Indian Stairway Video

    Back in 2011 I shot a short video (59 seconds) of my daughter and friend negotiating the famous Indian Stairway of the Red River Gorge. In all the versions of the Swift journals describing the terrain and landmarks, an Indian stair steps or stairway is mentioned. The site of this unusual, obviously man-made cliff access, is in the heart of some of the most breath taking landscapes anywhere. In Swift's journals the steps are supposedly near at least one of his hidden "mines."

    With that in mind, take a look at this climb "down" the stair steps. The music is a bit "cheesy" for the grand efforts going on but it was one of the first videos I made with my movie maker program and, well, the excitement of editing a complete video, overcame me. 

    Check out my book Swift which can be purchased in paper back or Kindle here.

Was John Swift a Pirate?

     According to the legend of John Swift, in his own words, claimed he was a captain of a ship and owned a company of sailing ships. He says he was a successful business man transporting merchandise from both England and the seas around Cuba. Though he never claimed to be a pirate there are some modern day Swift researches that believe he may well have been a one.
    In one version of the supposed journal Swift wrote down himself he gives a brief description that he and some others in his company sailed to Cuba. Now Swift worked off the Virginia and North Carolina coasts and though the so called golden age of pirates was several decades before this time, piracy on the high seas has never stopped even until this day. Swift never actually states under which flag he sailed but it would likely have been the British or Colonial flag. His venture to Cuba also meant that he was comfortable sailing into Spanish waters. The British and Spanish, though hostilities had been resolved between the two nations, still moved in their separate domains. The Spanish having taken control of South America and the British moving to take North America. Britain by Swift's time had become enemies with France. This resulted in the French and Indian alliances trying to hold back the westward expansion of the British via colonial expansion.

    Though this is a much simplified description of the times, Swift claims to have lived actually during these times. These were also the beginning times of the American revolution. In fact, John Swift says by his account to have found out about the rich silver mines from befriending a French prisoner captured by the troops under the command of British General Braddock. Daniel Boone and John Finley both were in this army as wagon team masters. At this moment of our history colonist and British troops fought a common enemy, the French and Indians.

    It has always been an amazing concept that one day a French man is a POW to the British and in a few years this same man is leading the American born British citizen to silver mines. And beyond that, instead of smelting the silver into ingots and moving the silver out, Swift devises a scheme to counterfeit the newly smelted silver into coins. He says the coins were English Crowns created under the skillful hands of former mint worker Seth Montgomery who joined Swift on his adventure. The idea, of course, was that British money was the money for the colonies. 
    Strangely enough, most of the larger treasure discoveries of the Appalachia country actually turn out to be Spanish silver coins, the ones like found on so many ship wrecks of the Spanish ships that ferried the riches from Columbia and Peru. Some of the finds have be quite impressive. These coins were the type most commonly captured by pirate ships marauding the American coastline all the way to the Florida Keys.
    Bill Gibson of Elkhorn City, Kentucky made an astonishing discovery several years ago. While searching, following clues and by pure chance Bill stumbled upon a cache of buried coins somewhere on the Pine Mountain in that region of the state. The coins are not British counterfeits. They are Spanish pieces of eight and some think they are counterfeit. Whether they are or not, the fact that real coins of silver were discovered hidden in a rock shelter/cave somewhere in the very region that Swift says he was during the mid 1700's is truly amazing. 
    One thing we all seem to forget about in the drama and excitement in following the Swift legend is that Swift and his party of men were certainly committing a high crime. So one can logically conclude that perhaps Swift, if he really existed, was not a very truthful person and capable of other crimes beside this obvious one. Perhaps Swift and his company of men acquired their silver from Spanish ships and simply escaped into the mountains to hide their plunder and not be hanged. Of course, we will probably never know about this and perhaps I and others are simply over extending our imagination regarding the Swift lore. One thing is for sure, Bill Gibson found buried treasure and those silver coins never got there by themselves!
    If you are new to this blog site, I invite you to take a look around in the archives of previous posts located over here on the right side this page. You will find lots of great information and photographs. The subjects are varied and not all Swift related but are uniquely  Kentucky. 

    And if you would like to read my novel based on the Swift legend you can get your copy here. It's a fun and adventurous romp through history and modern day Kentucky. 

    

Walking Thunder

 

   I am writing this entry on behalf of my friend Ed Whiting of the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota.Ed, also known as Walking Thunder, is a Dakota and craftsman of the traditional items of the Dakota people of the plains. I had the good fortune to meet and become acquainted with Ed and his lovely wife, Bea who is a Lakota Native American. Ed is a true Dakota that has great talent and great insight. Utilizing his skills passed down through his ancestors I was surprised a couple of Christmas's ago with an amazing handcrafted bow complete with quiver and arrows. He carefully crafted the bow from  Osage Orange wood, while the arrows are made from cherry saplings, with bone points. The quiver is made of Buffalo hide and the sheath for the bow is made of tanned Elk hide. Ed makes a few items to sell occasionally by special order. This is a supplemental income for him as they, like most reservation people live in an area with little opportunities for employment.

