The Enchanted Land
The first known people to inhabit Big Canoe were the Paleo Indians as many as 15,000 years ago. What is Big Canoe as we know it today was once referred to by Native Americans as “The Enchanted Land”. Something magical about this part of the North Georgia Mountains has attracted people to it for Centuries. Today, an unexplained set of rock mounds is all that remains, and can still be seen in the 50-acre green area called Indian Rocks Park near Lake Petit. Much later, the Cherokee Indians lived in the region. Their relations suffered with the white settlers after they sided with the British in the War of 1812. They eventually signed a treaty to withdraw to Oklahoma in the late 1830s. Today a sizeable number of Cherokees still live in North Georgia.
Nearby Dahlonega became the heart of the first real gold rush in America until news from California prompted the gold fever to migrate west. Closer to Big Canoe, another valuable commodity was discovered. Sam Tate, who ran a hotel on the Federal Road, found rich marble deposits on his land. This marble would be used to build the Lincoln Memorial, as well as other monuments. As the Tate family began mining the marble, they found the veins of valuable stone extended well beyond their property. Grandson Sam Tate, also known as Colonel Tate, began buying as much of the surrounding land as he could-including what is now Big Canoe. Marble quarries still actively mine the stone in Marble Hill and Tate. Colonel Tate supported an effort to build schools and create a community for his Big Canoe neighbors.
The two large chimneys standing are all that remains of a house built in 1913 for the school faculty members, which eventually became the principal residence for Steve and Lucille Tate. It burned down in 1959.
The Master Plan
Following the death of Steve Tate, the Wolfscratch property was sold. It lay unused for a number of years until Cousins Properties in Atlanta commenced development in the early 1970’s. In 1987, Bill Byrne of the Byrne Corporation acquired the development rights for Big Canoe. In 1997 the Byrne Corporation joined forces with Greenwood Communities and Resorts. In the years after, they shaped and executed the master plan for the community. How fortunate it is to be in a community that is still on course with its vision. We believe the best years still lie ahead.
