The first settlers on Lookout Mountain arrived shortly after the Cherokee Indian removal of 1838-1839, turning to the mountain after missing the best homesteading land in northwest Georgia. With stubborn determination, they cut through the wilderness, built primitive log houses, cleared small patches for farming, and hunted wildlife for food. Early families included the Forces, O’Rears, Crows, Joneses, Smiths, and Hammits. Their lives changed little for years, and hardships were severe, especially during the Civil War when Federal troops on the mountain took animals and meager food supplies, yet the settlers endured and remained on their homesteads. In the post-Civil War era, more affluent settlers arrived, including the Mason family from Bellefountain, Iowa, whose community work helped found Mentone. John Mason helped open Vernon Gap and the new road from Valley Head to Menlo, Georgia, in 1882, and he and his son Edward bought the hardware for the covered bridge while the community supplied the labor. Edward contributed money for a church and a school, Moon Lake became the center of community activities, and Alice Mason named the town and gave the land for Bankhead Cemetery. Mentone was eventually incorporated in 1936 after concern that it might otherwise become part of nearby towns overcame fears of higher taxes and lost independence. Even with later progress, John Mason’s view endured: Mentone offered the good life rather than a place to make a fortune.