Indian waybill... Caney Creek.. Elliott County Kentucky..

[gh65277]

Few pics from my last 2 trips this week exploring and following the indian waybill in Elliott County kentucky.

I love history and the John Swift story... Love reading other post about the indian waybill in my area.. many thanks to Boomer.. Curtis.. and Ki.. and many others.... for their post...their research.. their time.. for continuing the quest for JS ...

I am not the first to look here... I will not be the last... So many others before me who have posted on here or other sites and told this and that... I am indebted to others for keeping the story alive...

You won't see me writing a book about a fabulous discovery or where the mines area... I will never make a dime from this nor care too...just enjoy the time spent looking and reading and hiking and climbing to areas to see what's there.....

Just fascinated by this ... The search the journey.. seeing what's left from the past...

Below.. pics from lid gap... The cross on the northern side of the gap.. appears to be an upside cross ... The mine there...

On up the creek south side of the gap...Found the 2 old indian mines... Possible Spanish mines..mentioned in the waybill....the one u can walk down in a bit.. many burnt rocks are found ... a rich mineral area for sure...Many carvings here and there..so faded so hard to read but u can still tell is not natural to the rocks and features...

 

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[KY Hiker]

Excellent pictures gh65277. I envy the fact that you live so close to the area. I live NE of Louisville, it would be a 3hr or more drive for me just to get down there! With there being a drought you have a great opportunity to explore more with the water being so low, be thankful! I have to ask, does the large rock to the right of the mine entrance look like it broke off and fell? The smaller rocks seem to be stacked behind it? The vines make me think it could easily be over looked in warmer months. The overhead views of the entrance have some older timbers laying around it. Did they look cut? Was wondering if they were put there to help conceal the entrance more? Any thoughts of what you saw while you were there? I really enjoy the legend, and follow this thread more in interest than to 'find' anything. I have neither the time or resources to do any serious long term hunting. It would be nice to have a few folks compile enough evidence so the story could become history rather than legend!

 

[gh65277]

I live 45 minutes away... Go there often... Own property near there as well.... Love this area of Elliott County.. love looking thru cliffs shelters... Waybill.... The mines...

I have seen 3 of the 6 mines in the area... The waybill gives directions to 4 of them... Still on going search... Hope to look more over the winter....

If u r referring to the mine and entrance with the logs... This I am told is the only mine u can actually walk into the others have collapsed...

This is a huge shelter... From the bottom looking up and the top looking down it is near impossible to see the mine... There are many boulders the size of trucks and cars scattered throughout...

It Appears over time an upper level has broken off... Boulders strung about...from top to bottom...

In the south west corner as mentioned in the waybill ... If u go down over boulders walk across mid level and over the boulders u can see it... Entrance is huge...like a big hole....15 foot across...15 foot or more long..... 15 foot deep... Many small loose rocks laying on the ground... It appears to me the breakdown occurred centuries ago and the mine was begun after the rocks fell... Not sure how the silver was found to begin with... But the mine is underneath a huge boulder and continues back underground...

The poles have been cut... Dragged or carried here... Appears to be axe cut... U walk in several feet to a collapsed wall...

Guessing the logs or poles were used to shore up the tunnell or entrance area... At this entrance no trees present... Few saplings small bushes... But most of this hillside around the boulders there are no trees... Nearby few trees on down hill......

Seen others post and say at one time u could walk thru to a back entrance.... On up above entrance around mid level...120 feet away or so... is a dark hole with hand stacked rocks beside of it... Apparently another entrance at one time....

Couple carvings here and there... Up underneath the shelter from the east is carving on a rock ...been there long time..

Charred rocks all around the shelter in various places...

In the actual mine itself there is gravel and loose rock on the ground .......evidence of quite a bit of digging compared to the other area...

 

[KY Hiker]

Its funny how you describe the surrounding area of the mine. I frequent the Red River Gorge area to hike and camp. Its as if you were describing a hundred different locations in the RRGorge. Boulders the size of trucks and cars are common there as well.
So I have to ask, is there a direct connection to the Swift legend from the Indian Waybill? Or are they thought to be in common because they both involve silver mines? Or are they two completely different sets of mines? I am wondering if any of the Swift legend landmarks can be found in Elliot County? I don't recall a carving of a crane ever being mentioned in any of the Swift journals. I know he had supposedly passed thru or near this area in some accounts. Any landmarks in the area that relate back to journal descriptions?

 

[gh65277]

Been to the red river gorge many times.. rock climbing.. hiking and backpacking years ago... JS hunting.... love it there...

Carter Caves area... little Sandy river Gorge in Elliott County.. Red River Gorge area... All very similar with huge boulders... Sandstone rocks... Cliffs... And myrtle thickets or mountain laurel and rhododendron roots!...

