Indian Waybill to the Swift Mines

[boomer]

Waybill to the Swift Mines

In doing research on the swift mines, i came across this manuscript that was given by Chief Joseph Brant of the Mohawk Tribe. 1804
(I am keeping the wording as it was put down in the waybill).
At several places i will add ( ? )

A diagram, given by Chief Joseph of the indian tribes, of four silver mines. You will go to the little knoway (little kanawa river?) and then you will find the maps of the silver mines in kentucky,(there must be maps carved at one of the fords along the Kanawa river?) strate waybills to the same. These mines are 10 and a half suns west. you will come down to the forks of great sanda river, thence up said river to where you will find a crane cut on a stone which will be found at the mouth of a branch. thence three quarters of a mile where a line of rock seems to cross the river. than turn your face to the north and you will find a snake trail or a rainbow in the face of the cliff, than go to the lower corner of the rock house. set your face to the east, w (walk?) 70 paces and you will find a rock on its edge with a crevice behind it, then go to the wast (or does he mean east?) end of the rock house to the corner, than turn your face to the west and step 2p paces ( could it be 20 or 200 paces?) west and behind this rock we hid four barrels of money. than go out of the rock house east, than go north to the top of the point binch ( front bench?) of the cliff you will have to climb up a ladder, then set your face to the west, which will bring you into a rock house, go to the west end and you can pitch a rock into the river. look in the rock house and you will see three ceder trees, if the paleface has not cut them down. (why look in the rockhouse at three trees then climb down and cross the river?) than climb down and cross the river on the line of rock and climb up steps and down steps, then go southwest a quarter mile and you will come to a gap in a low place in the cliff some distance from the creek. this gap is some 36 feet across, the gap some 4 feet wide and has a lid on it and is some 18 feet high, the creek and X and the river forms a horse shoe bend with some 45 acres of ground in it. ( nice place to bury something?) than go to the line of rock and go up the left hand side of the river. than come down the river (why go up than come back down?) three hundred paces and you will come to the mouth of a creek that leads west and runs into the river east, go up the river to the gap with a lid on it and then go up the creek and you will come to a place you will have to climb down on a ladder. than you go up the creek a small distence and you will find a large rock house forming to the south, which did have two or three corner rocks pointing doun into a hole thirty-five feet in the hole is the indian mine. go up this creek and you will find a lick on the right hand, then set your face south and go 30 paces south and you will cross a silver mine on its edge, then go up the creek two hundred yards and you will see in a spring running out of a crack of a rock, then turn your face east and you will see two large rocks standing on a point 253 yards, than you will see three large cliffs, one in your face, one on the right faces the north and the one left faces northeast, then go up the left hand fork one and a quarter miles and you will see a oval rock, then go up the creek a few spaces and you will see a brake in the cliff to your left hand, then climb up the scale way now a road. go east to the top of the hill and set your face to the south then go six hundred and 55 paces coming to the head of a sag that runs north east on a small ridge on the head of a branch thirteen paces west from the head to a large knob (has to be more than 13?) that has some brush on it and you will find a square hole in the ground thirty five feet deep, running across the bottom of the hole on its edge two inches wide in hard soap stone. ( he may mean a sliver vein in soap stone?) than go to the scale way that you came up and set your face to the east, go three quarters of a mile and you will come to the top of the ridge then turn your face to the west and you can see the high knob on your right and the mind in the knob. keep on X your feet and the forks of the creek without chagen your buddy, ( no idea?) then turn your face to the north east and go 90 paces to the north east and you will ind (?) you will see from the top of a large rock house in. then go back over your east line and set your face east, and go 145 paces and you will find yourself in a large buffalo, then set your your face north west and go to the sag on the rock house and you will pass over the richest mine ever knoun to the indians than go on the east flat and you will find four large mounds lying side by side running east and west about 45 feet and 14 feet high in a small branch running by ends of mounds and falls over the cliff that has the mind under it.
End of waybill. boomer

 

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[Kentucky Kache]

Thanks, Boomer. Have you ever checked out the area for these landmarks?
I wish I could spend time in that area.

 

[boomer]

Jbolt, first, with all i'm working on i have never been back, this march i can take you there and show you were i left off. i have pictures of the carvings that were on a small sandstone cliff. One of the crane and just above it there is a carving of an indian holding a bow and arrow in the firing positon, pointing south, also on a slanted rock there is a carving of a snake pointing south. around the corner of the cliff on a small drain is a plus sign carved half way up on the cliff, the cliff is about 200 feet high. If you would like a copy of the pictures, leave me a private message with address. boomer

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Boomer, I got the pictures this morning. This is really good stuff. Thanks.

 

[MattE]

I would love to see these Pictures...

 

[cavers5]

Hi,

Please think of all those numbers in that waybill. Unless they had a very, very, very detailed map to write that down, that would be very hard to remember.

Now, I realize that "back in the day" that detailed things got passed down from one generation to the next in song and/or story. However, numbers (for everyone, then and now) are hard to keep track of.

That is a very, very number oriented waybill. So, is it fake, authentic, or are the numbers clues unto themselves: lats and longs?

