How the Project Evolved-Part Two

Landmarks and clues are abundant all over the  state

     After retiring from the State Parks in 2003, in November the following year, I was interviewed by Byron Crawford, a Courier Journal writer.  Mr. Crawford came to me as if I were "the" expert on the Legend of John Swift. There are many more around the country that are far more expert on the Swift legend than me, for sure.  Anyway,  I remember we had a very enjoyable visit and before he left, he made the comment, "you should write a book."  His was referring, of course, writing about the John Swift Legend.  After his article appeared in the Courier Journal, I had numerous phone calls, crank letters and renewed interest in the story.  So I decided to write a book.  I determined early that I wanted to write a novel since the story had been factually about written to death.  After my experience with the multi-media program I  just thought a good story with good characters, playing on some known historical facts would be just the ticket.  Now, my first concern dealt with the issue I could make both historians and treasure hunters mad.  Tinkering with historical characters is no easy task and is something not to be messed with unless, it is made very clear the story is fictional.  On the other hand, the treasure hunters might not agree with the truly fictional characters and clues.  I struggled with that a bit but soon got over it with the realization of two important facts. It was my story and there's nothing like a disclaimer.  I was healed and work could begin.

Indian stair steps carved into face of cliff in Red River Gorge.  Most Swift Journals mentioned  Indian stair  steps

     Besides my personal knowledge, I already had a pretty extensive collection of materials and information.  Knowing  the Red River Gorge area,  being familiar with the legend and some of key people involved made the task of writing a novel a little easier.

The :Blue Hole at McConnell Springs

    So the following year I began writing my first draft.  This historical novel is set in Kentucky but it is two time periods running together.  One could say flashbacks, but really I set out to write two distinct stories, one set in the late eighteenth century and the other in recent times.  I spent two years getting the first draft completed and I discovered that in my writing style, though the characters might be imagined, my place locations are not and could not be for me.  I actually, had to visit places such as Pilot Knob, Rock Bridge, Indian Stairway and McConnell Springs and on to get the feel and detail of the place.  Keep in mind, I never actually visited the silver mine!  These places are central to the story and without them, the story would not be believable.  For example, there is a rock shelter at Pilot knob and while there are many very old carvings, there is not a rock wall map.  There is a turkey track on Rock Bridge, an Indian Stairway,  the Warriors Path and caves at McConnell Springs. Then there are some places I can't tell you about, you'll need to read it for yourself.

How the Project Evolved- Part One

     I hope everyone is doing well, enjoying this wonderful summer and celebrating all the good things our great country has given us and the world.  I want to thank each of you that read my posts and following this adventure.  I appreciate your support so much.
     Through many of the postings recently I have spent a great deal of time relaying background information about the geology, history and general information associated with the Swift legend and on occasion some random topics.  It occurred to me  I've never really explained my book project, the background and what it really is about.  With such an obvious omission in mind, I will attempt to bring interested readers up to speed on this project, including progress reports and some of the issues I am dealing with as a new unpublished writer.
     First, the subject of the famous legend has been of interest to me since I was a child growing up in the Red River Gorge country of Eastern Kentucky.  Even as early as a little boy, I recall treasure hunters from all over the country showing up from time to time in the region, thinking they have the sure fire solution to the lost treasure.  You can read a little more about that at my very first posting, "about the legend."

Michael Paul Henson, 1995

     Fast forward a few years (more than I care to mention) and while employed by the Kentucky Department of Parks, one of my duties was to produce entertaining and educational programs for park visitors across the state. One such program that I produced was a multi-media slide presentation that offered one version of the legend.  I spent a great deal of time photographing strange looking rocks, researching and producing the program.  Utilizing the book written by my cousin Michael Paul Henson, I wrote a script and eventually with good narration and music soundtrack, came up with a decent little presentation that was shown in perhaps as many as seven state parks during the summer.
     Now you can read my entry about Paul in the link above, but I need to tell you, that Michael Paul Henson probably contributed more to keeping the legend alive and promoting interest than any person in the last hundred years.  For it was through his series of books, including the one specifically about the legend, and his unequaled promotion of the idea of treasure hunting in general, that sparked renewed interest.

