About the Quartz

Conglomerate is composed of quartz sand, quartz pebbles and iron hematite

    I've noticed over the years that many silver mine hunters connect, and rightly so I believe, quartz deposits along with silver and gold bearing rocks. This is one of the indicators of finding mineral deposits. In igneous rock types these are most always associated. Anyone traveling through the Black Hills of South Dakota can find quartz bearing rocks which also produced gold in the late nineteenth century. But here in Kentucky many claim that the abundant amount of quartz pebbles found in the conglomerate sandstones found around the state are sure fire indicators of the possibility of silver.
    The conglomerates, sandstones, shales, and lime stones of Kentucky are all sedimentary rocks.  That is they were  deposited over eons of time gently falling to the bottom lakes, rivers, swamps and seas to form layers of sediments, thus sedimentary rocks. Some rocks, geologist surmise resulted from being deposit in vast rivers and  streams much the way gravel bars and sand bars are found along rivers and streams today. Specifically, the conglomerate quartz pebbles are rounded. They do not occur in igneous rocks rounded. This smooth round shape is achieved by the action of rolling, tumbling and generally being abraded into the smooth stone. They started out somewhere else in the ancient Appalachian Mountains when they were much younger. But through unfathomable time and geological circumstances eroded away being tumbled and polished and once again deposited  in a sediment only to become the rock we know to day. These quartz pebbles were not formed here, they just arrived here, the same as they are arriving today in the Gulf of Mexico from all the rivers in the Eastern US.

In a few rare instances the rock pieces are broken and fragmented after being deposited in channel fills or ancient stream beds that now are exposed at the surface. These materials can be different and if erosion of silver ore was occurring then the material could be found deposited in these ancient stream beds

    I have visited some sites with serious minded silver hunters only to be led to outcrops of conglomerate with heavy concentrations of iron hematite. As I have said before, to find a silver mine one will have to either find an outcrop of igneous rock containing the element or placer deposits in ancient channel fills. Silver could have eroded in with the quartz rock and some likely did arrive and is embedded in the rock. But just to assume that quartz pebbles are the marker for finding the mines is a path that many searches have taken only to be disappointed.

Many fossils found in the Mississippian lime stones are formed from  chert. This one comes from the Cave Run area

  Quartz in Kentucky is abundant and comes in many forms. The largest mass of rock composed of quartz grains is the sandstone and conglomerates that compose the majority of the formations of the Red River Gorge and all the way across Kentucky into Tennessee. Much of it is small grains of quartz cemented together by other minerals but primarily iron ore. The sandstone that contains the large number of rounded and smooth quartz pebbles is referred to as conglomerate. But there are other quartz rocks found associated with lime stone and other rock strata. For example, the many fossils found embedded in various rock are in many cases fossilized  with pure quartz but in a micro-crystalline form. Flint or chert is another example of micro-crystalline quartz. Of course, these materials were used for thousands of years by humans to make all kinds of stone tools. We fancy the arrowheads, spears and flint knives for their beautiful handiwork. This material is suited to be chipped and shaped into something durable and sharp because of its micro-crystalline structure.

Chert or flint is quartz in a certain form and is formed throughout the lime stones of the state. This type is called Paoli,  Chert sometimes called Carter Caves Flint 

    Quartz makes is appearance often in geodes and simply large blocks in some areas. Geodes contain an infinite variety of colors and shapes inside and in many cases the true natural quartz crystal is formed inside geodes. These are particularly abundant in south central Kentucky. But the rare and most beautiful Kentucky quartz rocks are the famous and rare Kentucky Agates that are found in only about four counties in the central part of the state. These beauties formed like geodes but instead of just quartz crystals, agate (banded micro-crystalline quartz), jasper and other colored forms are found. Some are so rare that in the stone collecting world fetch thousands of dollars for a single rock!

Typical arrow/spear points found throughout the state. The material of most  arrowheads can now be traced back to the source of the flint.

    Arrowheads and many other stone tools of prehistoric peoples were fashioned from flint or chert which is the cryptocrystalline form of quartz. Quartz in this form has the ability to be shaped and sharpened due to the  dense crystal structure. Flakes can be chipped off and controlled in their removal. This is just a variation of the same material.

Geode agates are found in a few locations in Kentucky and are prized around the world for their beautiful colors.The colors vary because of various minerals deposited with the silica during the formation of the agate

This agate has quartz crystals in the center surrounded by agates and reminds me of an artistic shape of Kentucky

     The rock formation that provides us with the breathtaking views of the Red River Gorge along with countless natural arch formations basically is made of quartz sand, quartz pebbles and iron hematite. These main ingredients along with a few other minerals in minor amounts after millions of years in the making we end up with this amazing rock that is mostly quartz. The pebbles and sand can be found mixed together in unlimited variations. Some places will only be sand and others will be densely concentrated with quartz pebbles.

    Now that the conglomerate rock (conglomeration of sand, pebbles and iron ore) is exposed then the extremes of the environment begin to break the rock back down. Sand is eroded a grain at a time year after year, every day as water, ice, and wind continually attack the exposed rock. Sand, pebbles are broken away and washed down the streams to the rivers and eventual to the seas. This process never, ever stops.

Erosion continues to move quartz sand and every other material constantly

    This is the majority of the type of rock that dominates the past search areas for veins of silver. While there likely are some trace silver in some of the rock strata, especially in the broken and fragmented channel fills, no great discoveries have yet been made. Geologist generally conclude that it is unlikely and they have found no evidence to date that indicates any silver deposits with the rock formations of Kentucky. But perhaps the millions of years of weathering and erosion are just now reaching a strata that contains silver that was eroded somewhere else and deposited deep within the current rock formations millions of years ago. Speculation, maybe even exaggeration on my part. But there are those who search and  follow the clues of the quartz and who knows, maybe they will surprise us someday!