Ed and Bea Whiting with my daughter Allison on the right

   Here are a few examples of some of the traditional crafted items that are unique to the plains people. If you would be interested in having something made by Ed, I am sure he would be willing to work with you to produce the item for you.  With that said, it could be awhile before Ed can do any work for you now. He has been in the hospital for many months trying to recover from a serious surgical mishap earlier. This has been both exhaustive and costly on him and Bea. They have endured a great hardship for that last few months.

    These are some scanned photos of a variety of authentic Dakota items that Ed handcrafts himself. Forgive the pictures details as I had little time to scan the items to my computer.  Items vary from drums, bow and arrows and many other beautiful handcrafted items. Each one is one of a kind and assuming Ed returns to his normal routine he would be able to make any of these items upon request. Hopefully, I can send you an enlarged photo should you be interested. Just contact me at my email address of eh648@yahoo.com.

    Ed  spends many of his summers on his farm providing camps for young people who wish to learn the ways and traditions of the Lakota and Dakota peoples. He has missed last year and this year is not shaping up to well either as Ed recovers from the many surgeries he has bravely undergone.

    I know this; Walking Thunder is a wise and talent man that truly represents the best in all people. If you ever plan a trip to South Dakota and would like to visit Ed, let me know I will let him know you're coming and give you directions. In the meantime, take a look at these items and if you are interested why not get Ed to make you something truly amazing.

Primitive Skills

Hand, coiled pottery-without a wheel

    I haven't been in the habit of posting or promoting special events on this site. For one thing, there are so many great events across the state it truly is hard to pick an event to rate above the many. Like most of you I have my favorite subjects and enjoy most festivals that I get the chance to attend.
    I do have an exception to my very general and not so strict rule. In one of my favorite places, the Red River Gorge, at the mouth of Gladie Creek on the Red River on September is the annual Living Archaeology Weekend. The event is held on the grounds of the US Forest Service Visitor Center and is At the annual primitive crafts weekend held each year at the Visitor Center area on Gladie Creek in the Red River Gorge visitors can really see some amazing skills and crafts. I found it very interesting of all the different types of primitive and pioneer crafts that are demonstrated and exhibited. This is an annual event I am adding to my list to attend this year. Here are a few that caught my eye when visiting a previous event.

Add caption

    Many different types of wares are both made and sold right on the spot. Some of the items are downright unusual and all take a lot of practice and skill to master. One such example is the pottery maker shown above. This is pottery without the benefit of a potters wheel.  The same method employed by peoples for thousands of years until the pottery wheel was invented.

Primitive drills using chipped flint would drill through rock!

     One item being demonstrated was of particular interest to the kids. Primitive drills made from a sharpened piece of flint attached to a straight stick used with a string of leather or sinew would easily drill through wood and stone-just like a modern electric drill. This type of drill was around and used by Natives for centuries. I had never actually seen one used and here at this event kids were using them quite effectively.
                                                                           

Baskets of excellent quality

Demonstration of the Cherokee thistle dart

Flint knappers chipped away

The quality of the chipped stone tools was excellent

This point was made from quartz from North Carolina

Leggings for dances and ceremonies were made

Tanning and hide preparation

Nearly every exhibit had demonstrations going on continuously

Medicinal plants anyone? They had them.

One of my favorites was the on going construction of this cattail  shelter  constructed with  bent saplings and cattail
mattes.

    This years event is coming up September 22 and will be held at the Gladie Visitor Center in the heart of the Red River Gorge. 

    Demonstrations are on going all day long the days of the event. Some exhibitors do sale some items that they demonstrate or are making right there on site. 









    There were baskets made from willow bark. All sizes and shapes and the bark had been dyed using natural dye substances to produce different colored materials to be woven together.









     The Cherokee people from North Carolina were making thistle darts. The ripened thistle head from a bloom produces a light fluffy cotton like fiber. These fibers are woven around a sharpened slender stick. The fiber expands to loosely fill the cane dart gun and can be blown several yards with deadly accuracy.






    Of course one of my favorites are the flint knappers.

This and That

    I'll be taking a break on this blog post this Labor Day Weekend but will be back on a regular bi-monthly schedule starting September 16th. We hope that you enjoy the blog posts and photographs we gather from around our beautiful state. There are so many things to see and do and it is the upcoming fall festival season.  Practically every weekend from now until Thanksgiving communities are having their annual festivals. These are a lot of fun and some are quite unusual. Here is a link to give a preview of upcoming events.

    If you enjoy reading my blogs and have suggestions or ideas of places and people, please tell me in the comment section below. I promise I will get back to you and keep in mind all comments must be approved before they are actually posted. So, if you don't want you comment posted,  but would like to contact me, well, the comment section is the best way. 

 My book is still available from  this secure link.  

   Kiowa Scott Muncie who guest posts on this site will have a new article with photographs in the days ahead. He has an amazing collection of rock carving photos. You can visit his Facebook page here.

Coming up in the next blog post will be devoted to a very unusual special event held annually in the Red River Gorge and the heart of Swift country!  Coming September 16! Also, I will be signing books Friday, August 31 at the Salyersville Public Library from 10-2. If you are in the area stop by and say hello.

