Here it is!

[Kentucky Kache]

To avoid confusion, switch threads.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Grab it through Amazon!

[makton]

Or buy the books

 

[swiftfan]

I think while searching for Swift, he came upon this site. And not fitting with the Swift stories, he started putting two and two together. I wish I could find two sites! Heck, the one I'm working now, looks like someone beat me to it years ago...
/swiftfan\

 

[makton]

I hope one of his two sites payoff for him and I wish him success but I think he could be more open to others and their searches. I am normally a quiet, don't get involved type of person but after reading these threads, Swiftfan really got under my skin.
He was debating with others on the hammer when they suggested it looked modern and "how could they tell from a picture but in another thread he got a positive id on colonial mortar from a picture he sent to an expert.

He also talks about how he is not in this for the money and just wants recognition for finding everything and documenting it in his book for others to come and enjoy but in his KGB thread he talks about bullet proof vests, guns and bloodshed with the government if they try to take his "vault" of KGB stash.

In another thread he talks about finding the hammer and because it was on govt land he re-buried it but then has a picture of it and supposedly has sent it to an expert for verification.

I love reading others treasure tales and wish everyone success and with most, it's the journey not the destination. With Swiftfan, it seems as if he is trying to ruin everyone elses journey.

Enough said,

Makton

 

[swiftsearcher]

Makton, I am NOT trying to ruin anyone else's journey. In fact, there are people on here who have went with me on some of my adventures. The ONLY thing I did regarding L37 was point out SEVERAL posts he made where he had information from the Swift journals COMPLETELY WRONG. Evidently he realized this, as he QUICKLY deleted his posts with these errrors. I DID THIS FOR THE SAME REASON I WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THE LOCATIONS OF THE MINES - TO GET THE TRUTH OUT.

Swiftfan is correct (and has helped me out at the Rich Mine a few days and is welcome to go back with my anytime) - there are two different locations. One I stumbled across while doing my Swift searching (the KGC vault). The other, in this thread, is the Rich Mine.

I do have an update on the Rich Mine excavation. Ralph is in and he and I went there to do some work yesterday. As Swiftfan can attest, the tunnel in the bear's den leading back to the actual seams of ore is rather small (neither of us could get through b/c our shoulders are too broad). Ralph and I worked several hours yesterday - going through four 18volt batteries. This is some hard rock (which one wouldn't think sandstone would be this bad, but it IS). Ralph and I figure, in order to get the tunnel widened and get the ten feet of dirt out of the mine entrance, it will take about 10 more days of work. For those of you who are ARMCHAIR treasure hunters setting on the couch, this could be several weeks. If I am lucky, I get to go out two days a week. If it rains, I usually have to wait several days to go back out and I have tons of other daily things to do in the meantime. THERE IS MUCH MORE TO THIS EXCAVATION THAN SIMPLY GETTING A SHOVEL AND DIGGING TEN FT. OF DIRT OUT OF A CAVE! Again, anyone who has actually been in the field would realize this!

 

[truckinbutch]

When I was traveling with my grandpa on a horsedrawn wagon he advised me to pay no mind to the various dogs that came to the road .
"Them dogs bark for a while . This wagon keeps on going."
He also had a way of putting them back in their place with his whip .

 

[swiftsearcher]

Just a quick note to let everyone know that excavations were completed yesterday! Only one additional trip is planned to go back for now to get pics of the inside and check to make sure nothing is left inside. Thanks to all of those who have supported and believed in me.

 

[swiftfan]

I hope everything is as we hoped!!! Sorry I wasn't there... Let me know what you find.. call me...

 

[-Ki-]

swiftsearcher,
hope all is well with your site and you find something. My site has been filled in as well and its gonna take some diggin to get back into the mine. So trust me i for one know the trouble you have went through at your site... UpDate on my site, i found something that has me really excited.....their is a hollow sound in the floor of my mine. Ive crawled over it a few times in trying to get back further in the mine, one day i hit it with my knee and noticed the hollow sound. I went back beat the spot with my fist, and sure enough its hollow. This has me really wondering I have a dig planed soon, the weather has cooled down a bit, i'll start making my long hikes again very soon... 3mile hike with about 40-50 pd. of equipment on your back is tuffer than some think.. I always go to my site prepared for anything that could happen, good or bad... Always think safety.
I have all faith in swiftsearcher and belives hes found something great and "historic".
-KI-

 

[swiftsearcher]

Seth, I will be in touch - wish you could have been there.

Ki - thanks for the kind words and good luck at your site. You are certainly right - I had some wonder why I didn't go ahead and simply dig the mine out. Until you have been in the field and experienced these situations, you have no idea what you are in store for. There is much more to things than simply "digging it out or up"! Be certain to keep us updated on your findings!

 

[swiftsearcher]

One very interesting thing was a huge "G" carved into the wall, next to the entrance. I am assuming this is/was a Masonic "G", since Swift was more than likely a Mason. Also, there might be more to it!

 

[makton]

Where's the silver??

I thought this was the richest silver vein in KY Since you dug it out according to your KGC posts,
I am sure you already have a piece of ore to show us or do we have to buy the book to see a pic?

 

[swiftsearcher]

Friends have and can see some things. However, smartas@es, like yourself, will have to buy the book!