    Please take a few moments and visit my web site for more information about my book Swift.

http://edhensonbooks.com/

And stop off and visit my Swift page on Facebook. Leave your comments and join my page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swift/147544005331393

Tell Me

     Hello folks. I've been thinking about this site lately and the kinds of posts that I include. That got me to thinking about you that visit this site from time to time. I wonder what kinds of things would you like to see. This site is based on visiting unique places,people and the Swift legend as well as my book. And honestly, I want to promote the sale of my book. This is one method but of course, I need lots of visitors some of which may just want to purchase their own book or eBook. I want to keep those who visit the site interested in returning and (this is very important) sharing the site with others. The more visitors to this blog the better the sales of my book.

    You can help me by sharing this blog with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Simply share the link and ask them to check it out. I realize not everyone is interested in the things included in this blog and that is why I am asking you to tell me what you would like to see covered here. You can post that in a comment here on this blog. You also can send your comments and thoughts to me in an email to: swift@edhensonbooks.com.

    I would be happy to try and cover topics of interest. The only requirement that I would ask is that it must relate to Kentucky. No matter where you are in the world Kentucky holds a unique place. It was the fourteenth state, the first to be added to the original thirteen colonies forming the United States only sixteen years after the revolution. The last battle of the revolutionary war was here on Kentucky soil at Blue Licks State Park.

    So, tell me what you would like to see more of, less of or anything between in future blog posts and please, please share this site with those on your Facebook friends and Twitter followers and ask them to share with their friends as well. Thank you for your support and interest.

Ross Steely video taping interviews about the Swift legend with father Mike Steely looking on.

    In the meantime a video production is being produced by Ross Steely about the legend of John Swift. This video when finished will be the most recent and up-to-date coverage and in-depth look into the legend evaluating the facts and lore regarding the 200 year old  legend. Filming is currently underway and we have not heard of a release date at this time. One of the most knowledgeable people of the legend in the southern Kentucky and Tennessee areas, Roy Price, was recently videoed at Cumberland Falls.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swift/147544005331393

http://edhensonbooks.com/

The Red River Gorge-Ground Zero

    Thanks for visiting my blog site. Here you will find among other things, some interesting background about the legend of John Swift's silver mines. Especially in the area of the Red River Gorge which I would consider ground zero for the legend. This is one of the hottest regions for the treasure search. There are other places in Kentucky that provide the potential hiding place of the elusive treasure, if it indeed ever existed. Serious searches have identified many places around the state, Eastern Tennessee, and Western Virginia. Landmarks and clues can be found in all three places. 

    I have written a novel that is based on the famous legend but has some unique historical twists. I invite you to go to my publishers site here and read an except from the book and if you like it purchase your own copy!

Michael Paul Henson

    I am the cousin of the late Michael Paul Henson who searched for the treasure and more importantly wrote extensively about the treasure and treasure hunting in general. He had probably seen most every version of the famous Swift Journal that have passed down through families over the past 200 years. He actually owned copies of many of the various journals. I recall one of the last times I saw him, that he believed the ore deposits were a little farther south than the Red River country. He believed the ore deposits, at least, were somewhere in Jackson County area.  He died before he had the chance to satisfactorily produce the evidence to others. 

    Now you might wonder why I insist the gorge as ground zero. Well, there are a few good clues that have been left by the journals and there have been some rather unusual historical events as well.

   Let's consider the journal. Michael Paul thought through his decades of research that there were more than 43 versions of the journal! And they cover every kind of clue; three streams, buffalo rocks, haystack rocks, lighthouses, turtleback rocks, Indian stairways, leaning rocks, hanging rocks, myrtle thickets, halfmoon rocks and the list goes on. Streams, mountain ranges and certain places are named.  All place the mine workings south of the Ohio River and west of the Allegheny Mountains. 

Wolfe County Courthouse

    Now the history part of the puzzle adds some more unusual mystery. For example the town of Campton, originally thought to be called Camp Town was so named because it was established on the site of what pioneers claimed was Swift's principal campsite when he and his company of men were supposedly in the wilderness mining, smelting and striking counterfeit English Crowns. There is even a historical sign on the court house grounds in Campton today that says as much.

One of the Dehart Arches in RR Gorge

     Swift claims in one version of his journal you can see the sky through the cliff. "We call the place Sky Rock," Swift's journal records. The mines are in the cliff beyond the sky rock. There are many such bridges n the Red River area. The arch shown here is one of the famous Dehart arches at Nada. Standing in this arch looking across the valley massive rock formations with ledges fit the descriptions. Once through this arch there is a box canyon and another true lighthouse across the valley. Here it was reported that Steve Dehart actually dug sand and rock out of the newly forming arch to open it all the way through the cliff providing access to the next valley over. In fact these type rock formations exist all along the exposed sandstone conglomerate outcrop extending north of the Red River country all the way into Tennessee. 

Buffalo Arch in the Big South Fork Area

    There are rock formations and arches in the southern part of the state as well such as the Buffalo arch and many more. There are many who consider the supposedly silver mines and treasure are located much further south than the Gorge area and have just as many landmarks and claims for such existence as those elsewhere. As mentioned before a few other states have strong traditions relating to the Swift legend. Eastern Tennessee, especially in the Jellico Mountain area has provided many possible site locations, if the treasure truly exists.Our good friend Mike Steely, author of Swift's Silver Mine even found a real silver arrowhead in one of the shelters located in that region.  This is a great collection of treasure stories including the Swift legend.
    The Red River Gorge perhaps has been the most famous and most searched area of all the locations. All the land marks are there in this rugged, pristine wilderness. To my knowledge no one has ever made "the" discovery of veins of pure silver ore. Coins and silver items have been found around all the potential areas over the years but no veins of silver. Even though old silver coins and I have heard silver ingots have been found, no one has conclusively produced a silver mine. Swift in his journal devoted a lot of time describing the silver ore locations. There are modern searches still following the elusive clues in the Gorge area hoping to do what no one has been able to do for the past 200 years, discover the lost silver mines of John Swift.