We called it the Light House

     There are so many version of the Swift Journal containing many landmarks that it can be downright confusing sometimes. Over the years, sifting through many variations there are few landmarks that seem common to all the different versions. One notable is the famous 'light house.'  Swift in describing one of the areas of his 'mines' claims to look  across the valley to cliff with a hole in it. "The slope across the hills west there is a big rock that looks like a buffalo rock. We cut our names on it: Swift,  Monday, Greser,Jefferson and others. You can stand on top of this hill above buffalo rock and look west through the hole in the top of the cliff and see the sky beyond. We called it the 'lighthouse.' Not far from the drying ground west we carved turkey tracks under a cliff pointing backwards to the mine." *

    The Red River Gorge country is famous for the numerous natural arch formations in the sandstone cliffs of the region. Of the hundreds in the area, two are more famous than all the rest and probably more visited each year than all the rest. One, of course is the famous Natural Bridge located near Slade, Ky. The second most notable arch is the beautiful Sky Bridge located on a ridge that overlooks the confluence of "Swift" Creek and the North Fork of the Red River.

    Yes, right there in the heart of the Swift country overlooking the very creek that is named for the legendary character are the landmarks described in his journals which tell of the amazing riches that supposedly still remain hidden somewhere in the wilds. No wonder this area became ground zero for the search decades ago. Since that time the search has expanded to other regions of the state and even to other states.  All have similar clues and landmarks.

   The  whole region of the Red River country is truly remarkable and certainly lends itself to all kinds of possibilities of discovery.

From the unofficial entrance to the gorge area, the Nada Tunnel, to the magnificence of the majestic Sky Bridge the landscape is wondrous.

    On this visit to Sky Bridge I discovered among the many names and symbols carved on the soft sandstone rock yet another turkey track pointing directly up the Swift Creek valley. With no way of knowing the age of the carving there is little evidence of anything other than someone at sometime took the time to carve a turkey track without any other information. Was it a traditional symbol pointing the way to something? The opposite direction from the Swift Creek side lies a huge rock cliff line with ledges, overhangs and boulders just like Swift described. Could the Sky Bridge be that light house, Swift mentioned?  Remember, it is on Swift Creek that the famous Rock Bridge is located which has another turkey track carved on the top of that bridge as well.  And Swift mentions a rock bridge that spanned a creek and he and his companions passed by that unusual formation headed for their precious mines.

    Aside from the search for the hidden treasure, the  Nada Tunnel itself is a marvel. Built in a mere nine months in 1910-11 it was built for the sole purpose of hauling the valuable timber from the remote gorge region by locomotive. Drilled by hand and steam drills the rock was blasted away with dynamite. One man was killed during the construction.  The tunnel provided a quick way to transport the timber wealth to the then largest sawmill in the world located at Clay City, Kentucky.

    On every trip I make into the Red River Gorge, it is always a thrill to drive through the Nada Tunnel passing by the cool spring that to this day furnishes fresh, mountain water to many folks in the immediate area. The spring has been there as long as I can remember and always tests as safe, pure water. 

    The mines may never be found. They may not even exist. But then again, there have been some discoveries of silver coins in various parts of the region. So whether these discoveries are connected to the Swift treasure or not will probably never be known. We do know that there in fact are 'light houses' located in the search zone.

*From a copy of Swift's Journal sent to C. E.Henson March 5 , 1962. The following handwritten note was written  in the margin: "Mr. Henson here's a copy of Swift's journal. I will contact you when I get to Louisville next trip – I want to see "settlers of SW Virginia." The note was signed by O.S. Green.

High Rock Carving

    One of the strangest carved rocks is the High Rock petroglph. The strange symbols and carvings found on this large boulder have never been understood. And they are unlike any other carvings in the region. The rock was discovered under a small rock shelter near High Rock on the south fork of the Red River in Kentucky. Most of the Swift silver mine searches over the decades have been concentrated on the north fork of the the Red River and some on the middle  fork. To give perspective, the Red River is comprised of three different forks and watersheds. The north fork is the famous Red River Gorge area with many of the features and landmarks that I have written about in this blog.  The middle fork flows by the famous Natural Bridge State Park. The south fork is rarely mentioned but in the 1970's was the location for this unique carved rock.

    Many, of course, have speculated as to who produced the carvings ranging from the Adena culture "doodling" on a rock to pass away time, to some secret map, perhaps leading or describing the Swift mines. Interestingly in the early 80's         a Mr. Tipton (Wearing helmet in photograph) believed he had found the Swift mines within only hundreds of yards of the strangely carved rock. Mr. Tipton had studied his versions of the Swift journals and came to the conclusion the sliver treasure lay buried underneath a layer of top soil and rock. Whether Mr. Tipton ever connected any relation to the carved rock found near-by we do not know. This location is on the south fork of the Red River and not as famous search area. Even farther south into Estill and Jackson Counties, are search areas for the mines. 
    The unusual carved rock is now housed in the Red River Museum located at Clay City, Kentucky and is on prominent display.