The Oxbow

     For those of you that now have the book Swift in your collection you may have some questions. If you have not read the book the following information will not be a spoiler for you. The chapters covering this topic are well into the book and have not been posted as sample chapters. I am speaking of the Oxbow.

Looking across Ky river toward the mouth of Benson Creek

     So you may wonder what in the world is an oxbow. Well, in practical terms most of us will arrive at the fact it is a wooden yoke or harness used in ancient times up through pioneer times to hitch two oxen together to pull carts and sleds. The term is also used in geomorphology in describing a particular situation regarding rivers and streams. Basically, when a river, creek or even small stream changes its course sometimes this effect happens. Imagine any stream in our region meandering along. Often they flow curving one way then back another. Always another bend in the river if you're on a boat. Well sometimes the stream will cut through a more direct route  bypassing one of its meandering loops. The stream found a shorter more direct route to the ocean and thereby leaving its old stream bed, and sometimes trapped water forming lakes. This loop left behind is referred to by geologist as an oxbow.  From Google maps you can easily see the section cut off from the river to the right. Now driving down any road in the state sometimes you see these in smaller versions out in the pastures.They are quite common in most stream channels but mostly go unnoticed.

Turning to the right from the picture above about 45 degrees is this view up the old oxbow

     Now Frankfort, Kentucky is located on the Kentucky River and partially in an ancient oxbow. The Kentucky River actually flowed by the way of Holmes Street perhaps millions of years ago but because of some event the river cut through the mountain cutting off the section and continued its downward cutting and eroding. In the meantime the old river bed simply sit idle, probably a lake for a long time, then came swamps and finally today, still has water running from the surrounding run off but because of development the whole amazing event goes unnoticed.

On the northern side of the oxbow a stream channel still exists

     Today most of the old stream bed is gone no longer visible due to the development of the city of Frankfort. It was there at one time and in early pioneers times the low area actually had a beach area at the point of the connection of the two valleys.  Now across the Kentucky River  is the place where Benson Creek empties into river.

View from opposite end of oxbow valley in Frankfort

     In my story about Swift this oxbow actually plays an important role and it is based on historical documentation. At this geological oddity at Frankfort, in ancient times three streams all came together. If one imagines the old oxbow as an ancient stream valley on one side of the river and on the opposite of the river is Benson Creek flowing into the river that would in fact, be three streams coming together and in this rare instance would appear from the air above the shape of a giant turkey track! Now historically we know that James Harrod disappeared from Ft. Harrod while searching for the Swift mines near the three forks of the Kentucky River. Most searches take that to mean the three main forks of the Kentucky River at Beattyville Kentucky. And this is the most likely case. But with this very unusual geological oddity at Frankfort where three forks could come together, well, you'll just have to read the book for yourself.

Benson Creek in Frankfort, Ky

     One more point; Swift in his own journal says the richest mines are near where three streams come together. This just seemed like a great and most unusual part of the plot. Interestingly enough the area also falls with in the known latitude and longitude descriptions vaguely offered by Swift in his supposed journal. In my fictitious tale about the mines Benson Creek is a major  location destination for the main characters. This includes the modern treasure hunters as well as the historical figures that offer insights into events that created the modern day clues and situation. There is a real cliff and a highway route makes its way up the mountainside. I snapped a picture from the view looking down on Benson Valley from the approximate fictitious location of the mine. Oops, I am saying too much here and better leave the reading of the story to those of you interested.
    One of the most exciting aspects of writing Swift was the travel to unique places to help me with the story. All the landmarks throughout the novel are real places. Pilot Knob and all the other places are real places including this oxbow. I hope that you enjoy the blog posts and if you like historic fiction, especially about Kentucky, then why not get your own copy of my book Swift.

 Watch this blog site and my web site http://edhensonbooks.com/ for more information about book signing events and special announcements.