Joe Ley

    While most of my posts are devoted to the outdoors and nature stuff, especially about the Swift legend and mines, I do have other interests. In fact, like most of you I find about everything on the unusual and different side of Kentucky fascinating. During my travels around the state whether doing research on the Swift book or other upcoming projects I often encounter some really neat places and people. In fact, I really devoted this blog to sharing and creating interest in some off the path, mostly overlooked places. Most of us like to do this I suspect, I'm just a bit more mouthy about it I suppose. This entry is a diversion. All those of you arriving at this page from my web site or some other location, please browse through the archives listed on the right side of this page. There is a lot of information about the Swift story, geology, history and my book is available for purchase from that site. There are also some good links I encourage you to check out.

    If you are into antiques and especially the unusual, then a must is a visit to Joe Ley Antiques in Louisville. Located on East Market Street in Louisville this place is an amazing collection of antiques and somewhat of a museum collection.  I'm not just talking about high end antiques alone. There are plenty of bargains. And this is a place to visit for those who are remodeling and are searching for that yesterday look.
    Many commercials, music videos and other film related activities have used Joe Ley Antiques as a perfect site to enhance their productions. One reason is the large collection of strange and unusual  items such as original carved wooden horses used in carnival rides.

    There is a large collection of vintage toys of every kind and if you can think of it in all probability Joe Ley will have it right there on Market Street. Not every item is for sale though and are just on display for the pure enjoyment.The building itself is quite the marvel with several floors you can spend hours browsing through. If you like antiques and have never included Joe Ley antiques among your visits, do yourself a favor and go see this place.

    Across the street from Joe Ley  is a candy maker that has been in business in Louisville since 1921.   Muth’s Candies has been continuously producing some the finest chocolates and candies found anywhere.  They produce at their store a variety of chocolate creams, malt balls, and just about every nut combination with chocolate you can think of.  Perhaps one the most famous confectioneries are the Modjeska, which according to history was developed by Anton Busath in honor of Helena Modjeska, a famous Polish actress of the time. Later Anton’s son, Edgar ran the candy company but when the store burned in 1947, Edgar asked his good friend, Rudy Muth to use his candy kitchen to make candy. When the Busath store never reopened, Edgar gave the Modjeska candy recipe to his good friend Rudy. You can still enjoy this light southern cream caramel covered marshmallow at Muth’s Candies, located on East Market Street in Louisville.

    Here is another excerpt from the historical novel "Swift."  As a matter of historical fact John Finley had a trading operation going on with the Shawnee at Eskippakithiki in 1752-1753. His trading "post" or store was never really described but he had somehow developed a friendly relationship with the Shawnee. Disaster came in the winter of 1753 when the Shawnee village was viciously attacked by another group of Indians. Most believe it was the Iroquois and was probably over the hunting rites of the Kentucky frontier. Other historical accounts related to an on going dislike between the two groups. What ever the reason the town was completely destroyed along with Finley's operation. History offers no details to the events of that fateful day. One can only imagine a chaotic time and we do know this single event forced the surviving Shawnee to relocate north to their final location of southeastern Ohio country. After this event, no permanent settlement of Native peoples ever again inhabited the eastern two thirds of Kentucky. This excerpt deals with the events of that day in 1753 and what might have happened.

All Is Lost

      In January, 1753, John Swift, once again, chose to return to the wilderness. The good life on the coast took a great deal of money to support. A stroke of luck saw that January had been unusually warm. This made the trip easier for John Swift. He spent the fall, and the first part of the winter, in Charleston choosing a more desirable climate. However, with the weather much warmer in January and low on cash, Swift needed to replenish. He had gradually moved north up the coast until he reached Virginia. Swift headed down the Ohio River, as he had many times before, but this time he traveled by horse rather than by river raft. Traveling alone, Swift needed the extra carrying power of the horses to help him on this latest wilderness expedition. When he reached the crossing point of the Warriors Path on the Ohio, he turned South. Swift followed the familiar path southward toward the Shawnee town. After about a day and a half, Swift arrived on a low hill he had seen on previous visits to the area. The Shawnee town became visible from this vantage point. What John Swift witnessed came as a complete surprise: the town was gone! He didn't notice anyone milling about the area he knew to be the town, and any remaining dwellings were little more than barely husks of charred rubble. Swift set out on a much faster pace down to the town. As he approached, it became increasingly clear that something terrible had happened. Most of the houses had been burned to the ground. Tools and family belongings appeared in disarray scattered about. There were no people. Everything was destroyed.

      John Finley’s store had not escaped the destruction. The once thriving business had been utterly eradicated, and John Finley, like all the other souls of Eskippakithiki was gone; vanished. What had happened? Swift wondered. Where had everyone gone? Had they been killed, and if so, where are the bodies? Swift looked around on the ground near the Finley store to see if there remained any evidence of what had happened. A few beads and items were scattered about but most everything was either burned or gone. Swift thought hanging around out here in the open was not an especially wise plan. He carefully moved back toward the Warriors Path and decided he should get back into the woods and out of sight. He went directly east to the first big creek. This location put him well off the Warriors Path and directly east of the burned Shawnee town. Swift considered heading west toward his treasure cave, but since the Shawnee trail to the Falls headed that direction, he thought it might not be safe. As darkness approached, Swift made camp on a gravel bar along the meandering creek.

