Archival and field investigations were conducted by Carl Etheridge, Park Ranger, Allatoona Lake Project Manager's Office, during April and May 1996 of the "Blankets Creek" Gold Mine Complex, 9Ck465, on Little River in Cherokee County, Georgia. The gold mine complex is adjacent to Little River on the backwaters of Allatoona Lake, and is under the jurisdiction of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. Project personnel reported the site to Corps archaeologists in 1980. A cultural resources survey of the Allatoona Lake property by Southeastern Archaeological Services, Inc. (SAS) in 1985-1986 identified the site. Topographical mapping of the complex within the US Government boundary in 1987 for the Corps by Allen, Brooks & Associates revealed four open horizontal and four open vertical mine shafts. A site visit in 1994 by Corps archaeologists, Allatoona personnel, Georgia SHPO staff archaeologists, and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Officer, Mr. Mark Edwards, indicated a need to close the mine shafts for public safety.
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