalls at Anna Ruby Falls are about 20 minutes to the Northeast past Helen. If you didn’t do the walk down to Duke’s Creek, you may want to give Anna Ruby Falls a visit. It’s a shorter and easier walk, with the slight uphill section on the way to the falls.
Two creeks create the twin falls at Anna Ruby Falls. The tallest measures 150-feet; the shorter 50-feet.
If you are coming from Vogel State Park, you’ll also want to check out Trahlyta Falls at the park. Our grandkids enjoyed climbing around the edges, and learned exactly how cold the water was, even in the summer. Plus, it’s easy to visit Helton Creek Falls on the way to Duke’s Creek.
Our littles learned a lesson about water temperature at the edges of Trahlyta Falls at Vogel State Park.
If you believe the movie and pop culture cliches about Italian restaurants, then the best will be small and dark. All seating will be away from the windows and quiet booths lining the walls. They’ll be the perfect place to enjoy a large, traditional meal, all in surroundings perfect for plotting violence against a mob rival, bribing a local politician or conducting an illicit amorous rendezvous.
Plus the classic Italian meal piled high with pasta and protein will be served from a family-operated kitchen. And your table attended by waiters who give you attention without hovering over your table and talks.
The best Italian restaurants are dark, with seating away from the windows and quiet booths lining the walls. We checked those boxes at Provino’s.
If that’s also your idea of a great Italian restaurant, then drop into Provino’s in Kennesaw, one of seven family-owned locations operating in the Atlanta area since 1977.
Friendly Service, No Rush
We stopped in for a Friday lunch, our first return visit since the pandemic. The fact that much remained unchanged about the location, food and service was one of the delights of the visit. We were greeted and attended by friendly staff. Service was prompt and consistent without feeling rushed, and the large variety of classic dishes were just what we craved on a cool winter day.
With fresh rolls swimming in a garlic butter and topped with fresh grilled garlic, I wondered if I would even need a lunch order.
Settling into a large, comfortable booth, we appreciated that we were surrounded by other diners, but still able to enjoy private conversations. Families, shoppers, seniors and businesspeople surrounded us. In other rooms, a few large parties enjoyed birthday parties and other gatherings. We didn’t witness any plotting, bribing or illicit activities, but then, we were focused on making food selections from the broad menu, so who knows?
Decisions, Decisions
Since we were having difficulty making decisions about our Italian meal, our friendly waitress took our drink orders. Then she returned with the family-style salad bowl and fresh-baked garlic rolls. Once I got reacquainted with the bowl of steaming rolls swimming in a garlic sauce and topped with fresh grilled garlic, I wondered if I would even need a lunch order.
The generous fresh salad bowl included lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers and grated cheese, plus an surprise serving of beets.
Meanwhile, my wife dove into the salad bowl, which included lettuce, tomatoes, onion and peppers, plus a generous serving of beets.
We pulled our attention from the accompaniments long enough to make food decisions. Glenda selected her all-time favorite, chicken parmesan. Keeping it in the parm family, I chose eggplant parmesan. We both chose a side of spaghetti, topped with meat sauce rather than the marinara choice.
Our plates arrived a few minutes later, filled and steaming, topped with that beautiful deep red tomato sauce. To our surprise, despite already consuming salad and rolls, we indeed were ready for the main course.
After cutting away a piece, my eggplant parmesan still filled the large bowl, featuring lightly fried eggplant slices layered in ricotta, meat sauce and mozzarella.
Our Parm-apalooza
My eggplant parm featured lightly fried eggplant slices layered generously in ricotta, meat sauce and mozzarella. It completely filled the large round serving bowl, and I knew immediately I’d be carrying out a take-home plate.
The same preparation delighted my wife with her chicken parm. Her dish was served on the same plate as the spaghetti and meat sauce side, while mine was a true side dish.
At first bite, the warm, soothing dish met our every expectation for taste, texture, and comfort. If there was a perfect choice on a cool day, this warm meal in friendly surroundings was it. But despite our best and determined efforts, we finally surrendered to the massive servings and asked for carry-out boxes. That also meant we passed (this time!) on our favorite tiramisu and spumoni desserts which we had enjoyed on prior visits.
Check the operating hours. Some locations open for lunch, while others offer only dinner service.
When our check arrived, we were delighted again. Our per-person meal cost was no more than outings with our grandkids to the nearby Olive Garden. But suffice it to say our Italian meal and experience at Provino’s were substantially different, superior and delightful to that forced-family-fun at the chain restaurant.