      During his restless night at the campsite, Swift pondered the fate of the Shawnee town. He remembered he had not met a single Shawnee -no one in fact- as he came down the Warriors Path. This was an unsettling situation he had encountered, the full gravity of which he did not fully comprehend. He simply did not have enough information to know what had happened in the few months since he had been gone. Swift kept a small fire going but wondered if he was being watched by some unknown and yet-to-be-determined enemy. Even though he let the fire go out, Swift slept little.

      Morning turned much colder. The low clouds and occasional snowflake announced the imminent arrival of a winter storm. Swift thought he ought to ride out the storm in the rock shelter camp on the mountain. Being close to the shelter and the likelihood of a blizzard arriving, this seemed like the best option for the remainder of the day. He had not been back to the shelter since he left his partner George Mundy there. He probably should check on the rock camp anyway, he thought. This would also provide the opportunity to observe and assess the Shawnee town as well as the surrounding area. Swift took great precaution when he made his trips to his precious silver, and insisted George Mundy do the same. Sometimes they would split up and come from different directions to the place that was so important to Swift and Mundy. The two of the them could retrieve in a single visit enough silver riches for both men to live rather extravagant life styles back in Charleston. They claimed, of course, that they hunted furs and hunting was so good they developed a very lucrative business. Neither man actually hunted, though. They made a couple trips each year, wandered around killing time so as to give the appearance of hunting. In this way, friends and acquaintances on the coast never became suspicious. Luckily, however, both men were loners, so being around people on a constant basis was not necessary for either. About noon Swift finally reached the summit of the mountain. He and George had begun to call the high vantage point Pilot Knob. This high point reminded the two seamen of the perch, the pilot of boat would use to navigate inter-coastal waters. This lofty mountain offered a clear and excellent view of the countryside in all directions.

      The overcast sky had surrendered to scattered clouds with sunshine patches darting about over the landscape as Swift rested on the mountain. He saw the light plumes drifting upwards from his campsite near the creek below. Smoke from another campsite a little farther down the creek from the place he camped the night before caught his attention. Swift was unaware that anyone had camped nearby. He thought he might hang around before he headed out to his treasure cave. If someone saw him, tracked him, they could follow him. Swift could not allow that to happen.

      After a couple hours Swift was beginning to get tired of just waiting so he thought he might return back to the creek and go check on the other campsite. He needed to know who else was in the area, especially since the Shawnee town was gone. Looking west he could see the abandoned town. While he had no particular affection for the Shawnee, as long as they were in the region few white men would venture into the area and this would mean fewer people would have the opportunity to stumble upon his secret. By mid afternoon Swift reached his previous night’s campsite and he kept on walking down the lazy creek that meandered around until he came upon the site. Swift moved into the trees up from the creek. The campfire still burned and he could see a man sitting by the fire. Swift came on out into the open since he was sure it was a white man. As he got closer he recognized the man he saw.

      “John? John Finley, is that you?” Swift yelled out.

      “John, yes,” John responded dazed and confused, not yet knowing who approached him.

      “What are you doing here?” Swift asked, noticing John didn’t bother to get up.

      “John Swift? I’m real glad to see you.” John sounded relieved, though dazed and a bit disoriented. He was obviously very happy to see a familiar face.

      “What happened, John?”

      “I’m hurt. Real bad I think. Oh, man, it hurts.”

      Swift could see that Finley was in pain. He also noticed the blood stains on his clothing. He could not tell what the extent of the injury was but he reasoned that this must have something to do with the destruction of the Shawnee town.

      “Here, let me a look at your wound.”

      Swift carefully pulled back the flaxen cloth trousers and saw the heavy gash in the leg just above the knee. He figured the wound was at least three inches long and was deep into the leg muscle.

      “Ohooo! Yeeaaww!” Finley groaned and complained.

       “How did you get this?”

      “Two of those Iroquois warriors came running up the hill and toward my cabin. The village was being destroyed, so I knew for sure they aimed to kill me. I shot one in the doorway. Before I could reload the other one popped through the door and jabbed at me, aiming to hit my heart, I suspect. I jumped away and he caught me in the leg with his spear. That dang stone spear blade was sharp.”

      “Wonder why he didn’t finish you off?”

      “I grabbed an ax head and whopped him up on the side of the head. I was falling away as I swung so I didn’t have much control of the ax. But, enough to knock him senseless for a minute or two.”

      “That’s when you got away?”

      “Slicker than bear grease. I knew there would be more in a minute, so I took off in this direction as fast as I could. I was bleeding badly and the farther I came the weaker I got. I made it here stumbling, running, sometimes crawling by the time I got to the creek.”

      “John, you are lucky to have survived, you know that?”

      “I know and my luck just keeps getting better. Look here, you just happen to come along.”

      Swift tore some strips of cloth from Finley’s trousers and made some new bandages. He could see that Finley had rubbed something and placed dried leaves on the wound. The bleeding had stopped but Swift could see that the spear had cut deep into the flesh, nearly to the bone.

      “It’s gone, the store, the furs the whole damn town is gone, burned to the ground,” Finley rambled on. It was obvious to Swift that John Finley was still in a state of shock from the ordeal.

      “What about the Iroquois? What happened to the Shawnee?”

      “Three days ago the whole damn Iroquois nation attacked the town, killing all they could and burning everything else. It was an awful mess.”       

      “Why in the world would the Iroquois do that? Why would they go to the trouble of coming down here?”

      “I don’t know. It sure came as a surprise to those Shawnee and to me, for that matter.”

      “I went to the village; there is nothing left. It’s all gone, John,” Swift replied.