 

[truckinbutch]

Dat answer your question makton ?

 

[-Ki-]

GREAT NEWS! A member of this site (Seth Robbins) is going to help me excavate the Rich Mine on Monday/Tuesday! This will be very interesting and answer a lot of questions to say the least. Was Swift a Pirate? Was the Rich Mine a Silver Mine OR a GOLD Mine? etc. etc.

Anyone care to make predictions?

My prediction is that it will be exactly as Swift stated - a mine. However, we know that Swift made Gold and Silver Crowns and mentioned heaped up GOLD located with the Silver in the Great Cave (or Indian Cave). Gold is sometimes found with Silver in deposits. However, during my research, I have quite a bit of info. that points to the Rich Mine containing GOLD and not Silver. With Gold hovering around a grand an ounce, I know what I want the "pocket" or "seam" in the mine to be. However, I am leaning 70% Silver and 30% Gold.

It will also be great to see the actual "pocket" or "seam" that the crew mined (be it Silver or GOLD) and to see how pure it really is. I am sure many have heard the tales that the Rich Mine is so pure that one can mine the ore with a pocket knife.

Also, not far from the Rich Mine (in fact, on the highest point in the area), is where I found an old dead tree that had GIST carved in it. We know from Gist's journal that he might have found a Gold Mine and I know from my research that Gist had a definite link to Swift (which I will devote an entire chapter to in my book). Could the Rich Mine and Gist's "find" be one in the same and be a Gold Mine?

The closer we get to Monday and Tuesday, the more excited I become on finally being able to answer these questions. Don't worry, I will let everyone know what the mine contains and will even show a pic of the ore (or other find(s)). This I won't make everyone wait on until my book comes out next year!

In the meantime (between now and when we remove the 10 ft. of dirt Swift and Co. filled the Rich Mine in with either Monday or Tuesday), I would love to hear everyone's opinions! What do you guys/gals think we will find? Will it be a Gold Mine, Silver Mine, Pirate loot they brought in to be melted down, NOTHING, etc.?

BTW - If it turns out to be ORE of some kind (like I believe), we will be having it assayed and I will let everyone here know the content!

Swiftsearcher,
You mention Gist in the above post, Gist was a big part of the swift lore. He made his first trip in to Ky in 1751 and wrote his finds in a journal. I think every swift hunter has heard Gist's finds on his first trip in one form or another, He found stones that shined like high brass. Although i dont think it was silver or gold, it was a good find. He even took a sample back to the ohio company to show them. Now Gist was friends with the same indians as swift, and swift and gist probaly knew each other very well, swift found his knowledge of the Ky wilderness usefull, and id say swift followed Gist's trail's he'd blased some 10 years earlier into Ky. In the below post is a part of Gist journal that tells of his find.... -Ki-

 

[-Ki-]

here is a part of Gist journal....... -Ki-

 

[-Ki-]

From where hes talking about is around the northern part of Estill Co area of Ky. There was iron pyrite found in abundance around this area, they even built huge iron furnaces for the smelting of this iron ore. There was a huge deposit of iron ore found on the red river (the curent location of Clay City) There the first iron furnace was built in 1784, it was called collin's forge, it continued until the estill furnace was built in the 1830's and then later cottage furnace both still standing today. That why im curious with swift claims around my area, cause all the iron ore mines and caves, and also saltpeter mines. The furnace in Clay City is long gone, but you can still tell where it was. You can still find the slag that was dumped.

The cuttaway river today called The Kentucky.........

 

[makton]

Friends have and can see some things. However, smartas@es, like yourself, will have to buy the book!

So your post about posting pics once you got into the mine, what happened with that or will you delete that post as well. Maybe you don't want anyone to recongnize the inside or.....maybe you don't have any pics worth showing.

 

[swiftsearcher]

Makton, don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining!

Why would you ask for pics anyway, when you, SWR and a couple others believe there is nothing here nor at the vault? I deleted all the pics at the KGC "vault" thread b/c many said I had already posted too much info. If I posted a pic of a Swift Crown, some of you would want the entire video of excavation. I was not born yesterday and will NOT post a pic again here of even a laurel leaf!

The way I see it, a handful has ruined it for the rest on here, other than the ones whom I have asked to help and trust. From here on out, the people I can trust, whom I have selected from this forum to help, will be the only ones to know of any further progress at all. The good news for these honest people will be that they won't have to worry about seeing any pics - they will see everything in person for themselves!

As I have stated before - L37 posted he found Swift's Mines on a topo map of all things. It seems the ones praising him simply went to tormenting me and I had actually provided pics to L37's NOTHING! Oh well, you guys can simply go on a wild goose chase with L37. Oh, wait! You are probably all armchair treasure hunters, just as L37 and will simply be looking at topos, knowing in your minds you have found everything ON A MAP!

 

[truckinbutch]

Friends have and can see some things. However, smartas@es, like yourself, will have to buy the book!

So your post about posting pics once you got into the mine, what happened with that or will you delete that post as well. Maybe you don't want anyone to recongnize the inside or.....maybe you don't have any pics worth showing.

Or maybe he doesn't have to show you JACK . Don't that tick you off when you lose control and there isn't doodlysquat you can do about it . (icon : thumbing ears while sticking out tongue > un
available )