Indian Trace and pointer trees

[KY Hiker]

With Winter coming I'll need to connect the dots with these trees. Following the one by the road down to the creek and taking a hike to and through Turtleback Arch and on down to Swift Camp Creek. Both lead to the same creek system but at different points, I wonder if the Arch is why...the one pointing down to the creek may lead to an arch not shown on the maps, or maybe something metallic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_trees

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[KY Hiker]

Finding these two other trail trees confirms to me there was an Indian Trace running North South through the Red River Gorge area along the Northern 2/3 of Swift Camp Creek and across the Red River near the Hwy 715 bridge. The proximity of the first tree to the waterfall Boomer's research said a square mold with silver in it and mule shoes were found and the Rebecca Timmins mine/Swift mine location along Swift Camp Creek tell me that whoever was mining silver in the area was using this trace! Other than stone carvings and any actual mine opening, these trail trees may be the last physical evidence of the legend.

 

[Ken S.]

Found an article about trail trees today. Thought it might be of some help.


Indian Trail Trees - Appalachian History

 

[KY Hiker]

Thanks, I will submit the trees I have found so far.

 

[Curtis]

Sounding good. Keep the good work going and keep looking up!

 

[KY Hiker]

Thanks Curtis, really need to find more time this Winter and get out there. Spanish, French or Swift ? If mining was happening in this area they were using this trace to get in and out of the RRgorge.

 

[KY Hiker]

Found this in another thread that Boomer had responded to. Dropping it in here as it pertains to traces.

swift said, we went from Alexandria to fort Pitt. first time was to locate the mines. second time was
to start working the mines. they crossed the big kanawha. they used the ford just south of
Charleston wv. the same one that the waybill of the indian mines on the little sandy, tells about.
there are several carvings on this large rock, one is JS with a triangle. sad that some idiots carved
over some of the indian pictures. they followed the buffalo traces to get to the forks of sandy. at
fort gay on the west va. side. there is a large flat rock known as indian rock. on it there are many
indian carvings, but also Turkey tracks and yep another triangle. the large track points due west.
one of the buffalo trails heads west from the forks. to day rt. 32 follows this trail to blaine ky. here
the trails split up. going north, south and west. turkey tracks just past the gas station on your right
pointing west. 32 runs into into a cutoff that heads to 172 than heads into west liberty. from there
west on rt. 460 along the large buffalo trace. see part 2 -Boomer

Part 2:
West Liberty is interesting, the main trace went east on 460. but there is another trace that went
north on rt. 7 to Sandy Hook, KY., easy traveling if you had pack horses. This is the headwaters of
Little Sandy River. Just past sandy Hook on rt. 7, you go into an area that is surrounded by cliffs,
on the right side there is a small rockhouse. Carved is an (>> pointing north) and a date 176?.
You can make out the first three numbers. but the last? maybe a 2 or 3 or 7. i can't say for sure,
who put this there, no idea?
Paintsville, KY. there is so much evidence on this 460 trail being one of the main routes heading
east. The JS carved on the top of the ridge where Indian Creek ends. 460 is about 40 yards
from this carving. Out side paintsville, one of the branches on paint creek is rockhouse branch, it
flows southwest following 460. this rockhouse was used by both Indian and whites. On the left
side are several initials, Jb, JS and SB and a triangle. Just outside Paintsville a bridge was being
built across paint creek, several silver bars were found. Not far east from the bridge, a place
known as flat rock. this is flat lime stone that's in the creek, on the side of the hill there a rotten
leather bag was found with silver coins laying around it (English crowns). Swift said, we left 2
horse loads concealed at the mouth of a large creek running east. Just southwest from the
mouth of this creek, at one time there were several small cabins found by early explores. there
was a lot of indian picture writing on the rocks near the cabins. One was a triangle and a J above
it. The buffalo were smart, always take the easy way. so did the miners and settlers. The upper
mines are east of big paint creek -Boomer

 

[KY Hiker]

Link to article on Indian trails East of Sandy river.

https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/837

 

[KY Hiker]

Link to a Beattyville area find of silver around 1914. Also a skull, was this James Harrod's remains? Date on carving by mine was 1812.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ver&y=14&x=22&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2