Residents Can Paddle The Etowah River For A Cherokee History Lesson

Staff Report

The Cherokee County Historical Society, Coosa River Basin Initiative and Upper Etowah River Alliance are teaming up to take people on a journey through water and time at the organizations’ Paddling Through Cherokee County History event set for Aug. 3. 

The event includes a seven-mile paddle down the Etowah River, an educational program on the historic Franklin-Creighton Gold Mine, a barbecue dinner catered by Williamson Bros. Barbecue, a kayak raffle and a live auction.

The event kicks off at 1:30 p.m. beginning with the paddle trip. That will be followed by the dinner and educational program at the Rock Barn, located at 658 Marietta Highway in Canton. 

Tickets for the event are now available for $80 or $140 per couple and include canoe or kayak rental, dinner, beer, wine and refreshments, a chance to win a new kayak and a year’s membership in each organization. 

Tickets may be purchased online or by calling CRBI at 706-232-2724.

“Cherokee County’s story is linked to the Etowah River,” said Stefanie Joyner, director of the Historical Society. “This event offers another way to explore our rich cultural history.” 

Diane Minick, director of the Upper Etowah River Alliance said the best way to "demonstrate the unique qualities of the Etowah is to see it up close and personal."

This is a great opportunity to learn about the river and see it as our Native American predecessors saw it," she added. "Along the way we will pass over fish weirs built and used by those early people to gather fish."

The paddle trip will include a float over a Native American fish weir—a rock dam constructed by the area’s original inhabitants hundreds of years ago. Patrons of the event will also learn about the Creighton-Franklin Gold Mine that operated along the Etowah River from the 1830s to the early 1900s. 

The event serves as a fundraiser for the three organizations and will support efforts to create the Etowah River Water Trail, a 163-mile canoe, kayak and boating trail that stretches the length of the river from Lumpkin County to Rome. 

“One of our goals is to introduce people to the Etowah River and the recreational opportunities it offers,” said David Tucker, CRBI executive director & riverkeeper. “The City of Canton recently constructed a new canoe and kayak launch on the river, and our ultimate goal is to have several more public access points developed along the river in Cherokee County. The river is a portal to the region’s history.”

For more information, contact Joe Cook at 706-232-2724 or jcook@coosa.org; Stefanie Joyner at 770-345-3288 or sjoyner@rockbarn.org; or Diane Minick at 770-876-1241 or dminick@etowahriver.org.