Dawson County was created by taking land from Gilmer, Lumpkin and Forsyth counties in 1857. Originally it was part of the Cherokee Nation which was "given" to Georgia through a dubious treaty. Dawson County and its county seat of Dawsonville bear the name of Judge William C. Dawson. He compiled the laws of Georgia and commanded a brigade in the Creek Wars of 1836. He served in both houses of the state legislature, then in the U. S. Congress prior to the Civil War.