First and last page of lawsuit over allegedly publicized location of Swift mines 

     The program received many good comments and apparently was enjoyed by many park visitors.  As it became more popular in the parks, I became known as someone who both had knowledge of the legend and a blood relative to the proclaimed "dean" of treasure hunting all across the country. I was even invited to speak to groups and attend special events concerning the lost silver mines.  But one day the most amazing thing happened. One could not even begin to dream up what happened as a result of that little slide program.  To put bluntly, a lawsuit was filed against the Commonwealth of Kentucky because of my photographs.  Yep, I had managed somehow to get the state sued!. The lawsuit alleged that the slide program divulged the location of the real John Swift Silver Mine!  I had taken all the precautions, so I thought, of obtaining proper permissions of people, photographs from books and music soundtracks.  The general photographs of rocks and landmarks, were just random shots that anyone on a drive through the gorge or a hike on some of the trails could just as easily have made. The suit was properly dismissed from Franklin Circuit Court but it goes to show you just how serious and to the extreme some will take the issue. So, I would say I have a long, colorful and sometimes tortured history with this legend.  More to come in part two!

John Filson and James Harrod

John Filson

     In a previous post I noted that perhaps one of the oldest known references to the Swift legend was in 1793 involving the famous Kentucky pioneer, James Harrod.  Those who follow the legend or search for the treasure, are aware of an earlier reference.  John Filson, who wrote the first book about Kentucky and published one of the first maps of the territory, mentioned the Swift mine in 1784.   Filson never mentions the existence of silver in Kentucky, instead he says there are no reports of any silver or gold on page 25 of his writings.

First book published about Kentucky

     To be clear, I noted the Harrod episode to be one of the oldest references because he specifically searched for what obviously was an established legend in 1793.  He went to search or visit the mines possibly as a future investor in working mines if such existed.  Now John Filson's connection comes about in a land claim.  Robert Breckenridge and John Filson filed a land claim for approximately 1000 acres of land in the Kentucky country.  That deed  clearly states the claim is supposed to contain the mines of John Swift!

     The land grant reads "Robert Breckenridge and John Filson, as tenants in common, entered 1000 acres of land upon the balance of a treasure warrant No. 10117, about sixty or seventy miles northeasterly from Martins Cabins in Powell Valley to include a silver mine which was improved about seventeen years ago by a certain man named Swift at said mine.  Where-in Swift reports he has extracted from the ore a considerable quantity of silver, some of which he made into dollars, and left at or near the mine, together with apparatus for making the same.  The land to be in a square and the lines to run at the cardinal points of the compass including the mine in the center as near as may be.  This is Lincoln Countrie No.10117, issued on May 17, 1788, and filed in the land office at Richmond, Virginia."

Land grant to Filson that claims to contain Swift mine from state archives

     So consider, Mr. Filson published clearly on page 25 of his book "iron ore and lead are found in abundance, but we do not hear of any silver or gold mines as yet discovered."  Within two years Filson is filing a land claim that supposedly had the working mine of John Swift.
     Daniel Boone, Levi Todd and James Harrod, all reviewed Filson's book manuscript and approved it for publication.  Within four years Filson acquired land supposedly to have the silver mine, in one part of Kentucky and a few years later James Harrod disappeared in another region of the state supposedly visiting the mines.  A very interesting connection I always thought.
     I should mention that Filson himself was thought to be killed in an attack by the Shawnee  October 1, 1788  while surveying lands in what is now Ohio.  He was never seen again and he never was known to mine any silver on the Kentucky land claim he had filed just four months earlier.
     Anyway, I used the story about Harrod and stated it to be one of the earliest stories because of his unusual disappearance and that he actually was searching for the mine.  However, to be more accurate I would have to say the acquistion of the land by John Filson was an earlier reference.  And there may be other even earlier references yet to be identified.  All this boils down to what I've said for many years and why I do like this Swift story so much.  It is without a doubt the oldest legend known in Kentucky and has been passed down generation to generation since it began from these early reports and that makes it worth remembering.