Before you go to Provino’s Kennesaw or other locations for an Italian meal, check the operating hours. Some locations open for lunch, while others offer only dinner service. And be aware that at Kennesaw, while they are open for lunch, only a dinner-portion and price menu is available.
Before gold was discovered in North Georgia in 1829, only hunters and a few settlers had come to the mountainous area that was home to the Cherokee and other native tribes. But when word spread that gold nuggets were being unearthed in the area, the nation’s second gold rush was on.
On August 1, 1829, the Georgia Journal newspaper included this account:
“GOLD. A gentleman of the first respectability in Habersham county, writes us thus under date of 22d July: ‘Two gold mines have just been discovered in this county, and preparations are making to bring these hidden treasures of the earth to use.’ So it appears that what we long anticipated has come to pass at last, namely, that the gold region of North and South Carolina, would be found to extend into Georgia.”
At the center of the gold rush was the small town of Dahlonega, GA. Quickly filling with prospectors and others, the rough-and-tumble town grew quickly, including a local branch of the US Mint to process the local bounty.
The Consolidated Gold Mine Tour takes visitors far below ground — and the local Walmart — for a look at some of Georgia’s gold history.
Today, a few prospectors still pan for gold in area streams, and others dig into hillsides. Dahlonega’s gold-rich past is well documented at the local gold museum. And like many other towns in America, the local Walmart is a beacon for area shoppers.
Wonders Below Walmart
But under this Walmart, you’ll find a gold mine, including deep shafts open to exploration as part of a gold mine tour.
The Consolidated Gold Mine operated for only 11 years before being abandoned in 1906. Unlike traditional mines which follow veins of gold, miners dug out quartz from the Dahlonega hillside shafts. Then, in a 120-stamp mill nearby, the quartz was crushed to recover the gold.
According to local accounts, while mining was difficulty, dirty and dangerous, high pay drew miners into the mine’s deep corridors. Farmers might earn an average of 30 cents for their never-ending work tilling the surface soil. But miners could make $1 per day for each 12-hour shift.
We joined a small-group tour of the Consolidated Gold Mine along with our grandkids, part of a weekend get-away to nearby Vogel State Park. Descending the three sets stairs and additional ramps into the mine, our guide regaled us with history and legends of Dahlonega’s gold rush past.
Directional signs, an historical market and the appropriately-named Gold Mine Shopping Center lead to the historic mine.Photo from HMBD.org
Watch for Cars!
Deep below ground, we walked through the abandoned shaft, careful not to trip on the remaining mine car tracks that follow the route. When all was quiet, the only sound was water dripping down along the rock down into the mountain.
When our guide turned out the lights, we were surrounded by dark nothingness, unable to see even our hands a few inches in front of our face.
During our 40-minute tour, we walked through several hundred feet of the mine. We were glad we brought jackets, as the underground temperature hovered in the mid-to-high 50F-degree range. Along the way, saw some of the old mining equipment used in the mine, and learned about the techniques used to recover the quartz and gold.
After the tour, we joined in a demonstration of gold panning. Our grandsons delighted in the activity, especially when they found the tiny gold flakes they got to keep as souvenirs of the adventure.
Our guide regaled us with legends and lore, and also demonstrated old mining equipment.
Finding More with Drones
We learned that the mine’s owners hired a high-tech firm to explore more of the historic mine’s reach, in hopes of opening more of the mine to visits. Using ground penetrating radar, plus flying and underwater drones, the firm created 3-D and other detailed maps of abandoned tunnels. In all, they estimated that Consolidated’s holdings in its multiple mines included more than 4.5 miles of tunnels. They were hoping to open additional tunnels to touring, which may require a return visit in the near future.
We explored a few hundred feet of the mine which is open to the public, but there are an estimated 4.5 miles of abandoned and closed shafts here.
Where’s the Gold Today?
Consolidated’s owners know there’s more gold hiding in and around its tunnels. But the cost of recovering the remaining gold would exceed the estimated value, so it remains undisturbed underground. But prospectors who pan for gold in streams nearby still find gold flakes.
Now, if you want to find today’s gold, look above the mine at Walmart. The average Walmart store brings in more than $82 million each year for its corporate shareholders. Overall, Walmart’s global earnings topped $572 billion — yes, BILLION, with a B! — making it the world’s largest retailer and one of the most valuable global brands. So, today, prospectors might do better investing in Walmart than in panning or digging for gold.
More Consolidated Mines History
Mining is a dangerous activity, for miners and investors. Consolidated Mines LTD was founded with a value of $5 million. The company used a variety of promotion methods to gain attention and attract investors. You can learn more about mining, mine investment and how Consolidated pursued new investors by checking out this 1899 pamphlet. It details the property, equipment, and land use rights of the Dahlonega Consolidated Gold Mining Company. Plus, it served as informational and promotional material to potential investors.