      “I escaped up into the woods and kept running until I got to this creek. I followed the creek until I got here and I just couldn’t go on any further. I’ve been here for the last few days, three I think, without any food.” During his fortunate escape from the attack, John, wincing in pain with each step, managed to limp along but finally dropped from shear exhaustion to the ground to crawl to the cold, muddy creek. A pile of drift wood and debris near him made a rough shelter and managed to crawl into the pile and stayed there the first night. The natural shelter had accumulated on a shallow gravel bar in a bend in the creek. Year after year the spring rains would cause the creek to flood its banks, picking up dead limbs and debris along the stream. On this gravel bar the creek made a sharp turn, thus leaving trapped logs, sticks, and leaves which had allowed John to hole up like a wounded animal.

      “I still don’t understand why the Iroquois would attack the Shawnee? They speak the same language and always traded with them.”

      “Ah, I don’t know, but before the attack some of the warriors talked about how some other warriors killed a high-ranking Iroquois chief. This might have really made them mad and this attack was a revenge attack.”

      “The whole town, those who survived, fled up the trail and left. I don’t know if they are even back,” Finley added.

      “I didn’t see any bodies at the village. They must have come back and collected their dead the next day,” Swift remarked. “I’ve not seen a Shawnee or any other Indian since I’ve been here in these parts,” Swift added.            

      “What about my leg? How bad do you think it is?” Finley winced as he positioned his leg so Swift could see better.

      “It’s a fairly deep wound and it’s what I call proud flesh but I’ve seen worse.”

      “It’s starting to look a little angry but I don’t believe the infection has spread just yet.”

      “Like I said, it’s bad but I’ve seen worse. Do you think you can walk?” Swift asked.

      “I’ll give it a try but lord have mercy, it hurts. I don’t know. I get real tired out though.” John Finley was near exhaustion. Swift knew that if John didn’t get him some food the cold air would take him. Finley needed sustenance and they both needed to move away from the Warriors Path and the destroyed Shawnee town.

      “Here, eat some of this,” as Swift handed John a piece of jerky.

      John took the jerky and ate the first food he had had in three days. Immediately the nourishment had an effect on John. He was glad that this miracle of a chance encounter with his new friend, John Swift, had happened at this time. Otherwise, John figured he would be dead in another day or two, either by starvation or by the hands of hostile Indians.

      “You need to keep up your strength and we’ve got to get you out away from this creek.” Swift knew they were much too close to the Warriors Path and it would only be a matter of time before some warriors, be it Shawnee or Iroquois, would be coming down the path. The Warriors Path was the most traveled route by the Natives in the entire region. The Great Falls of the Ohio Trail met up with the Warriors Path here near the Shawnee town. This was what made it such a great trading location for John Finley. It was just an issue that Swift always had to be aware of and deal with during his many trips back into the wilderness to retrieve more of his treasure. As long as the two men stayed around in the area of this creek they were vulnerable to the same savage attacks that had just happened to the Shawnee Town.

      “We’ve got to get going and move to another location so you can rest up, build your strength and get out of this country. I hate to say it but your trading this year is over.”

      “I know. I’ve lost everything. There is nothing left.”

      Swift extinguished the small fire that John had managed to keep going from the large pile of dried drift wood beside his resting place.

      “Can you stand up?”

      “I’ll try. You might need to help me here.” John struggled but couldn’t put much weight on the injured leg.

      Snow flakes began to fall lightly from the overcast sky. Swift pushed John onto one of the horses and Swift climbed on the other one. As the day went on the two men slowly moved toward the mountain Swift had just come down earlier. He needed to get his friend back to the rock shelter camp. As darkness neared they had climbed a good portion of the mountain. Swift intended to get John up next to the giant cliff and under the rock overhang for shelter. The snow was coming down heavier by the hour and getting much colder. Swift wondered how John Finley had even survived the past three days cold and wet and with no food to sustain energy. Finley was indeed lucky to have survived.

      By dark they reached the base of the cliff and worked their way around to a very nice rock shelter that provided plenty of overhang to keep out the snow and rain. There was plenty of dry, dead wood. Swift and Mundy had used this shelter before and had stockpiled plenty of fire wood for situations like this.

      “I’ll get a fire going. You need to eat some more jerky. Tomorrow I will kill us some fresh meat,” Swift told John.

      “Give me a day or two and I’ll be okay. I just need some food to get my strength back,” John said.

      “I’ll be back in a little while. I need to take the horses on top of the hill above us. There is a clearing with some dried grass there.”

      “Oh, I won’t be going anywhere.”

      “You’ll be fine and ready to go in a few days,” Swift replied.

      John Finley was about to get the first restful night’s sleep he had in the last three days. Swift made his way to the top of the mountain and turned the horses out in the mountain-top pen he had built on a previous trip. The mountain top was unusually flat and had a good growth of buffalo grass. Only one narrow escape route from the little pasture offered added protection. Swift skillfully tied possum grape vines to small trees, forming a fence and gate system.

      John Swift sat by the fire and kept it stoked and wondered if he should tell his friend his amazing secret, and if so, how he would tell him. He also knew he had to take care of John Finley’s wound.

      “John, we need to burn that wound.”

      “I know. It’s the only way,” John acknowledged.

      Finley, gazing into the fire, noticed that John Swift had already placed his knife blade in the fire and paled in anticipation. This was going to hurt real bad so he braced himself. Swift focused intently on the knife laying on a rock with the blade extending over hot coals. This crude process had proven time and again to be an effective way to sterilize a wound. Most every hunter has undergone such ordeals.

      "Now then, here we go," Swift calmly announced retrieving the red hot knife.

      "Oh boy, Umm, I dread this you know," John miserably protested.

      "This is only going to hurt for a couple of seconds. Here bite on this stick." Before John could get his mind off placing the small stick in his mouth Swift laid the searing hot knife squarely on the infected wound. John bit hard on the stick, grunting and screaming through his teeth. The putrid smell of burning flesh surrounded the two men.