Daniel Boone at Camp Lulbegrud

     Daniel Boone spent his first years exploring Kentucky hunting.  He made several trips after the successful trip of 1769.  He often brought a few hunting partners and would spend months hunting and collecting hides to take back to his Yadkin home.  From all accounts, Boone was credited to have as much knowledge of the land of Kentucky as any person alive.  While this was not likely true, he did spent much time learning the territory and made a name for himself.  His old friend John Finley (also, commonly spelled Findley) had long disappeared from the scene and history does not report much more about this great pioneer.  Boone on the other hand had become the authority.  Eventually, Boone would lead settlers, to a new Fort on the Kentucky River.

     But before the establishment of Ft. Boonesborough,  Boone and his fellow hunters established hunting camps around the region, generally seeking out game.  The most famous of these was one  Boone and his party of long hunters actually named Lulbegrud.  It has been said that the very first printed book brought into Kentucky was brought by one of these hunters.  The book was Gulliver's Travels, written by Johnathan Swift.  During the evenings around the campfire the book was read aloud as entertainment. One  historical account says that Boone and companions were attacked by a band of Indians.  The hunters with their superior weapons, quickly dispatched their attackers. As a joking remark one of the pioneers referenced the natives as "Lulbegruds."  Apparently, the hunters named their camp and the creek Lulbegrud creek.
     Now there are two obvious things about the Swift silver mine legend that seem pretty strange to me. First, according to historical records Boone saw the beautiful level Kentucky on June 7, 1769.  John Swift records in his journal (included in most of the older versions of the journal)  he made his last trip to the mine workings in May of 1769!  This was one month apart in time! We do not know how close they where to each other, but both claimed to be west of the Allegheny' mountains, we presume. Secondly,  this creek campsite takes its name from a book read by Boone and hunters written by the Irish writer Johnathon Swift!  Sure is amazing this name just happens to turn up in the wilderness a man name John Swift mined silver.

James Harrod disappeared while visiting Swift's mine

           Perhaps one of the oldest known references to the Swift legend occurred in 1793.  And it came from the widow of James Harrod, founder of the first permanent white settlement in the Kentucky wilderness, Fort Harrod.  Also, comes with it one of strangest twists on the treasure story. This was reported by Dr. Christopher Graham  in in 1871 from conversations he had with Ann Harrod years before.  Dr. Graham was the family physician to Mrs. Harrod during the early part of the 19th century. Dr. Graham related the information to Louis Collins who recorded in his  History of Kentucky, published in 1882 by his son Richard H. Collins.

Present day Ft. Harrod replica is located very near  the original fort site

     Mrs. Harrod told Dr Graham her husband was murdered.  Mrs. Harrod claimed a man named Bridges had been searching for the Swift's silver mine. This was in 1793! Mrs. Harrod stated that many had hunted for the mines. This man Bridges,  Mrs.Harrod informed Dr. Graham, told James Harrod that he had found the Swift's mine and invited Harrod in as a partner because he had the means to work the mine. According to Mrs. Harrod, James  Harrod accompanied this Bridges fellow along with a third man to the Three Forks of the Kentucky River, the place Bridges claimed to have found the mine.

Early Filson map of Kentucky clearly shows the three forks of the Kentucky River

     James Harrod never returned from this trip.  Bridges returned claiming that Harrod had been killed by Indians.  The other man on the trip did not hunt or witness, but knew that Harrod and Bridges were on the same side of the river when he heard a shot.  Later a party of men went to the the Three Forks area and recovered bones they thought to be James Harrod.   The bones had been picked clean but the hunting shirt was supposed to be that of James Harrod.
     Widow Harrod was absolutely convinced  Bridges murdered James Harrod because the two men had previously been engaged in a law-suit about property.  Before the ill fated trip, the two men had not spoken to each other in some time. This event likely occurred in July of 1793 because records indicate that Harrod's seat on the Harrodsburg Board of Trustees was declared vacant in August of 1793, due to Harrod's recent death.
     This adds another layer of mystery to the whole Swift legend as well as credible evidence that people were actively searching for the legendary mines along the Kentucky river as early as 1793. The Three Forks of the Kentucky River would be in the Beattyville, Kentucky area of Lee County.

