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| AURARIA and the Green Brothers Despite advancements in mining, Georgia's "forgotten industry" continued its decline through the end of the decade. A contributing factor was another exodus to the West with the discovery of gold in Colorado. Three brothers from Auraria, W. Green, Levi J., and Oliver Russell, led a party of miners to the banks of Cherry Creek and founded a new settlement. They called it Auraria in remembrance of their Georgia home. In 1860 Auraria, Colorado, merged with another fledging settlement on the opposite bank to become the town of Denver. The coming of the Civil War delivered the final blow to gold mining as a major industry in Georgia. The mint closed in 1861, and mining in the area came to a virtual standstill. The Dahlonega mint was never reopened. After the war the building housed federal troops, who occupied Dahlonega until 1869. Later that year the Treasury Department decided to sell the old building. The highest offer was only $1,525, and the government did not accept it. In 1871 Rep. William P. Price of Dahlonega persuaded his colleagues in Congress to transfer title of the property to the trustees of N. Georgia Agricultural College.
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