The Blue Ridge Archeological Guild (B.R.A.G.): "Coosa Kingdom's first contact with Hernando De Soto in 1540"

Post date: Jun 12, 2015 1:45:8 PM

The Blue Ridge Archeological Guild (B.R.A.G.) will meet on Wednesday, June 17th, at 6:00 PM in the community room of United Community Bank on Hwy 52 in Dahlonega, Georgia. The guest speaker will be Wayne Hooper, the Secretary of B.R.A.G. and a member of the "Gilmer County Historical Society and Museum" in Ellijay, Ga. Wayne, a retired insurance executive, got interested in the "Coosa Kingdom" while trying to assemble a Native American exhibit for the Gilmer Co. Museum in Ellijay

The topic will be the "Coosa Kingdom's first contact with Hernando De Soto in 1540". The "Coosa" were a major power in North Georgia in the 14th, 15th and 16th Century based on their population, military might and control of trade routes. The Coosa were miners of copper in North Georgia and Tennessee when De Soto came in search of gold. They were the descendents of the Etowah Culture (1000 A.D.-1350 A.D).which declined after 1350 A.D. when the capital moved to Coosa, on the Coosawattee river. The modern day descendents are the Upper Creek Native Americans.