Several say these mines are JS northern mines ... I don't know.. I believe it is possible..... many others have researched more than I spent more time on the JS story...........But sev things parallell JS possibility....

Both the waybill and John Swift journal mentions the kanawha river...as a reference point on the way to the mines....both mentions hiding 4 Barrells of coins...both mentions line of rocks... Symbols on JS maps are found in the Elliott county area...

JS and a triangle carving...... 101 carving...... Other initials carved... Possible bell nearby... possible anchor carved... Haystack rock.. buffalo looking rock....possible light house in the cliffs... V cut branch and natural arches galore...

Little Sandy Gorge... Rough rocky steep cliffs... Myrtle thickets.. very hard to access...


Fasinating place...

 

[KY Hiker]

Thanks for the input. I didn't know they had so much in common. From my point of view the named landmarks in RRGorge got their name from the legend and journals more so than being the actual places Swift had named. The area with the best probability is just south of the RRGorge proper and west of Campton around lower devil's creek. I have been visiting the area over 30 years and I can say for certain that the topography changes quickly out there due to fire and erosion from heavy rainfall. A mine entrance could easily be buried by a felled tree from a severe storm or water freezing and thawing and breaking large stones from cliffs. Erosion is the name of the game out there, it is how it was all formed to begin with. I can't imagine how much it has changed in 250 years. I cannot get over how a trail I used to 'know' has changed so much to where I barely recognize it 15 years later. Its easy to see how Swift lost his way back to the mines even if he were not blind. The vistas don't change as much as the details with time.

 

[gh65277]

Went back out last week JS hunting... Few pics here on up Caney creek from the walk in Indian mine...

Slant rock with turkey tracks.. one of the monument rocks ...huge shelter... Many holes been dug in the floor... Bucket with sifter screen still there... Tobacco sticks with marker...

Many things to see in this shelter.. 6 inch square holes drilled in two rocks 20 feet a apart... Some form of scaffold... Hoist... Some form of rigging ....?

Not sure if this shelter was a mine... A furnace area...an ore separation area.. or a camp... But pretty obvious with all the carvings here and nearby and the evidence of other treasure hunters left behind this was a major visited area at one time...

Anyone be willing to share what this was?...

 

[balmer1]

Visited this site many times over the years, rumor has been told via local ( now deceased) land owners the rock shelter shown was a furnace area at one time, and the fact in the head of the hollow to this shelter is several rock springs (which I have been to several occasions). This is the first hollow on the left after docking at caney.

 

[gh65277]

Coming from Caney ramp heading east ...it is the 3rd hollow on the left...

First two really just drains from the smaller branches.....3rd one is much bigger with awesome waterfall that drains in the spring season........

..... 1st one just before u get to slant rock with turkey tracks.. is where I found an old coffee or tea kettle made out of tin... Looked very old ... Hidden back in a hole...

2nd one short steep climbing in and out...wet from water seepage.... Around cliff before u get to the 3 rd one is two springs I saw against the cliff... Guessing one of these is the one mentioned in the indian waybill..... Then farther around past a monument rock with many carvings.... hard to read.....with a man made stacked wall nearby............ then further around.... the shelter mentioned here.....

Fasinating place... Thanks for the information... Wondering if it was a furnace or camp of some sort....

What do u think the 2 square holes in the rocks 20 feet apart were used for?...

Find it interesting if this furnace was for the 3 mines downstream quarter of a mile ...wonder why the furnace was so far away...?

At the walk in Indian mine...just above on the cliff line is another huge shelter that could have been adequate for a furnace?..

Long distance to mine the ore then transport 1/4 mile up stream.. climb the steep hill by the branch to the furnace... Maybe it was a central furnace for the other mine on upper caney creek near here is about mile on up the creek....

The 3 mines on Caney there in the curve section are close together...

Guessing someone wanted the furnace to be near the springs for adequate water supply.... It's all so interesting .....

Thanks for sharing this information about this area... apreciate It.... keeps the story alive...

 

[Tradertom]

Interesting thread. If only I were younger and lived closer.

 

[EC.Mason]

Hey gh, the rockhouse you are showing once had a large barn it in. The square holes were carved there to hold the beams to the barn. Actually my great grandfather used to own Big Caney, and his father owned the part of Caney were you took those pics. It was one of their father/grandfathers who cut those holes and built the barn. This was probably done in the late 1800s. The old barn was still partially standing back in the 1980s but someone burned it down to dig for indian artifacts under it.

 

[gh65277]

That is so interesting!.... Such a great story... Be great if someone had pics of the old barn.....