Search For The Peculiar Rock

   

 Every person throughout the years searching, researching or ever heard of the Swift silver mine legend has likely read one of the many versions of the journal supposedly left by Swift himself. Swift returned for the last time in the 1790's in search of his hidden treasure. Although little has been recorded, many theories and versions of Swift's last account of fruitless wanderings are in many variations of the famous document. During the moments alive he made a death bed confession to the people in his last company. He swore to all present that everything he has said and claims about his beloved silver workings were true. In his last testament to his mines he spoke of the area in which would guide him back to the mines and a cave in which 15 years before he stored up vast amounts of silver both coined and in ingots. Swift also mentioned of storing gold in these hidden cave sites and the hidden treasure was known only to himself and the few immediate crew. This cave haunted him so much that he searched for it even after going blind and up until his death around 1800. 

    John Swift described a creek as having three forks with a "remarkable" rock near the mouth of the three streams. He also told of this peculiar rock as having turkey tracks carved on it pointing to the area of his hidden mine. Just before his last breath Swift said, "don't ever stop looking for a peculiar rock that stands where a creek has three forks.  It's near the richest silver mine I ever saw."In the many years since Swift's death countless people have embarked on finding Swift's rich mine and cave. Much debate speculating on the the validity of the legend. Many hours, days and lives have been spent in this process. Some claim John Swift was seen in final years trying to retrace his steps to relocate his precious prize. Some researchers claim that Swift had been seen  in parts of eastern Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and a few places in Kentucky.One of the main areas in Kentucky mentioned is the Red River Gorge region. Word of Swift and his mines have floated in these parts since the early days of Daniel Boone and the first settlers in the area. One creek in particular in the Red River Gorge is named after Swift and on a certain bank of Swift Camp Creek was said to be his principal camping site. This same creek also holds a very famous landmark mentioned in most all the treasure journals. Rock Bridge is the only natural rock arch spanning a major creek west of the Big Sandy River region. Such a mention of a peculiar rock being found on this creek is a great starting point for any beginner treasure hunter interested in tracking Swift's trail into the wilderness. 
    From my years of researching the legend I have come to believe anyone wanting to find the famous hidden mines will not be able to do so by simply following the few clues left in the famous journal. John Swift was clever in describing the hidden mine area. Instead of giving directions straight to the mines, he left many clues including both landmarks and carvings near the mines.. He basically wrote down descriptions of the rocks and landscape as he saw them in the area. If he recognized a certain land mark he would then know he was close to his treasure. In order to retrace Swift's steps to the hidden mines one would need to find the clues he left behind. I'll mention some clues I have come across in my understanding of the Swift legend.

    John Swift told that in his first trip to work the area in 1761 of his company taking lots dividing into two groups at a certain fork of the Sandy River. He then tells of going due west a considerable distance. He mentions of crossing a creek by a natural rock bridge that water flowed under. This is undoubtedly Rock Bridge. From this location he and his party could have traveled in any direction. Many people have uses the Rock Bridge as  starting point on their search and I am sure some still do. Other clues included markings on trees which over time have long disappeared. So, we are left with a few visual landmarks and a few rock carvings. I believe on Swift's last trip he was out to relocate his store cave which contained vast amounts of silver.
    Clues describing the area his rich mine was located include being between the second and third ledge of a cliff of red sandstone. He says the mine is on a small drain near a larger one and at the head of the larger drain was a rock that resembled a haystack. Above the mine is a rock that to him resembled a chestnut bur.To the west of the mine just a few hundred feet was a rock that looked like a buffalo sitting down and he referred to that landmark as the buffalo rock. Further west a bit he states there is a creek that sinks underground and he and he referred to that particular creek as the drying ground. Then there is the rock near his mine locations that reminded him of a turtle. Naturally, he called it the turtle back rock. One of the most important clues, I believe, is a cliff that he cut turkey tracks into the rock pointing to his mines. This could well be the peculiar rock near the three forks he refers to. If he could find these three important land marks, the peculiar rock, the turkey tracks and the three creeks coming together then he knew the way back to his silver treasure. Now I believe I have a good idea of the location of these important clues or a least where they can be found. But, of course, there are many places across the region that have similar landmarks. If you are searching and can find these clues then I'd say keep searching. You just may be standing on top of the greatest discovery yet to be found. Thanks for reading!  Ki

    Thanks to Kiowa Scott Muncie for sharing and posting this article. Kiowa has been an avid Swift researcher and hunter for a number of years. He has found many of the so-called landmarks and some very interesting rock carvings as well. While Kiowa, like most treasure hunters, keeps his specific search area secret his reports are from the Red River country of Kentucky. These rock carvings were found in his search area. If you have questions for Kiowa, please leave them in the comments below and he will answer you directly. And please, please, share your thoughts and comments on this blog site. We welcome the discussion.