If you like this story why not visit my website and get your copy of the complete historic novel Swift.  You can purchase the book or if you have a Kindle, the eBook version can be downloaded at half the cost of a paper book.  The site is secure and ready to take your order. Just click here. Of course you can find the book at Amazon.com and most bookstores.

Pilot Knob In The Novel

    I have covered Pilot Knob in a previous blog post. You can read that here. The landmark plays an important role in my book Swift. I made a recent visit back to that great spot recently just for the enjoyment of a good, brisk hike and to view the vast bluegrass area west of the mountain. 

Conglomerate rock of Pilot Knob is also the
mast head for my web site

    The mountain itself is quite amazing. It is perhaps the highest mountain on the western edge of the mountainous Cumberland Plateau. Here the last exposure of the sandstone and conglomerate sandstone are exposed on the very top of the mountain. This is what creates such a great lookout spot; like a ships pilot lookout. Immediately west of this  line of knobs that make a straight diagonal line completely across the state is the level land of the Bluegrass Region. The conglomerate rock is the same type that forms the Red River Gorge. It seems to me the quartz pebbles that make the conglomerate are more concentrated here at Pilot Knob and near by Rotten Knob. 

View west from Pilot Knob

    Pilot Knob, not yet named at the time, was the place that John Finley led Daniel Boone and others on the seventh day of June, 1769 to look west and see the beautiful level of Kentucke. John Filson in his book published in 1788 included an appendix entitled, The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boon; containing a narrative of the Wars of Kentucke. "We proceeded successfully, and after a long and fatiguing journey through a mountainous wilderness, in a westward direction, on the seventh day of June following, we found ourselves on the Red-River, where John Finley had formerly been trading with the Indians, and, from top of an eminence, saw with pleasure the beautiful level of Kentucke... The buffaloes were more frequent than I have seen cattle in the settlements, browsing on the leaves of the cane, or cropping  the herbage on those extensive plains..."

In the novel Swift Pilot Knob plays and important role in the story. As  a historical novel based on Kentucky's pioneer history the explorations and activities of Daniel Boone, James Harrod and John Finley provide a great backdrop to the modern day explorers efforts to solve the amazing two hundred year old mystery of Swift's hidden mines. What Boone actually saw from the prominent knob that day in June was the level lands where the Shawnee Town of Eskippakithiki stood only sixteen years before. John Finley, scout and leader to Boone's 1769 trip had basically led Boone and company back to the place where he (Finley) had operated a thriving trading business with the Shawnee. Other posts on this site provided details on Finley and the events surrounding the last Shawnee Town in Kentucky. You can check that post out  here.

Rock shelter at Pilot Knob

    The mystery is set in motion when a couple hiking and exploring the Pilot Knob discover a map carved on the back wall of a rock shelter. The map, though mysterious to the hikers, proves to be too tantalizing and lead them on an adventure like none other they have ever experienced. The modern day discoveries and adventure is supported and information back filled with a consecutive story of  the activities of Boone, Finley and John Swift. The reader then can relate to how events unfolded in those pioneer days compared to what our characters discover today.
    I've been asked if there is actually a rock shelter at Pilot Knob. There is indeed as described. There are names carved under the rock shelter and some quite old dating back to pioneer times. There is no map carved into the rocks, nor turkey tracks on top of the outcrop. No silver arrowheads or dead bodies! Yes, I said dead bodies. Want to know more? Well, if you did not arrive at this blog site from my web site, please jump on over there and read a couple of chapters from my book. You can even order your own copy from the site. Check it out.
    This blog site is updated every two weeks, usually on Monday's. Not every post is directly about the book or Swift either for those of you who just do not care about history. Some posts are simply about some really cool (in my opinion) places around the state. The next post promises to be just that some really unique place.

Louis Tells a Story -Swift Excerpt

This excerpt from my novel "Swift" is the exchange between the three main characters and a fellow that has searched many years for the lost treasure. Louis is, of course fictitious, but is based on some very likable and dedicated treasure hunters of the the past few decades. -Ed

Louis Tells A Story

      Louis Eversole lived up a hollow in the mountains along a small clear stream. Louis and his wife, Sarah, lived with at least six dogs and therefore always aware of visitors a good two minutes before they got to the front porch. They had lived on this small mountain creek for 40 years. Louis and Sarah grubbed out a small garden beside the clear mountain creek running down past their house. The house and various out buildings rested comfortably between the rocky, hemlock covered hillsides typical of a mountain homestead. Louis Wayne Eversole was considered an expert on the legend of the John Swift Silver Mine and had spent twenty years or more chasing after the dream tale. Years ago, he had found the turkey tracks, haystack rocks and three creeks but he never claimed he had found a mine or any silver. In fact, Will Morrow had with him in his pocket more silver found in this country than Louis had ever seen. Ray had convinced Will he should meet Louis and discuss the tales with him. Of course, they were not going to say anything about the map.

      Louis was sitting on his front porch with Sarah enjoying the cool breeze coming down the hollow over the rippling creek. Will pulled his truck up in front of the house. Louis, although not fearful, was curious and tried to recall anyone he knew who would be driving a fine new pickup truck. With dogs and his handy rifle by the front door, Louis knew he could determine the danger level once someone showed themselves from the truck. Ray jumped out first so that Louis would know who it was.

      “Howdy Louis!” Ray yelled out.

      “Ray? Ray Deevers! Well, what in the world are you doing up here in God’s country?” Louis questioned as he got up from the porch swing and moved toward the steps leading up to the porch. “Hush dogs!” Louis yelled. The dogs immediately quieted down but milled around sniffing the guests as each got out of the truck. The boss dog marked the truck tire, indicating the truck and visitors were now in his territory.