For a narrative history , long-time tour guide Greg Sheppard researched and wrote a book entitled, The Rise and Fall of the Mighty Consolidated Gold Mine. The book is for sale at the mine, and at other locations in Dahlonega.
Unless you’re a history or Civil War buff, there’s little reason for you to know about or have cause to visit the Pickett’s Mill Historic Battlefield Site. But if you do find yourself off the beaten path or exploring Northwest Georgia, you can discover some little-known history, enjoy good hiking and perhaps even learn why Union soldiers and their families were determined to keep the memory of this battle alive even though it was one of the last Union defeats of the war.
For those a little rusty on Civil War history, this battle was part of General William T. Sherman’s campaign from April to September, 1863, to capture Atlanta and destroy the South’s railroad, supply and manufacturing hub. Sherman’s army followed the Western and Atlantic railroad line, which ran approximately 130 miles through the dense forest hill country. In late May, with General Joe Johnston’s Confederate forces in a commanding position at the narrow Allatoona Pass, Sherman sent part of his army west away from the railroad and through the thick forest to bypass the Confederates. The Battles of New Hope Church (May 25, 1863) and Pickett’s Mill (May 27, 1863) resulted from this decision, and both battles were lost by the Union Army.
Pickett’s Mill is referred to as the forgotten battle as General Sherman didn’t include any account of the loss in his official reports or in his published memoirs.
Pickett’s Mill often is referred to as the forgotten battle as Sherman didn’t include any account of the loss in his official reports to Washington, nor did he include any mention of it in his published memoirs. No significant news of the battle was included in Northern newspapers, which tended to cover the largest battles, battles for large cities, or — by this point in the war — glorious Union victories. Word of the Confederate victory was but a whisper in the South, lost among the mounting defeats, declining morale and near panic of Atlanta’s impending doom. And despite the scarred landscape left behind, the battlefield largely was forgotten in the years following the war, with the exact location known by only a few local historians and some determined relic hunters.
The original mill site of the Pickett family mill, which served a local farming community. The creek was named Pumpkinvine Creek during the war, and the name was changed by the Georgia legislature.
If you’re into Civil War history and want a detailed account of the battle, you can read The Battle of Pickett’s Mill: Along the Dead Line, by Brad Butkovich. (I linked to Amazon, but is available from other outlets if you share a presidential disdain for the Jeff Bezos empire.) Capturing the detailed facts and descriptions of the battle, it’s a thorough account but a bit of a dry read (Sorry, Brad!).
Hiking the Battle Site
For nearly three years, we’ve lived a mere two miles from the state park and battlefield site, driving past neighborhoods, businesses, schools and directional signs all bearing witness to the battlefield’s proximity. Finally, on a sunny afternoon in April and in search of a short hike, we drove to the state park. After watching the well-done video at the Visitor’s Center and taking a few minutes in the small museum, we set out on the wooded and hilly trails.
The park now is mostly wooded in secondary forest, with just under four miles of hiking trails that generally follow Civil War-era roads and the major battle lines. The well-marked Red, White and Blue trails each trace a significant part of the battle, and join together where the main fight occurred. The Confederates were heavily entrenched here, and along the trails you’ll see some well-preserved battle earthworks. That said, unless you’re a Civil War or military history buff, they’ll look like overgrown trenches — not the kind of stuff you’ll feature in your Facebook posts or highlight in your online vacation photo album.
Historical sites are marked along the way with numbers, but the trail map provided doesn’t include any written details. So, unless you memorized the map and writing while in the the Visitor’s Center or found an online guide, these markers won’t mean much. Other options include this GeorgiaTrails.com linkwith some descriptions or a more complete version including GPS waypoints at Backpacker.com.
A log cabin relocated from a nearby farm is open for visits and offer demonstrations during scheduled hours.
History aside, we enjoyed hiking the trails for our short afternoon walk. The trails meander down into the ravine, along and across Pickett’s Mill Creek, and up the steep approach toward the commanding Confederate positions on high ground. Along the creek, the original mill site is marked with an informational sign that describes the mill and small community. At the time of the war, the creek was named Little Pumpkinvine Creek, and Malichi Pickett and his family operated an overshot-style grist mill here to support local farmers.
