the Cherokees and the Legend of Swift's Treasure

jeff of pa

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The New York herald.
(New York, N.Y.), 23 April 1922.

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https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
 

rgb1

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thank you had not read this great info did read other versions
 

Ken S.

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I've heard a story much like this about the RRG area .. According to this article readings Nothing mentioned of the Great Cave or Great Shawnee Cave, not even A mention of Shawnee but Cherokee was the ones searching.
 

Rebel - KGC

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It was still part of OLD Virginia, then... wanted MORE settlers in that area; bet RRG was awesome! :headbang:
 

Ken S.

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I figure it was all awesome back then. No roads other than game trails, Not to speak of all the buildings that wasn't here. Nothing but WILDERNESS.
 

KY Hiker

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Jeff another great post, I had never thought of searching for Swift articles outside of KY.
Wolfe County is part of the Red River Gorge area, Swift Camp Creek is in Wolfe county. The turkey tracks are Cherokee, and a large South running creek matches to Lower Devil's Creek where the trace coming up from Beattyville, KY ran, leading North and splitting. One trace went through the RRGorge via Pine Ridge then Swift Camp Creek. The other passed through what is now Natural Bridge S.P. and followed that fork of the Red River and then towards the Indian Old Fields.
If the Cherokee were operating silver mines under the noses of the Shawnee?? WOW


Another article about Swift and Mrs. Timmins
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...ver&y=12&x=18&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=4
 

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KY Hiker

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I've heard a story much like this about the RRG area .. According to this article readings Nothing mentioned of the Great Cave or Great Shawnee Cave, not even A mention of Shawnee but Cherokee was the ones searching.

This is about the RRGorge area (Wolfe Co.). Carter Co. is Carter Caves and Caney Creek area where the Indian waybill matches. Shawnee may have been done to lead people away, the Great cave could very well been a fabrication added on later. Added lore possibly.
 

Ken S.

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This is about the RRGorge area (Wolfe Co.). Carter Co. is Carter Caves and Caney Creek area where the Indian waybill matches. Shawnee may have been done to lead people away, the Great cave could very well been a fabrication added on later. Added lore possibly.

Seemed to me as they left Greenup they would have been looking more in the Cater Co. area Or some where closer than RRG area. Especially if they were coming from out west. Maybe I'm thinking of another article.
 

Ken S.

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I was told once that there was a John Swift buried in a cemetary in Cattlettsburg. Never got around to checking it out though. The guy that told me lived in the area there and we got to talking about legends and such while fishing one day.
 

Rebel - KGC

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Cherokee were enslaved by the SPANISH Miners to "do" mining; then Cherokee killed ALL Spanish Miners & took over Mining (NC, Tenn., SW VA,). So it was CHEROKEE Mines, taken over by white settlers; Cherokee Nation was NOT amused. Shawnee were just travelers, looking for "Hunting Grounds", no real villages.
 

KY Hiker

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First article says Indians left out of Greenup, KY. That is where the Mouth of the Little Sandy meets the Ohio River. No where near Wolfe County....
 

Curtis

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The Cherokee and Shawnee were at odds over hunting rights to KY, so why not silver mines too? The Indian Waybill was probably from the Shawnee(Portsmouth Ohio), mines further south may have been Cherokee. An excellent point about the Spanish...the pictures I posted a while back seem to be Spanish, one, Elipe, even has a very Spanish sounding name. These were close to the boat ramp on Little Caney creek (part of the Grayson reservoir). Boomer posted information about the Swift grave in Cattlesburg..and more info that might tie it to our JS. Greenup county used to be a lot larger than it is today, they cut several counties out of those first established. Remember the French mines on Kinnikonic(spelling is wrong) creek? Very close. The mines are close to an Indian Trace that went from Portsmouth to the Carter Caves area. Keep putting it together guys! Like KY hiker says we need to looking in places other than KY for references to what we are looking for!
 

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