Back to McConnell Springs

    The city of Lexington Kentucky had its humble beginnings at a place referred to as McConnell Springs. It is thought that the first pioneers in the area made the discover of the endless water supply that boiled up from the earth at this location. Out on the vast flat savanna of the Inner Bluegrass region, surface streams are small and most dry completely up during times of dry weather. The Springs actually are places that a tributary of the north fork of the Elkhorn Creek rise to the surface from no doubt underground caverns that the stream has carved its way through the limestone rock.

     This fresh water always in abundant
supply would have been a welcome place for the native people as well as the first pioneers to spend time hunting the vast savanna. The entire region around the Lexington area was a great flat plain now called geologically the  Inner Bluegrass. The uplift of the earth in ancient times forced all the rocks, hills and mountains to erode faster and disappear from the scene. By the time humans had reached the area had been reduced to the relative level area it is today. Additionally, the savanna would have the appearance of a great prairie with giant burr oaks scatted throughout the landscape. This being the idea habitat for bison to feed during the winter months, no doubt brought the hunters into the region. Today's horse farms simply replaced the savanna grasses with bluegrass and other crops. McConnell Springs  was another great feature to be added to the wonders of Kentucky in those days.

    The springs takes its name from  William McConnell  who was considered among the first of the pioneers to establish a camp at the springs in 1775. From this modest beginning ultimately sprang up the amazing city of Lexington, Kentucky which of course was named after the famous Massachusetts town in honor of the revolutionary war.
    Today the Spring and surrounding watershed is a park and is protected from further encroachment and pollution that occurred over the decades as the city's growing demands placed on the surrounding environments. The park is located just off Old Frankfort Pike inside the New Circle Road toward town.  There is a modern visitor center on site with trails that meander around the springs. This is a great outdoor nature area and each year hundreds of school kids make the short field trip to the site.

    McConnell Springs plays an important role in the book Swift as it was a location of one of the clues to the  lost treasure. In fact, it probably was the clue which provided the link to the location of the "mine." Though the tale has our heroes discovering a secret passage among other things in fact, there is no hidden cave. There are caves in the area and the stream disappears into a cave but the location and type of cave in the book are fictitious. It works well in the overall geography of the area from Pilot Knob to the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville.)

    Here is a short excerpt from Swift as our explorers make an important discovery.

      Another beautiful weekend rolled around and the three took off to McConnell Springs for a second visit. They watched for Roger to make sure they had not been followed. This time they walked past the visitor’s center on down the trail to the Blue Hole, the first encounter of the water coming up from the ground. None of the three seemed sure why they had come back, other than Will felt like they had left too soon before and never really gotten to check the whole area out. The air was cooler now and the weeds had stopped growing from the frosts that came early to the region.

      “Okay, the rock ledges down the creek? We need to check all down the creek, even up on the banks above the rock outcrops. There could be sink holes up there,” Will explained.

      “What are we looking for Will?” Jennifer questioned.

      “Any cave opening, anything remotely like a cave opening.”

      “We didn’t see any cave openings before.”

      “We didn’t search very good either. Remember Ray up and wanted to leave,” Will noted. Ray made no comment but shifted his eyes away and down to indicate to his buddies his shame for what he had done.

      “I think I remember a small cave entrance now that I think about it,” Jennifer said.

      “You do?”

      “Yep. When I was taking pictures down at the boils, you pass by, I believe, a cave entrance. Some place I sure don’t want to go in though,” Jennifer answered.

      “Let’s go,” Ray said.

      In a couple of minutes the three stood in front of the dark entrance just off the trail just as Jennifer described. The small opening was notched out of the limestone rock, hardly even noticeable. No stream ran into the small break in the rock, though the entrance remained wet from dripping water from the land above.