Remembrance and Reenactments
If you haven’t done any history homework before arriving, the Visitor’s Center provides a good starting point and thorough orientation. The video includes a fairly comprehensive overview of the arrival of troops, battle preparations and the chronology of the fight itself. It includes basic facts about the 1,500 Union and 500 Confederate soldiers who died here, and describes the flow of the battle in an understandable manner. Much is made in the video about the ratio of Union-to-Confederates killed, and that is one of the reasons Pickett’s Mill is considered the last great Confederate victory of the war. However, by that point in the war and with increasing disenchantment and desertion among the Confederates, the Southern Army likely was weakened more significantly by its losses.
The small museum at the Visitor’s Center includes displays of Civil War arms and the usual description of the battle. In today’s controversial political atmosphere related to immigration, it was interesting to find a permanent display of the role of immigrants in the Civil War and this battle. Using war records and personal letters, it recounts the roles of individual immigrant soldiers who fought for their new countries on both sides of the battle.
The Visitor Center museum features an ordinance display, including one of the original cannons used in the battle.
If you enjoy re-enactments, you’ll generally find one during the annual anniversary weekend at the park. The battle dates were May 25-27, but commemorations shift each year to avoid conflicts with Memorial Day weekend travel and activities.
As Pickett’s Mill was the site of one of the few nighttime battles of the Civil War and also home to several local ghost stories. The park is closed at night, and the rangers no longer offer the periodic candlelight night tour of the battlefield that always caused shivers. To preview some of Pickett’s Mill battlefield ghost stories, check out The Moonlit Road’s night time visit to the battlefield and be prepared to feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
Pickett’s Mill included one of the few nighttime battles of the Civil War, leading to several local ghost stories sure to cause shivers.
The history of the park itself includes some interesting twists and turns. It was surveyed and mapped in the 1930s, but otherwise largely forgotten until the centennial celebration of the war in the 1960s. Eventually, the land was purchased from the Georgia Craft Paper Company by a group of amateur historians in 1972, who, in turn, sold it to the State of Georgia in 1974. Perhaps contributing to its reputation as the lost battle, the park was finally opened in 1992, making it one of Georgia’s newer state parks.
The Crime at Pickett’s Mill
Ambrose Bierce was a post-war journalist, poet and short story writer. While in the Union Army, his job as topographical engineer was to plot territory for battle planning. His post-war essay about Pickett’s Mill, with the inflammatory title, “The Crime at Pickett’s Mill, speaks plainly of the tactical planning and battlefield blunders committed by Union leadership. Aside from personal letters recovered by historians and the scattered battle reports of individual leaders, much of the generally-accepted information about the battle is taken from Bierce’s account.
While Bierce’s account of the battle received great attention, there was a determined effort by Union soldiers to keep the memory of the battle alive. Part of the motivation was to honor their fallen comrades, where some units lost more than 50% of their members. Others felt that Sherman’s omission of the battle from his records and memoirs was an insult to the Union soldiers who fought and died there. And still others sought to call attention to a perceived injustice toward the Union dead by the Southern army, which was accused of stripping the dead for valuables then burying them in shallow, unmarked mass graves. For a comprehensive and moving account of the disillusionment of Union survivors with the battle’s memory, check out the Emerging Civil War website and an essay entitled, “History Hides the Lies of Our Civil War: The Forgotten Battle of Pickett’s Mill,” by Angela M. Zombek, Ph.D.
Louisiana and Ohio Connections
I’m always intrigued by the seemingly random crisscrossing of people and events that creates history. Pickett’s Mill brought that particularly close to home, given my own history. Having grown up in Louisiana, lived in Ohio for nearly 20 years, and now a Georgia resident, my attention was drawn to the large number of Ohio units who comprised Sherman’s army. Even more compelling was the presence of two Louisiana Confederate divisions which fought at Pickett’s Mill, the 4th and 30th Regiments of Louisiana Infantry. The 30th Regiment was formed in New Orleans, and included many enrollees from the “Saint” parishes along the Mississippi River north of the city. While I didn’t find specific reference to which of these individuals fought in Georgia, the roster of the Louisiana 30th Regiment is filled with French and German immigrant names and reads like the phone book from my Louisiana childhood home: Arceneaux, Breaux, Babin, Becnel, Bourgeois, Boudreaux, Champagne, (pronounced at my house as Shau-pine) Dufrene, Dufresne, Haydel, Hebert (with the French pronunciation, A-bear), Gautreaux, Guidry, Guillot, LeBlanc, LeBoeuf, LeJuene, Lorio, Loupe, Matherne, Naquin, Oubre, Poche, Richard (in French, REE-chard), Rodrigue, Roussel, Schexnaydre and more.
The Louisiana 30th Regiment included soldiers from the “Saint” parishes along the Mississippi River, and is filled with French and German immigrant names that read like the phone book from my Louisiana childhood home.