      “Louis, this here is Will Morrow and Jennifer Morgan. And I apologize for just dropping in on you all without calling ahead,” Ray introduced them.

      “Nah. Ain't no problem Ray. Glad to meet you folks, come on up on the porch and sit and a spell. We don’t get much company up here,” Louis politely invited.

      “Thanks Louis. This sure is a pretty place you have here,” Ray commented.

      “We like it. It’s quiet anyway. Say, are you folks thirsty? Honey, why don’t you bring these folks something cold to drink, maybe some of that good sweet tea you make, if you don’t mind,” Louis turned and glanced at Sarah.

      “No, thanks Mrs. Eversole. We’ve had cold drinks on the way up here. We appreciate the offer though,” Will answered for all three.

      “Are you sure, it ain’t no trouble at all,” Sarah quickly followed.

      “Oh, yes, Mrs. Eversole. Will is right. But we appreciate your kind offer,” Jennifer quickly and politely responded.

      “Well, Ray what’s on your mind?” Louis point blank asked Ray while studying all three people one at a time.

      "Louis, we get out, uh, the three of us get out ever now and again to rock hunt and general exploring cliffs and caves. The other day we ran upon a turkey track and some other markings. Well, here, Will you explain it to him,” Ray said pointing to others.       

      “Got the silver mine fever, do we?” Louis jokingly remarked, eliciting a modest chuckle from everyone.

      “Mr. Eversole,” Will began.

      “Call me Louis. There ain’t no big ‘I’s and little ‘u’s around here. Louis’ll be fine,” Louis interrupted.

      “Okay, Louis. We are interested in the John Swift Silver Mine. Ray here says you’re the man, the one that knows all there is to know about the Swift Lost Silver Mine. We’ve been interested in the legend and all, well, we just have come up with a few questions,” Will fumbled for the words.

      “What do you want to know?” Louis questioned.

      “Anything you might want to share about your experiences and knowledge of the legend.”

      “Heck, you can check on them computers Internet or something and find all about John Swift,” Louis responded.

      “We can’t find out what Louis Eversole knows on the Internet; I’ll guarantee that,” Ray boasted. With that statement Louis was encouraged and primed to tell all. Louis had spent years following leads, tales and not many folks asked him about the story much anymore. In fact, not many people knew about the tale of the lost silver mine.

      “So you think the turkey track carvings you found might have something to do with the silver mine?” Louis questioned.

      “We don’t know. I’ll tell you one thing though, I never saw carvings like this before,” Ray answered. Both Jennifer and Will gave Ray a casual, quick glance just to let him know not to talk too much. Ray got the message and became quiet. Louis paused for an uncomfortable amount of time.

      “Well, let me see. I started, well, got interested you might say, in the sixties. There were some fellers from Virginia that came into this country and spent a small fortune lookin’ for that silver mine. I eventually hooked up with them, as a kind of a guide you might say, to these hills. I had heard of the story all my life, mostly from my daddy, but I never was much interested until the Virginia boys came along. After taking them to various places each year (they would come every year in the fall) I learned a lot about the silver mine. They were convinced that the silver mine was somewhere down around the cliffs of Chimney Top Creek,” Louis began.

       “They had maps, testing equipment, and most important to me a copy of what they claimed to be the authentic journal left by John Swift himself,” Louis added.

      “Did the journal give exact directions to the mine?” Will asked.

      “No, not directly. It was more like clues. It described rocks and creeks. The journal, I have a copy around here somewhere, Swift claimed to have written himself so that he could find the mine again. He said that he mined silver, smelted silver and made counterfeit English crowns in the wilderness south of the Ohio River and west of the big mountains from 1760 until 1769. Swift claimed he was captured by the British and put into prison for siding with the colonists on one of his trips to England,” Louis continued.

      “Why did he go to England?” Ray asked.

      “Oh, well, John Swift said he had a very successful shipping business prior to the revolutionary war and actually owned a fleet of sailing ships, according to his journal,” replied Louis. “Anyway, while in England he was thrown into prison for many years. By the time he got out, Swift was blind and couldn’t find the mine. So he wrote down everything he could remember, descriptions of rocks, rock houses etc., and with others acting as his eyes tried to return to his precious mine,” Louis concluded.

      “Let me ask you, how did he find the mine in the first place?” Will asked the all important question.

      “George Mundy. He met George Mundy when Mundy was a war prisoner in General Braddock’s army. Mundy was a Frenchman that had been captured by the British and colonists. Swift says that he befriended a man by the name of George Mundy who told him he had been mining silver south of the Ohio River. Apparently, after that, Mundy took Swift to the mine along with a company of men to work in the mine. That’s the way I understand how it went anyhow,” Louis said.

      “Braddock’s army? George Mundy?” Will was getting confused.

      “Well, you see, Mundy had found the mine from the Indians and had been working the silver out himself. It always seemed to me old Mundy might have bought his freedom by telling Swift of the silver mine. Anyway, Mundy led Swift and some of his associates to the mine around 1760, according to Swift’s journal.”

      “Do you still believe the mine exists?” Jennifer interjected wanting to get to the bottom of the line of questioning.

      “Yes I do,” Louis said wholeheartedly. “Just because I ain’t found it after searching so long, doesn’t mean squat. I’ve not been in all the right places. Ray, do you remember going to Jellico?” Louis turned to Ray.

      “Sure do, we had us a heck of time that weekend. Met some strange people though.”

      “Well, each of us were bitten by the Silver legend and it may seem a little strange, but I got to say I have had some good times and thought I was close once or twice,” Louis said.

      “Seems like if Swift sailed ships he would know how to clearly mark his trail to the mine,” Will pondered.

      “Well, he was a captain of his own ship and claimed to own more ships. He did write down the latitude of 38 degrees and 11 minutes in his journal. So we can only conclude Swift had the proper instrument to plot coordinates,” Louis added.