Just a thought.

Cavers5

 

[-Ki-]

hey boomer do you know if this tribe was part of Shawnee or Cherokee? Do you know where the tribe was located when the waybill was written......more than likely from one of the Ohio Shawnee tribal villages. If so it would give truth to this waybill.....
you have any info on this, it would be very helpfull with my research on this topic.....thanks -Ki-

 

[Curtis]

Hi Boomer!

The Indians were really honest when they wrote this stuff down or had it done for them….the guy who posted about there being too many specific directions was incorrect!!! If you follow the directions exactly you will find everything right where he says!!!

I used the version from Henson and yours (they differed somewhat) to find all of the mines and the location where the four barrels of money was! We were so disappointed to find the money gone…but it had been unburied for over a hundred years….I think the Indians came back and got it. I had already known of some of the key landmarks from searching the area for Swift stuff. It was a lot of fun but took almost 6 months to find them all. Three of the mines are on Grayson Reservoir property the others are on private properties.

There is also a rock carving that I believe the Spanish made (on a turtle shaped rock) that shows the location of the same mine. There is some similarity between the Way bill and the Swift mines descriptions. I had thought that the Indian may have been with Swift or maybe his relatives were.

Near the “Best” mine is an old Indian camp ground, which maybe the one Swift mentioned. There is suppose to be a natural rock bridge (that collapsed in the 20’s) near the same area…I couldn’t locate it unless it is where the Little Sandy takes that extremely sharp bend (right where the barrels of coins were). Some of the landmarks like the “rainbow” were very hard to decipher, (I won’t spoil the locations unless you PM me asking for specifics) you have to remember that the Indians thought different than we do and take that into consideration. I verified the “best” mine location with a device that left no doubt as to it being there. I will tell you the people in the area are some of the nicest you will ever meet.

The problem is once you find it what do you do? I researched the current owner and found he does own the mineral rights…what do you say to him? Something like…hey I know where there is an Indian silver mine on your property….want to split it 50/50 may work…but once he knows its on his place he may not need you to show him or even care. Then where do you send the stuff to be refined…you would have to truck it …hmmm out west? I am going to try to attach a picture of me in one of the Indian mines and the rock with the cared map on it.

 

[-Ki-]

curtis,
in looking at your pics posted in this tread, the one that jumps out at me the most is of the pic of the rock carving. I too have found a old indian silver mine and located around this mine was a certain carving, one just like the one in your carving pic. The carving ^ ^^ ....
now i have to ask you about the carving, where did you find the carving in relation to where you found the mine? The carvings id found where very close to the mine opening.... -Ki-

 

[Curtis]

KI,
To answer your question....the rock map I found is in the middle of six mines but within about 2 miles of the main one....the one I believe is the one the map represents. The main thing is that the travel path is marked with slashed lines and leads between the two sets of mountain/hills ^^^ it then ends in a hole bored into the rock. I think mine map is from the Spaniards because it starts with a cross and has been chiseled with a sharp instrument at one time. I found this map in 1979, the pics were then taken in 1981.
The reason for the chalk was that at that time no one had let us know not to use it (as it can keep someone form dating the time it was made). The internet and specifically this forum helps spread the word on this…..it’s a no-no...use camera settings to do the same thing. You can take the pics and then use negative settings in software to bring out the fainter lines.
In just this length of time (28 years)you can barely read the mountains and most of the lines are gone.
Good to hear you have found a mine…..can you actually enter it? Or is it a place where a mine was covered up? Most of the ones I have found have been covered over; the one I posted shows me in the only one you can go down into. Can I ask the general area yours is in? The ones I found are in Elliot county KY, some of the most beautiful country you can find…cliffs on both sides of the river/creeks like being in a small Grand Canyon (or as Swift put it mostly rocky and rough). I also found 4 Indian mines in Ohio (another place there isn’t suppose to be any silver).
If you need confirmation you have a silver mine PM me I have a device that can locate silver/gold through 100 feet of rock and is hand held. I would be glad to help confirm it for you…no charge. I can also find gold/silver caches very easily with this it’s being tested by the US armed forces as a version of it can also detect explosives. Maybe there is a legend of buried coins in your area buried too deep for most detectors we could check out at the same time…,on this one (if we found something) I would have to ask for a share in the coins though! haha

 

[boomer]

Ok you two, remember the bit on blackburns grave and camp branch, well this makes 3 of course its upside down, but i alwas felt it had something to do with 3 hills or knobs or two streams between three ridge lines, but it has something to do with the three coming to a point.

Ki, did not have camera with me. i did see seven carvings. but the odd one was done in backword letters SLGIVVV NN. With an arrow pointing up and a cross on top. have tried to figure this out. keep thinking that the arrow means north. but it may mean down or go in the other direction to a cross or go left or right. i do know the road up spa creek goes north and this was an old trail it tied in with the buffalo trace that is rt. 460 now. as for tea kettle, we used a back hoe to make a road up to the rockhouse and had to clear about 12 to 16 inches to get down to the sandy floor. this place must have been used for hundreds of years by the indians. 2 of the ladies have been sifting and have dug holes down 3 feet and they are still finding arrow heads, cutting tools. when we go back there this summer, if anyone wants to go along let me know.