In the museum’s immigrant display, I found the interesting story of Father Isidore Francois Turgis, a Roman Catholic priest from France. He had been in the French Army and served in Crimea, Italy and (today’s) Vietnam, then moved to New Orleans in 1860 and joined the 30th Regiment of Louisiana Infantry in New Orleans in 1863.
Final Notes
Here’s a special “shout-out” to the Georgia State Parks, National Park Service and US Corp of Engineers. We do lots of hiking at facilities operated by these entities, and always appreciate their conservation, preservation and sustainability efforts. Most people know about our National Park System and some of the crown jewels parks like Yellowstone and Grand Canyon. We recently did a blog about the Senior Passwhich provides lifetime access to National Parks and more than 2,000 federally-managed locations.
It’s less known that there are more than 10,000 state parks across the US that attract more than 750 million visits annually. That’s an average of more than two visits by each American. State parks capture local and regional history, provide great recreational opportunities and serve the public with lots of special programs. To find, visit and enjoy a state park near you or wherever you’re travelling, you can use the state park locator offered by StateParks.org.
For my Georgia friends, you can keep up with all the activities in Georgia State Parks by subscribing to the the Georgia State Parks e-newsletter
Atlanta Campaign Chronology: It took Sherman 5 months to travel the 130 miles from Chattanooga to capture Atlanta. Here’s the detailed chronological account. Neither this chronology nor this blog post include the account of The General and the Great Locomotive Chase, which started in nearby Kennesaw where The General now resides at the Southern Locomotive Museum. But that’s a story and a blog for another day.
Since spotting pictures online of frozen Georgia waterfalls, I’ve been waiting for a prolonged Georgia cold snap to explore our own nearby winter waterfall wonderlands. But while it seems that Mother Nature isn’t always cooperative with the idea, all it takes is a few hours of below freezing weather to transform some of Georgia’s tallest waterfalls into a classic winter scene.
Even a single day of sub-freezing weather, with overnight temperatures in the low 20s, can produce a frozen waterfall landscape. But the best visits come after a prolonged below-freezing period.
From our home in Cobb County, we always keep an eye on the weather report. That’s the first essential step to “enjoy” enough subfreezing hours to produce and sustain outdoor ice. I intentionally put “enjoyed” in quotes. Freezing Georgia weather is good for my frozen waterfall photography purposes But a cold snap or severe winter storm can create misery, heartbreak, and hardship for others.
A prolonged cold snap of several day below freezing is best to catch Georgia waterfalls in their most-frozen state. These usually occur mid-January through mid-February here in Georgia, when the state — and most importantly, the North Georgia mountains — get their coldest weather.
Airborne mist from the tumbling waters coats the nearby surroundings, creating a fleeting frozen landscape far from the falls.
But even a single day when the mercury remains below freezing, followed by a night when the temperature gets down to the low 20s, can produce a spectacular scene at Georgia waterfalls. That’s because the tumbling water constantly creates a light airborne mist, It coats the stream banks, foliage and trees around the falls. The small water droplets freeze quickly, creating a white winter scene that easily fills your camera shots. Falling water creates its own wind currents, carrying the drops along the valley for several hundred feet.
Interestingly, Georgia’s tallest waterfalls create the best frozen surroundings because of the interaction of the water, mist and wind currents. While the main falls may not freeze, these factors create wonderful winter scenes.
Look up, down and all around to find interesting photo opportunities created by ice sparkling in the bright sunlight.
To experience the best of these frozen landscapes, depart early and reach the falls shortly after sunrise. Once the temperature reaches 30F degrees or the sun reaches above the tree line, the combination of air temperature and sunlight may melt away your best experience.
Our Favorite Frozen Georgia Waterfalls
Amicalola Falls. The long cascade creates an extended frozen landscape all along the water’s journey. Plus, it’s one of the shortest walks to see the fall. Most ice will be found near the top of the falls. But be careful on the walkways, as the frozen mist makes walking slippery.
Sloppy Floyd State Park. The slow-running small waterfall over the old mine entrance can create impressive icicles.
Anna Ruby Falls. The twin falls are impressive anytime, but even more so in a frozen landscape.
Can you believe we missed hiking on Nov. 17, National Hiking Day? There are still plenty of great hiking days in North Georgia, year round. Cooler fall and winter weather make hiking a great way get some exercise while enjoying the outdoors. And you’ll find diverse terrain and a choice of nature or urban walks sure to please experienced and new outdoors people. Here are a few of our favorite Cobb County hiking spots for those considering a nearby experience:
Kennesaw Mountain. The most-visited national battlefield park in the US, the locals consider KeMo a premier hiking spot for mountain-top views, wildlife sightings and trail variety. Sunrise and sunset hikes feature colorful panoramas. Our favorite loop hike travels up KeMo’s backside, through “the big zig,” over the saddle and back down to the visitor center.
