Land of Ridge and Valley: A Photographic History of the Northwest Georgia Mountains

The mountains of Northwest Georgia encapsulate a lifetime of rich and varied stories, both of the land and its own natural bounty and the countless people who have drawn sustenance from its resources. The historic photographs within these pages depict all facets of life in the region, and recall the tumultuous changes that came along with the advent of mining, the demise of the Native American community, and the appearance of new industries. Today, as technology paves the way for a bright future, the signs of life in an earlier era are scattered throughout this mountainous region--abandoned homesteads and forlorn mining sites evoke memories of a past when the first mine prospectors dug deep into the mountains, uncovering thousands of tons of precious ores for the insatiable engines of commerce and industry. The discovery of valuable minerals such as talc, bauxite, and shale put the region at the forefront of domestic mining, and shaped the overall character of the growing community. Captured in this volume are the enterprising settlers who first worked the land; the homes, farms, and industries they built; and the major environmental, social, and cultural transformations that occurred in Northwest Georgia throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Coupled with an informative text, these snapshots of days gone by shed new light upon two centuries of progress, marked by triumphs and setbacks, and the collective spirit of an unyielding and determined people.

A native of North Georgia, Donald Edward Davis, Ph.D., holds master’s degrees in both Social Ecology and Psychology. He serves as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Dalton State College, and is the author of numerous articles in the field of environmental history. In The Land of Ridge and Valley, Davis combines a keen interest in the history of the region with photographs culled from the Georgia Department of Archives and History and a wide variety of public and private collections. The result is an innovative study of the land and its people, and the changes they have endured together.