      “So now what?” Jennifer asked.

      “Well, we need to check and see if this leads to a cave,” Will said. It was a long shot, for sure, but the three had all along, banked on the long shots.

      “No way boys am I going in a small, cramped space like this. What makes you think anything worth finding is in such a place anyway?”

      “No, I’m not going. I’ll wait here. What if something happens? Someone needs to stay out here.”

      “Not a bad idea," Will agreed.           “I don’t know if anything is in there or that the funny marking on the map represents these springs. But we've got to eliminate this location in order to continue with our map solution," Will explained. Will believed he had the three streams figured out and it seemed to him the eye shaped marking would be the source of the treasure or map resolution. The eye shape on the map could represent the springs, just like Will believed the large turkey track represented the three streams.

      “I don’t know about this, Will. We don’t have the right equipment or know how to go exploring caves,” said Ray

      “No Ray, it's my idea. I’ll go. Give me the light.”

      Ray handed Will the light they had brought with them. Will knew this would be muddy and possibly dangerous. He also knew this was the longest shot he had taken in a great while. They had come this far because of the incredible luck they had experienced. After inching his way forward to the point he was squeezing between the rock walls he thought he had made a bad judgment. When darkness prevailed over the light from outside, he switched on his flashlight. Ahead, Will could see that the break continued on and actually got a bit wider. He moved forward until he could see that the limestone walls on each side came together. He noticed a small opening to his right, very small but dark. Will leaned over and pointed his light into the small hole and could see that it opened up into another cavern area. Without hesitation, Will slid head-first into the small dark opening. He heard water dripping back in the darkness and could see that the narrow passageway went at least another 30 feet ahead but did not appear to get any larger. Will inched his way along in a duck walk through the passage so narrow it rubbed both his sides.

      “You okay in there?” Jennifer yelled back into the darkness. There was no answer because Will was already out of hearing range. “Do you think he is alright?” Jennifer worriedly asked Ray.

      “Sure, he’s fine. He’s out of hearing range and that means this is a cave that goes back a ways. This is good.”

       Reaching the end of the thirty foot crawl, the passage sharply turned right nearly 90 degrees and descended a few feet. Squeezing through the turn was tricky but making that maneuver put Will in a larger area, perhaps a small room. The chamber was large enough for Will to stand up. This is promising, he thought. Ray and Jennifer sat by the entrance of the cave. They no longer could hear Will or see his light.

      “What if something happens to him, Ray? What if he gets stuck or lost?”

      “Nothing is going to happen to him, Jennifer. Will can handle himself all right.” Ray wouldn’t admit it but he was already getting a little uncomfortable himself, though he did not want Jennifer to realize his concern. Just as Ray began to form contingent plans in his mind such as going in the cave himself or calling for help, Will suddenly appeared at the entrance.

      “You had us worried.”

      “Worried?” Will questioned, confused. In his mind he was not gone all that long, but to the two waiting it seemed like hours.

      “You’re not going to believe it,” Will exclaimed so excitedly that he could hardly catch his breath.

      “Believe what, Will? What did you find?”

      “You guys need to come look for yourself. I’m not going to tell you until you see for yourself. Unbelievable.”

      “No way am I going in there. No way,” Jennifer flatly stated.

      “You can do this. The first part is a little snug but the passageway turns and opens up into a small room. The ground is only wet right here at the entrance. The cave gets dry a bit further and you can stand up. A room is back there as well as a clue, I think. I believe this is what we need,” Will told the other two.

      “This is our only light,” Ray said.

      “This is no problem, really. Follow me and we can crawl

to the right spot. Come on.”

       “No, I’m not going. I’ll wait here. What if something happens? Someone needs to stay out here.”

      “Not a bad idea," Will agreed. He led the way as he and Ray crawled through the tiny passage way and reached the small room. Standing up in the room, shining the light around Will held the light on one spot on the wall overhead.

      “What is that?” Ray asked as he grabbed the flashlight out of Will's hand.

      “What does it look like Ray? Remind you of anything?”

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