We like taking visitors of all ages to Kennesaw Mountain, whether to walk to the summit or explore some of the less-trafficked routes.
Marietta Mountain-to-River Trail. A multi-use recreation trail, we often bike this route. Around Marietta Square, walking is best due to other pedestrian traffic, plus there’s lots of history and easy access to shopping and dining. The on-trend food hall, Marietta Square Market, is adjacent to the trail, great for meals and snacks.
The Mountain to River trail is a great suburban walk around and beyond historic Marietta Square.
East and West Palisades. Part of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, these forested preserves straddle Interstates 75 and 275 in Cobb County. Paths at both East and West Palisades follow the Chattahoochee River, offering frequent views at riverside and from high above on the neighboring hills. Away from the riverbanks, hardwood forests and small streams are home to a variety of wildlife. A bamboo forest also is a hidden surprise at East Palisades.
The trails at Palisades wander through wooded rolling hills, but you’re never far from the city and civilization.
Just Outside Cobb County
These are also excellent nearby considerations:
Allatoona Pass Battlefield. If you’re looking for a flat trail through the woods, this is it. The trail follows an abandoned railroad bed, passing through a deep mountain cut and alongside Lake Allatoona. In addition to history, there are great views of Lake Allatoona and a side path that allows water access to cool your feet. Just across the water, you can enjoy winding walks in the woods at Red Top Mountain State Park.
The wide, shaded paths at Noses Creek and Allatoona Battlefield parks are great for escaping the heat.
Walking in Woodstock. No, not THAT Woodstock, but, rather Woodstock, GA. Located just up I-575, park downtown and enjoy the Noonday Creek greenway trail, a three-mile round-trip out-and-back walk. Or drop in at the Woodstock visitor’s center on Main Street in the historic Dean’s Store and pick up the map for a 1.7-mile self-guided history hike. If you choose to do both, you’ll want to leave time for refreshments in the wonderful downtown.For more hiking ideas farther out in the North Georgia mountains, check out the Georgia Small Plates section at OurTravelCafe.com.
As 6 am approached on a peaceful Sunday morning in October 1903, engineers on two trains along the Southern Railway near Dallas, GA, looked anxiously at their watches. Train No. 18 was heading northbound from Atlanta to Chattanooga on its normal run.
Meanwhile, Train No. 81 was speeding southbound, coming out of the twisting, turning mountain run after passing over numerous trestles and through multiple tunnels along the way. Both traveling on the single-route track, they were scheduled to pass near Dallas, with one taking a siding as the other continued along the main route.
The Need for Speed
Timing was crucial, as both trains had schedules to keep, and the Southern Railway was under tremendous pressure to meet critical deadlines included in a valuable new US government mail hauling contract. In 1902, Southern had won the right to carry US mail between New York and Atlanta in a contract valued at $140,000 per year – that’s nearly $5 million in 2022 dollars. That contract also included a penalty clause: a fine of $100 for each 30 minutes of delay. Railroad management wanted desperately to maintain schedules, and the engineers bore the brunt of the responsibility.
Just north of Dallas, a tall steel trestle carried the Southern Railway tracks across Pumpkinvine Creek. In a year where Northwest Georgia encountered a summer drought followed by early and cold fall rains, the leaves had begun to turn colors along the railroad route and down into the deep ravine. The 360-foot-long trestle was one of the longest, tallest – and most feared – trestles on Southern’s route.
In the aftermath of the train wreck, Engine 846 sits atop the remaining southern-most section of the trestle, while trailing cars remain on the northern approach. Six of the trestle’s 11 spans collapsed with the remainder of the train. (Photo courtesy of Paulding County Historical Society)
No Time for Fall Scenery
Looking south from the cabin of Engine No. 846, engineer Jim Nichols had no time to enjoy the scenery unfolding at sunrise. He pushed the throttles on the 25-car train. The newspaper account from the October 23, 1903, Dallas New Era gave the following account:
“Engine 846 never acted better. The big machine moved forward at a terrific rate with twenty-five cars behind. The engineer looked at his watch and knew that time was precious. His hand went to the throttle again, the engine bounded forward until the drivers were turning at what was supposed a sixty mile clip. Down the hill the long train flew. Pumpkinvine trestle was reached, but alas! never passed.”