Numerous rock shelters or "houses" over Eastern Kentucky exhibit mine workings

     Numerous rock houses or shelters located all along the sandstone conglomerate outcrop of the Pennsylvanian formation which forms the coal fields of Eastern Kentucky. Some of the many rock houses show the signs of developed workings to extract some type of material.  Historically, salt peter was mined and processed in many cliff shelters.  Through a leaching process the broken rock and sand contained the mineral, an essential ingredient in pioneer gun powder. Another mineral extracted from the rocky areas was iron ore, found abundant over the same region.  The ore was removed and taken to one of the many "pig iron" furnaces of the region where the ore was smelted into iron used to make cannon balls as well as a host of items.  The largest of these types of furnaces still stands today in rural Estill County Kentucky.  The Fitchburg Furnace is the largest iron furnace of this type known to exist in the world according to information provided at the site.  The site is owned and maintained by the US Forest Service and is worth a trip for anyone exploring neat places in Kentucky.

Fitchburg furnance

     Though I digress from my original intent, pondering the fact James Harrod disappeared and was presumed murdered while searching for the famous John Swift Silver Mine.
     Finally, I discovered another great site relating many special places around state.  You can read a lot more about Kentucky's unique places at kaintuckeean.com.

Charles Allen

     Back in 1992 I had the great pleasure of spending an afternoon with Reverend Charles Allen of Sand Gap, Kentucky.  Sand Gap is located in Jackson County.  I met Mr. Allen at his home and spent most of the day with him hiking back to an area he believed he had discovered the silver ore that Swift and company mined. Charles Allen was not your average silver mine hunter, though he had claimed to have found the workings.  He had carefully identified the correct light houses, various rock landmarks and creeks.  The area he  identified was, indeed like many areas, located under and around one of the many sandstone rock houses that exist all along the escarpment of Eastern Kentucky.  It was an enjoyable day to be sure and and he was remarkably fit. This man, in his 70's, nearly walked me to death that day and I recall having a difficult time keeping up with him.

     Charles Allen was a silver mine hunter to be sure but his special gift; his uniqueness among all the rest of us was his claim to be a descendant of John Swift.  Yes, that's right, Charles Allen claimed to have very accurately traced his ancestry back to John Swift and beyond.

Charles Allen

     OK, I know, this sounds like a wild tale and I have no way to confirm other than the paper he gave me that day when I departed, very tired and with samples of iron hematite-no silver on this visit.  Now the serious researcher can easily find that John Swift married a Virginia woman named Ann (Nancy in some accounts) Roberdeau.
  Charles Allen claims  John Swift married a Cherokee woman of the Red Cherokee Tribe living in the area that is now Jackson County, Kentucky.  Without going into a list of genealogy records, Mr. Allen claims that his great, great (I think four greats) grandmother was one Theina Renfrowe.   Theina, Allen insists, was the daughter of John and Dandelion Swift.  Dandelion being the daughter  of  Little Hawk, a Cherokee.
     So, the obvious jumps out.  What happened Swift's wife Ann?   Perhaps, Swift found another wife in wilderness?  Swift never mentions taking a Cherokee wife.  But Charles Allen was insistent on the matter.  He is descended from John Swift.
     No one will ever know if this is story is factual.  Charles Allen believed it with all his heart.  I found him to be a sensible, earnest and humble man and wanted absolutely nothing for his information.  I think, in the end, he just wanted the record to show he was a living testament to the Swift legend.  I do not know if Mr. Allen is still alive or not.  I could not find any listings for him at this writing.  I can say, without a doubt, one sunny day a number of years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet Reverend Charles Allen, a descendant of John Swift.

Daniel Boone at Pilot Knob

Pilot Knob view travelling east on the Mountain Parkway

     Traveling east on the the Mountain Parkway one crosses part of what once was the last Shawnee Town ever recorded in Kentucky.  It was called Eskippakithiki and was located on the level plain before the terrain abruptly becomes hilly and rugged.  The first noticeable mountain is the famous Pilot Knob.  It was here that Daniel Boone proclaimed to have first saw the beautiful levels of Kentucky.  Boone was actually looking on the old Shawnee Town location. Boone reported to have made the trek up the mountain on the sixth day of June, 1769.
     Now historians report that Boone never made this trip and discovery without the help of another great pioneer, John Finley.  Old John Finley actually was Boone's guide into the wilderness after Boone's first attempt, two years earlier, ended in dismal failure.  So how is it that John Finley knew so much about the Kentucky wilderness that he could lead Boone?  Well, John Finley had somehow, established a trading store in the very Shawnee town.  He carried on a good trading business with the residents of Eskippakithiki until he and the entire village was burned and destroyed in 1754.  I actually wrote an article on the subject in the former "Kentucky Parks" magazine.