 

[Curtis]

Here are two pics of some turkey tracks (and other animal tracks) that are located about 3 miles north of the area Boomer is talking about where the rock bridge used to be and the Little Sandy makes the very sharp turn. The one is of the tracks and you can see it is very very old, the other with me in it is for scale. I had received an email form a local guy that now lives in Florida he told me of the landmarks and wondered if they were Swifts, also mentioned a small cave near them. When we got there everything was just as he said. His aunt and cousins still live near the area and allowed us to cross their land to get to the site. We went in this last winter and the snow was on and that was one of the most beautiful places on earth! hemlocks, rocky streams, snow, cliffs, wow! The cave/tunnel is about 30-50 deep on the level, looks like a big animal den, like it may have been a bear den. It ends at the cliff face where there is a nice crack in the rock. I am thinking of going back with my bore scope (camera with light similar to what they use in arthroscopic surgery) to see where the cracks lead to. There is also a pile of rocks that have been placed in a mound shape, not sure if it’s the remains of a rock house/home or an Indian burial site. Someone had been there and dug but it didn’t look like they found anything.

 

[swiftfan]

Looks like you are on to something there. Let us know how it pans out.
-swiftfan-

 

[-Ki-]

The ^ ^^ could mean 3 points that come together, or 3 forks that come together...... If you look at a map of the red river you will see the middle and south fork are both run close together and the north fork is off to itself a bit just a thought........-Ki-

 

[The_Frontiersman]

Boomer,
Just wondering the source you had regarding Joseph Brandt? I too came across some of the same information and am having a hard time remembering where I placed it. I was supposed to let Curtis know a long time ago and I am afraid I may have lost my source - (not the most organized in the world).. Any info would be great.. Have you came across the carving of the Crane in your explorations? That's the one that I'm interested in.. Curtis was also interested in the carving, as he seemed to have a different version, but one in the same.. Thanx for any info..

Casey - The_Frontiersman

 

[The_Frontiersman]

Thanks for that tid-bit Seth.. When you find it be sure and let me know.. So have you been back out to your search area and snapped anymore pics to post?.. You have some very interesting stuff in your area.. Keep it coming and good luck..


Casey - The_Frontiersman

 

[boomer]

ah yes the old crane. there was more than one person that used the crane. if the get together will be at grayson lake. i will show the crane carving that has to do with Joseph Brandt. the crane carving has been found at paint creek, johnson county, indian creek at the mouth on the red river, at south shore on the ohio river. but, like our government, they were not at a lot of locations. they would send a trusted second to act in there behalf and use the sign of the crane. below is my main book on indian chiefs.
the rest of the info i got at the library.


Indian Biography: Or, an Historical Account of Those Individuals Who Have Been Distinguished among the North American Natives as Orators, Warriors, Statemen, and Other Remarkable Characters Vol 2

 

[Curtis]

To those familiar with the Indian Waybill,
The Waybill's history can be traced back someone famous, his family had it. What if the way the ancestors obtained it was by murder? What if the Waybill was the information that Cornstalks grandson obtained from Bluejacket's son? Using it he found some of the hidden silver left behind by the Shawnee. He was murdered for the coins and the waybill he had had when he was leaving. If this is the same waybill, the person suspicioned and his family had left the area. Well, this famous person’s mother's people owned land in Elliot County and years later returned to repurchase surrounding property. The sudden appearance of the Waybill is remarkable. It coincides with the loss of the information from the young brave. If we could ascertain the original means that the family obtained the Waybill it could clear the family name. I have tried to contact the family but all attempts have been met with silence. They live in Florida which is where one copy (there are at least two-my copy came from M.P. Henson) came from. However, I believe the Insertion of Chief Joseph as the writer is false. I wonder if it was cover for the way someone obtained the Waybill (the murder). Joseph left the Shawnee area when young and lived in the New York State area then Canada. I cannot find any information that says he lived in the Shawnee territories after he left. Again I question his being the author. I maybe wrong and may have to apologize at some time so I am not naming the family.
What I do not question is the correctness of the Indian's Waybill. I have found all of the mines but one by following the directions. As I have mentioned before in other posts it took a year to do it but was one of the biggest adventures of my life. I confirmed the locations with the new state of the art device purchased just for that purpose. What do you think? Please do not take this as “gospel” and do not be angry at me for the theory. All those concerned are long gone and I still do not want to harm anyone’s family name. Do you think this is possible Boomer?

 

[-Ki-]

you could be on to something there......

 

[KY Hiker]

From my research the question about the carved symbols ^^ ^ or ^ ^^ or /\/\ /\ or /\ /\/\ or even \/\/ \/ seem to be matches to 'indian' non specific symbols for camps or villages. Above Blackburn's grave area is a old indian camp ground/village. These symbols are common within Cherokee and Shawnee territories and many predate both tribes. The symbol is almost as common as the turkey foot (turkey track) which may have its roots from old Welsh alphabet.