The Oct. 23, 1903, edition of the Dallas New Era newspaper reported details of the wreck on page 6. At that time, it wasn’t unusual for “breaking news” to be included on the final page, as it was also the last to be readied for press. You can click the photo for a link to the full original article.
Vibration, Swaying, Then Collapse
As the heavy engine tried to slow somewhere on the trestle, the steel bridge began to vibrate and sway. A combination of speed, the train’s weight and other factors likely contributed to what happened next, quoting from the New Era account:
The engineer “put full steam on but to no avail, the engine had done the work with its weight, and with a mighty crash the iron bridge fell, sending the soul of Fireman John Fagala into eternity and destroying thirteen cars loaded with corn, oats, cotton and apples. The engine proper staid on the track as only the north half of the trestle went down, the tank was wrung off leaving the engine on the remaining part of the trestle.”
At the bottom of the ravine among the creek waters, changing leaves and twisted metal of the collapsed trestle, the engine tender and 13 freight cars lay mangled. Of the 11 steel spans that formed the 360-foot trestle, six of the spans had collapsed into the ravine with the train.
Smashed Steel and Destruction
Remaining on the track along the still-intact portion of the trestle, the locomotive and its engineer were left on the south side of the wreck, nearest to Dallas. And according to the New Era report, multiple cars remained on the north side of the trestle, along with “Conductor Sorrels and the flag man were in the caboose and escaped as that part of the train was not wrecked.”
“With a mighty crash the iron bridge fell, sending the soul of Fireman John Fagala into eternity and destroying thirteen cars loaded with corn, oats, cotton and apples.”
Exactly what happened to firemen John Fagala remains unclear. Rescuers found his body among the wreckage with a broken neck and broken arm. “It is supposed that Fireman Fagala jumped, altho’ this is not known as he was standing on the tank and that portion of the train went down in the highest place about 77 feet. Fireman Fagala was killed instantly whether he jumped or fell.” was the report in the New Era.
News of the massive wreck spread quickly in the small town of Dallas and beyond, even in the early 1900s before radio or television were available. Telegraph lines clattered the reports up and down the railroad route, and local stations stopped trains along the route.
Rapid Reconstruction
In Dallas, local residents who heard the booming sounds of the crash and others who heard the news from neighbors rushed to the scene.
“The people of Dallas have never before seen such a horrible wreck and all day Sunday streams of people were seen going and coming,” reported the New Era.
With train traffic stopped, mail delayed, freight stranded and passengers waiting, Southern Railways responded quickly. By noon on Sunday, approximately six hours after the wreck occurred, several hundred workers had reached the site. Efforts to clear the wreckage and began immediately.
“The people of Dallas have never before seen such a horrible wreck and all day Sunday streams of people were seen going and coming.”
By the next day, more than 300 workers had reached the site. Many traveled by trains from Atlanta, along with new steel girders, tracks and supplies required for repairs. The scale and speed of the repair work was nothing short of miraculous. The New Era reported that the first train passed over the repaired trestle on Wednesday morning – a mere three days after the massive wreck.
A Planned Replacement
A few weeks after the wreck, Southern Railways began exploring ways to make the important route safer, including the sections new Pumpkinvine Creek and Dallas. Teams of surveyors and engineers arrived in Dallas to evaluate how to reduce the steepest grades and eliminate the curve on the Pumpkinvine Creek trestle.
On Nov. 20, 1903, a New Era article included this observation about the project: When this part of the Southern railroad was constructed it was not known that it would be one of the most important lines of the entire county. This line now connects all the western markets with the south. St, Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati and all the large cities ship most of their products via the Southern railroad and the increasing business demands better and straighter tracks.”
A present-day satellite view of the Pumpkinvine Creek Trestle. The creek is labeled. The ends of the grey color along the track route indicates the final approach to the trestle. Note the curve in the track from the top (north) as the tracks approach the creek’s deep ravine.
More on the 1903 Wreck
The Spring 1997 edition of the North Georgia Journal included an extended article on the 1903 wreck and other notable train wrecks in North Georgia. Written by Georgia historians and authors Gordon Sargent and Olin Jackson, the article includes interviews with former employees of the Southern Railway, and extended accounts of multiple train accidents. We found a digitized version online, though the quality of the digital copy is poor. The article credits Duane “Cowboy” Mintz and Ruddy Ellis for assistance in gathering information.
Often, locals confuse the Silver Comet trail trestle with the trestle involved in this wreck. To be specific, they are different. The Silver Comet Trail follows the train route of the former Seaboard Airway Line, which operated the passenger train known as the Silver Comet. The two trestles are approximately two miles apart on Pumpkinvine Creek, with the Silver Comet trestle located further south near GA Route 278.