     The interesting thing here is that Boone was in Kentucky in 1769 and according various "Swift" journals, John Swift claimed to have made his last visit to mine silver in 1769.  Actually, within a month of each other.  This has always been a puzzle to me and most who have studied the legend are aware of this strange confluence of events.
     Just imagine what the Shawnee Town would have looked like to Finley when he first saw it.  It must have been a sight to see spread out along the flat plain that actually marks the very eastern edge of the so-called Cincinnati Arch, a geological configuration that actually produces the Bluegrass region.
     With all this in mind, I would like to offer you a small excerpt from the book, Swift.  This is the first time Finley sees Shawnee Town (Eskippakithitki.)

       

            The site of the Shawnee town shocked John Finley as they crossed over a low hill and the entire levels of the town came into full view. They had already greeted others along the path coming out from the town and observed other small parties of five and six hunters moving out in various directions. As they made their way into the village some took notice but seemed apathetic to the arrival of the group containing two white men. The people of the village assumed the warriors would not have brought trouble to their town.

Eskippakithiki positioned on a level plain near the foot hills of the last remnants of the mountains located to the east. The village appeared a scattering of long bark houses, the kind of permanent house most southeastern tribes built. Several poles were set in a general rectangular -shape, stockade style. Smaller, flexible rafter poles arched  across the top of the structure as roof supports. Mud, moss, leaves, dry grass and bark was mixed in random fashion to cover the entire structure. Despite the unusual materials, the long bark houses provided water tight housing. Numerous cooking fires scattered about the camp sent straight columns of smoke into the blue cloudless sky. Surrounding the village flat fields of green grasses and crops being cultivated by the Shawnee made the whole scene welcoming. At least one notable stream meandered nearby supplying a continuous fresh water source. A well worn path led from the village, westward to the long hill, then downward to the meandering creek. Women and children traveled at various distances along the path carrying skins and pots of water to their various homes in the town. Hunting seemed good in every direction. Bison located  north, south, and west of the town while deer and elk were plentiful east in the mountains. A good source of flint outcropped nearby in the mountainous area. The flint, a precious resource, provided the raw material for practically every tool for everyday life. This group of Shawnee had begun to acquire metal objects including axes and even some now had rifles they obtained from the British.

            John Finley and George Mundy were ignored by their traveling companions as each hunter separated off to their own house and waiting families. The hunters brought back numerous trade items but they never divulged their origins to either John or George. The two strangers moved right though the village and, though were stared at by the inhabitants, they exhibited no hostility. John Finley moved to the eastern edge of the town.  He found a big Burr oak tree in the hot savanna plain well outside of the town at the edge of the woods and adjacent to a well used path. John assumed the path an old bison trail but later would learn it to be the Warrior’s Path. John discarded his heavy pack and set about making a hasty temporary camp. John gathered firewood, built a cooking pit from stones and made ready for his first night’s stay in a big town. George Mundy rested under the shade of the big oak tree, watching John hurry about setting up camp. Some of the Shawnee kids came around just to see the newcomers, the white-skinned new comers.

            “Aren’t you going to lay a camp?” John asked.

            “I will in a little while. Do you know what Eskippakithiki means?” George said, changing the subject.

            “I don’t speak Shawnee, so it’s pretty likely I don’t know what it means,” John replied with a touch of sarcasm.

            “Means a place called Blue Licks. Eskipp means Blue Licks, ak means place and the ithiki

            “A place called Blue Licks,” John chuckled.

            “Yes sir. Funny thing to me too. Back east they call this country out here Kentakee. I think some hunters confused the last part of this town’s name and came up with Kentakee. You take the ‘Ki-thi-ki from the last part of Eskippa and it would be pretty easy for some of them devils to make Kee-taa-kee sound like Ken-ta-kee. It always seemed like it to me anyway.”

            “Well, if nothin’ else, it sure is something to ponder.”