      “What about the longitude?” Will asked.

      “Unfortunately, all the journal says is that it was near 83° longitude. I always thought Swift left it that way since all he really needed to do was get into the general area and he could find the mines,” Louis responded.

      “That opens up quite a big area, I guess, if the journal information is correct,” Ray added.

      “Where do you think the mine is located? Uh, assuming it really exists, of course,” Will laid it out point blank.

      “Son, if I knew, we sure as hell wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation, would we? Oh, I guess I’ve always felt it was somewhere in these cliffs around here. All the landmarks Swift mentions in his journal are here, and we are pretty close to the 38 degree latitude and there sure are plenty of places it could be buried on these mountains. I just have not been able to put it all together,” Louis concluded.

      “We think the carvings we found are some kind of a crude map,” Will remarked.

      “What kind of a map?”

      “Well, in fact this map and the carvings, are on the back wall of a big sandstone rock shelter.”

      “How do you know it’s a map?”

      “Well, there’s more,” Ray interjected.

      “Do you have a picture of it?”

      “We have a drawing of it,” Jennifer said as she pulled out the map.

      “Let me see here, I’ve seen a lot of carvings and markings the past forty years,” Louis responded. Louis carefully studied the hastily drawn map. He couldn't immediately tell anything from it right away, other than easily recognizing the large and small turkey track markings. The map only contained the turkey tracks and the lines. The other symbols, the eye, the x’s, and the half moon with lines on it were purposefully omitted.

      “How big is this thing, the carving I mean?”

      “I’d say it is five feet high and probably six or eight feet across,” Ray explained.

      “That big, huh? And you say these markings are carved on the wall of a rock shelter?”

      “Yeah, although they're covered with moss and other stuff growing on the rock. We would not have seen the thing except for the way the light happened to hit it on the day we were there.”

      “And these lines, Louis pointed, are carved all the way across the map?”

      “They are.”

       “We think the map is in Kentucky somewhere but can’t figure out where.”

      “Ray thinks this is either the Licking or Big Sandy River cause he thinks the lines at the top are the Ohio River. What do you think?” Will asked.

      “Are the carvings deep?” Louis asked.

      “Pretty deep. Someone spent some time carving these symbols into the rock for sure. They wanted the carvings to be there for a long time. There were no names or initials carved, either.”

      Louis became more interested now. Although he had seen about every kind of carved turkey track in the country he was quite certain he had never encountered anything like this. He would love to see the rock carving for himself. Perhaps it was a piece of the puzzle he had been trying to solve for the last twenty years. Louis knew equally as well that he would not get all the information and likely would not be invited to see the rock carving during this visit; it was just the way treasure hunters behaved.

      “So what do you think Louis? The Licking or the Big Sandy?” Ray asked.

      “If I had to guess right now I’d say neither,” Louis finally announced.

      “Neither?” Ray exclaimed in disbelief that Louis had just shot down his theory.

      “My opinion is it’s the Warriors Path,” Louis added.

      “Warriors Path?” Will questioned.

      “Yes, the Warriors Path. You see, if these lines represents the Ohio River, and I think they do, then why wouldn’t you put all the rivers in the map? Just putting one river in would virtually make the map impossible to use. Heck, a person wouldn’t know if they were on the Big Sandy or the Kentucky River, or one of the other rivers, or even a big creek. Nah, I’d say it was the Warriors Path,” Louis concluded.

      “Where is the Warriors Path?” Jennifer excitedly asked.

      “Runs along the edge of the mountains before you get to Winchester. Runs all the way from up north down through Cumberland Gap into Tennessee. It’s on the early maps of Kentucky, the one John Filson made, I believe,” Louis answered.

      “Well, I’ll be,” said Ray, astonished by this new information. Ray knew about where the Warriors Path was located based on this description.

      “Do turkey tracks point to something, generally? I mean do they point in a direction?” Will asked Louis for confirmation to his previous claims.

      “I always heard and believe they do. A simple way to show a direction to go. The turkey foot would be pointing in the direction the ‘turkey’ is walking,” Louis offered.

      “Well, this certainly has been interesting and we very much appreciate your time and help,” Will said.

      “So, you folks think you are on to something?” Louis asked.

      “Something, but who knows what. It’s fun to chase after it, though. Good exercise and heck, we meet some interesting folks like you and learn a little history too,” Will commented.

      “I guess it wouldn’t do any good to ask where this rock carving is located,” Louis remarked.

      “Let’s put it this way, it’s on the western edge of the mountains,” Ray answered.

      “Then I’m pretty sure the line on the carving is the Warriors Path. Look around the rocks, there might be more turkey tracks and other carvings. Check it out good,” Louis advised.

      “Mr. Eversole, may I take you and your wife's picture?” Jennifer politely requested.

      “Why, I don’t see why not.”

      After the photographs were completed and the group loaded up, they headed back home to Frankfort. Now they had all new information and an appreciation for both the famous legend and at least one searcher of the treasure.

      “I noticed you never showed him the silver arrowhead,” Jennifer said as they drove west on the interstate.

      “No, I was afraid it would have been a bit too much,” Will said.

      Ray agreed. What they did know was that they needed to regroup and re figure the meaning of the map. They also knew they had found not one, but two, turkey track carvings much closer to the Warriors Path than the one they had seen on the rock bridge.

                                                                   
Want to read the rest of the book? "Swift" is available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and all the usual places. If it is not at your favorite bookstore just ask them and they will order it for you. But an easier and secure way to purchase your hard copy or eBook is by simply clicking right here at edhensonbooks.com. You can place your order and if you download your eBook you can be reading it in just a few minutes!  Also there a couple more chapters there to help you decide!