The well-known scenic trestle on the Silver Comet trail, part of the abandoned Seaboard Airway Line, was not involved in the 1903 wreck. The trestle locations are approximately two miles apart on Pumpkinvine Creek.
Where the Southern Tracks Relocated?
The short answer: It’s unclear, but doubtful.
In the aftermath of the 1903 wreck, the railroad began efforts to improve the line, reduce the steep grades, and eliminate the curve at the Pumpkinvine Creek Trestle. We found these two references in the Dallas New Era in the immediate aftermath of the wreck:
The next reference we located was printed in January 1908, when poor conditions were reported on the Southern line near Dallas. The report included this statement, “It is said that whenever one of the fast through trains passes over the trestle just this side of Pumpklnvine, over the Weaver creek, the trestle can be seen to sag and rise, caused by the motion of the train.”
During this spookiest time of the year, we went looking for the Georgia cities, towns and counties with names that conjure up fearsome or frightful feelings. Following is our unofficial list of those Georgia locations, with a short explanation of why the names creep us out:
Clinch County
This just sounds like a bad place to get into a tight spot. Before you get your underwear in a bunch, know that the county takes its name from General Duncan Lamont Clinch (1784–1849), a hero of the War of 1812 and a U.S. Congressman. The sparsely populated county along the Florida border has a population of 6,725 with its 809 square mile territory.
Crisp County
For fear factor, consider proceeding this with “burnt to a.” Things got a little heated in the county earlier this year when commissioners voted to remove a Confederate statue. If you’ve driven down I-75 to Florida, you’ve likely seen four exit signs that reference the county seat of Cordele.
Meansville
If one of Taylor Swift’s hit songs had a hometown, this would be it. Things must not be so bad in this Pike County town named for homesteader John Means, as the town recorded a population increase of nearly 50% from 2010 to 2020.
If there is a portal in Portal, GA, where does it lead? Another dimension? Another time?
Portal
Wouldn’t this be the perfect place to rebuild the Georgia Guide Stones? Located in rural east Georgia’s Bulloch County, one wonders just what kind of portal exists here. To another dimension? Another time? The fact that the population here in 2020 was exactly the same as 2010 creates some suspicions.
Ray City
If aliens live in Georgia, you’d expect to find them here, with their right to carry vaporizing ray guns protected by state law. (Hey, this is humor! Please don’t post mean comments unless you are from Meansville.)
Rest Haven
One of two Georgia towns that sounds like a cemetery name, Rest Haven actually is the center of a political and property rights drama. Bigger Buford is attempting to annex Rest Haven. A long series of legal battles has left Rest Haven with a population of a mere 45 residents, according to the 2020 US Census.
Roswell
Just the name affiliation with the more famous town in New Mexico raises the specter of aliens running wild through the square. While there are no (known!) space aliens, there is an Area 51 here.
Roswell, GA, shares a name but not the alien encounter history of its more famous New Mexico namesake.
Shady Dale
Another Georgia city sharing a perfect cemetery name, Shady Dale becomes action-packed each year when the professional rodeo comes to town on the first weekend each June. According to the rodeo’s website, the Shady Dale Rodeo is put on by an all volunteer crew of local Masons and Shriners – both among history’s most secret societies, according to History.com.
Sparks
We wish we could say there was heated debate about something in this city that caused sparks to fly. Despite our best efforts, the story line flamed out. The town was named after a former railroad president. It’s on Exit 41 of I-75 in South Georgia.
Talking Rock
‘Nuff said. As if the Bible story of the burning bush didn’t put enough fear of God into a person, just imagine if Moses had come down from the mount carrying talking rocks instead of a carved stone tablet. Located between Jasper and Ellijay, it takes its name from a nearby peaceful creek.
Thunderbolt
Now here’s a town name that inspires visions of hellfire and brimstone, or the frightening sound that follows an angry Zeus throwing his lightning bolts. The naming story runs along those line. According to the 1906 Georgia Cyclopedia, “The place received its name from an account of General Oglethorpe, to the effect that a thunderbolt fell there and opened a spring, which still has a sulfurous odor.”
In Thunderbolt, GA, a thunderclap opened a spring with a sulfurous odor, according to the 1906 Georgia Cyclopedia.
Toombs County
Our lives, and our Georgia list, end in tombs. Of course, the spelling is different, but we love the serendipitous coincidence. One of the most famous tombs in Toombs County: Olympic and world weightlifting champion, Paul Anderson. His tombstone includes an artist rendering of a weightlifter.
Our lives and our list end in Toombs. Yes, the spelling is different, but we love the serendipitous coincidence.
Final Notes
