mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
in northern
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
Cohutta Mountains
The Cohutta Mountains is a mountain range in Georgia, U.S.
Cohutta is a name derived from the Cherokee language meaning "a shed roof supported on poles".
The range includes:
* Big Frog Mountain
* Fort Mountain (Murray County, Georgia)
*Grassy Mo ...
, a small
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
at the southern end of the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
. It also lies within the
Chattahoochee National Forest
The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a rela ...
.
A main feature of Fort Mountain is an ancient rock formation or ruin of uncertain origin, from which the mountain takes its name. The site lies within Fort Mountain State Park and consists of a series of stone piles lying in a long uneven line that follows the contour of the mountainside. Estimates of its length vary. In a previously published archaeological report, Philip E. Smith (University Of Georgia) gives as its length, while the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (State Parks Division) estimates the length as . In a book published in 1997, David Freedman, discussing this and similar walls, wrote that "Most experts believe that such wall enclosures were built during the Middle Woodland period (100 BCE-500 CE) when agriculture and food storage methods were well established. This enabled people to live a more settled existence and to devote their energies to large-scale building projects which perhaps would have taken generations to complete."
A stone fire tower, built by the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
and located in the park, marks the
summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
of the mountain. A hiking path around the park leads up to a scenic overlook of Cool Springs Valley. The park also has a mountain lake, cabins, camping, and public facilities.
Two main highways cross Fort Mountain connecting the counties of Murray and Gilmer, Georgia. A steep, curving scenic route, Georgia SR 52, runs east-west between Chatsworth and Ellijay, affording views of the Cohutta Mountains; there is at least one overlook with parking. Organizations located on that route include Fort Mountain State Park and Global Youth Ministry. Southeast of Chatsworth, SR 282 crosses the mountain, running concurrently with SR 2/
US 76
U.S. Route 76 (US 76) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Southeastern United States that travels for . Its western terminus is at US 41 and the eastern terminus of US 72 (Broad Street) in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it travels ...
The most well-known feature of Fort Mountain is the rock formation around the crest, usually mentioned as the ruins of an ancient
fort
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
or other manmade structure, consisting of stone piles without mortar. Local stories sometimes attribute its construction to the Cherokee, but published sources date its construction to a more ancient culture of
indigenous people
There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
.
Georgia's Department of Natural Resources site (State Parks and Historic Sites Division) states that "The mysterious 855-foot-long wall is thought to have been built by early Indians as fortification against more hostile Indians or for ancient ceremonies." ''Rome News Tribune'' published an article by Stacy McCain in 1994, saying that anthropologists attribute the wall's construction to people of the
Middle Woodland
In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some arch ...
era. The site was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1977, for its archaeological potential as a source of information about prehistoric eras.
There are other theories as to the origin of the stone piles that comprise the wall. Stone formations may occur naturally, caused by the thrust that makes a
ridge
A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
crest during the mountain's formation. In the 19th century, people speculated that
Hernando de Soto
Hernando de Soto (; ; 1497 – 21 May 1542) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru, ...
built it as a fort to defend against the
Creek people
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlandsmoon-eyed people, said to predate the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
. Such stories were picked up by historians and made their way into park histories, tourism brochures and markers.