Swift Silver??

[KY Hiker]

There was a Treasury Warrant claim of John Filson and John Breckenridge and in the Treasury Warrant there was a claim of the Swift Silver Mine in the middle of this survey.

Eli Cleveland and John Morton also made a Treasury Warrant Claim with the Swift Silver mines being on the property. It was West of Boonesborough and south of Lexington.

The second land claim you mentioned doesn't jive with the Col. Harrod story as it is too far West. Where Harrod was going to find the Swift mine was near the forks of the KY river (near Beattyville/Lower Devils creek) which is 20-30 miles East of Boonesbourough not West. So many conflicting claims all through this from the beginning to this day!

 

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[Rebel - KGC]

Well you DO see; ppl buying land & settling in...

 

[KY Hiker]

Carter County and Blackburn related story. Some may find interesting.
Letter

 

[Rebel - KGC]

I LOVED Alderman Library at UVA... "LIVED" there, looking for TJ "stuff"... basement shacks, WHOO! LOVE SHACKS, BABY! heh...

 

[Brushy Bandit]

Hey guys what's happenin? Anybody got anything goin on?

 

[Rebel - KGC]

LOL! RAINING here!

 

[KY Hiker]

Going to do more Indian path/trace finding in the RRGorge this Fall, after I get a starter put on my truck...dang thing has welded contacts and tries to run even with the key out. Had to pull the (-) cable off the battery to make it stop!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

'Tis DEMONIZED! Be careful, be VERY careful!

 

[Brushy Bandit]

Commercial Bank supposed to have a bag of coins made from NATIVE Silver.

 

[KY Hiker]

View attachment 1633733

Commercial Bank supposed to have a bag of coins made from NATIVE Silver.

That is a lot of territory to search...

https://www.topoquest.com/map.php?l...nad83&zoom=8&map=auto&coord=d&mode=pan&size=m

 

[Curtis]

As we discussed , this could be the "French mines" that were mentioned by Swift. There were others that made counterfeit coins in the area, near Carter Ky, there was a group of men who were getting silver form someplace back in a hollow, one of them quit and later on he told someone about the diggings...he was killed for telling the story. I got that first hand from one of his family friends...happened back in the 1930s. Just too many occurrences of silver and coins for there not to be something there ! I located a vain of ore that goes back from the Stamper farm (think Howard LeKaine) to the next ridge and from what a geologist told me its very, very, good and would interest a commercial developer. It even had traces of gold with it(if you know the history of the Stampers farm you know a group of local guys drilled to find the silver and gold he left and the bit brought up gold..I can show you the place where that happened and the gold that was there is in a very compact micro gold. But this is not where Lekaine was mining it...very frustrating. I'm just saying that whole are has silver in it just finding it in a big enough vain for it to pay is hard to do, got to find where someone else has developed it in a large enough quantity.

 

[KY Hiker]

I wonder if this is why no 'Swift silver mine' has been found? If the silver is there but there is not in enough density to be noticed or to be obvious to the eye. Could it be that what was near the surface has already been removed? A vein of silver may still exist deep underground, but nothing to be detected or observed at the surface... This thought leads me back to the Swift Journal and the mine being closed up so no evidence of their workings could be found... hmm

 

[A2coins]

Great finds I would love to find a piece like those. Im glad to see when someone does well like you did. Great post and I hope you find many more Tommy

 

[Curtis]

KY hiker, you might be on to something, veins often pinch out then reappear deeper down. Ki had found an area that had been mined but did not have anything in it..could be an example of what you mentioned. I am thinking that the journal stuff is very specific though, it says they covered the entrance and the mine (with vein) would be hidden..other minds they and other people have may be more like you mentioned.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Still a great way to sell land to "hopefuls"...

 

[KY Hiker]

It is best to keep in mind that iron was mined throughout E.KY as well. From Ashland down to the Cumberland gap it was mined and forged locally. Some of those openings found could very well be old iron workings from the mid 1800s. Its those lead deposits that have the higher chance of silver!

 

[Ken S.]

Being new here not sure where to start. As a young man many years ago ( back in the 70s) Fished the creek that feeds Paintsville lake saw many strange signs carved on rock along the creek that fits into the Swift legend. Most was covered when the lake was created. I remember years before that hearing an old man (dads uncle) tell a story that fits into the story as well. Reading through the threads, I set here and wish I could recall about 45 or 50 years.

 

[franklin]

Swift and his men most likely did go up Paintsville Creek. There was a small cache or two recovered around the mouth of that creek. I never saw them but I heard of them while I was down that way hunting one time. All of the creeks in that area have been core drilled by gas companies. So most likely Swift and his men crossed out of the head of Paintsville Creek over onto the Little Sandy and to it's headwaters. I do know one of their members Chief John Watts lived up that way near Lexington. And the cook that he had kidnapped at one time was on the head of Mud Lick Creek. It's around the headwaters of those creeks somewhere.

 

[Ken S.]

With the story that my great uncle told sitting on his porch, he done more on Paint Creek than just pasted through.

 

[KY Hiker]

I believe that area was part of or near one of Swift's tracts he owned. Lots of Indian 'paintings' there at one time...I have heard there were a great many carvings too.

https://www.topoquest.com/map.php?l...ad83&zoom=16&map=auto&coord=d&mode=pan&size=m