Wonder why barn underneath that huge shelter?.. hard to get too with that steep hill in front...

Another mentioned he heard at old furnace there at one time.... U heard any of this E.C. mason.....?

 

[EC.Mason]

Not sure why they built it there. I guess just the size of the rockhouse was appealing. I know they used to run cattle in those cliffs I believe. If you come down Caney from the boat dock, across the creek from the half moon rockhouse in that large bend is what looks like an old pig pen that was made out of logs. It was still standing 8 or 9 years ago. Not sure if my family built that or if some kids built it later on. I have never heard of a furnace being there but again I'm sure the size of it was appealing to those 200 years ago and would have been a good place for one. I hear that an extensive amount of Indian artifacts were dug out of it. It was dug to death so people had to be finding something. If you are standing in that rockhouse and walk the cliff line to your right towards the creek you will see a square spring but in the back of a small rock shelter. I always wondered if this was the spring the Waybill talked about. Also, and I may be wrong its been awhile since I've been there, but it seems like the rock that has "Elipe" and other carvings on it are on a rock in the creek very close to where the spring is. Its only visible when the water is lower but will stick out when it is. The water has faded the carvings a lot.

 

[gh65277]

Yes the pig pen still there...we Pass it on the water in our kayaks and u can see it pretty clear now with leaves down.....

Interesting about the spring u mention by the barn shelter... It must have been the spring the waybill mentioned considering the shelter contained many indian artifacts...

Do u know of a carving at mouth of caney... Low water u can see it? Do u know what it is? Heard others mention it...

Have u or ur dad walked the 45 acres of crane body atop cliff at cranes nest?... Wondering if any carvings there...?

To the south east of lid gap ....

 

[EC.Mason]

Well I know of several carvings but not sure exactly where your talking about. On the rock that sits across from the line of rocks is also a carving on the side that says "TYE". I always wondered if its the Col. Tye that Swift met in his later years. Could also be a forgery or someones initials. We have walked the "45" acres the waybill talks about. Not sure if there is 45 acres in that area (if we are reading the waybill correctly). However I have been to and have permission to dig the Indian mounds the manuscript talks about. Actually a treasure hunter I know dug one of them back in the 1980s with a back hoe and only found a completely smooth black creek rock at the bottom of the one he dug. He said there was no rocks in the dirt and that the soil was placed uniformly as with baskets. Half of the mounds are gone due to farming, but they are still there. I just haven't had the heart to dig them.

 

[Brushy Bandit]

Great pics I was just at the rockhouse with the green bucket and sift, I walked all the way up the creek bed to the 101 rock. I couldn't get over to it without swimmin. Love this part of the area, I'm from right here real close and have made a couple interesting finds, be great to hear from others who are always thinkin bout headin to caney.

 

[craft3369]

I know where craney is where is the boat dock I live close as well

 

[boomer]

just got back from texas and new mexico, some treasure hunters toke me to the supposed jim bowie mine. learned the turtle head and upside down cross was the most used sign for finding opening to mines at least in southwest. saw several old mines and smelters. seems the Spanish carvings are the same as here. where the old barn was on caney creek, just across creek,that long cliff that runs from boat dock down creek to the bend. I have a photo of a carving that shows the 101 and the bend. past this bend and the 101, it shows a long line and a V pointing against the line. some where along that cliff. it means an opening covered up or something hidden there. I never got to inspect that cliff. there should be a vary small carving or line cut where to dig. the barn across creek seems to be close to the center of where the V line is shown on carving. as for the upside down cross. that was funny,I new that something was close by. but I almost fell in the hole. inside the hole I guess 10 feet, there are two openings that have a lot of rock in them. do not know what's in them. the cross match's the hole. there was a furnace at the barn. samples came back iron and lead. keep this in mind, the civil war went in this area, so some carvings may be from that time.

 

[Curtis]

This is great stuff!

The other similarity with Swift is that there are two monument rocks in the creek- looks like from a distance but really is one rock that spit..right across the creek from the line of rocks. There are also man carved rocks that are in the creek(water has to be down to see them) one looks to be a door frame or threshold...rock house may mean ROCK HOUSE not a cliff with cave.
Did you find the rainbow?It is near the line of rocks which is the starting pint for the Indian Waybill. The last tree mines are a little harder to find but they are exactly where the Indian said they were. Expedition Unknown is looking at doing a show on the Swift and Way bill connection. I sent them my explanation and directions on how to find all of the mines.

 

[KY Hiker]

Instead of finding similarities between the Swift and Indian waybill mines, maybe it would be easier to look at the differences? Maybe I am just being stubborn and hard headed, I really think these two mine legends are one and the same. It would explain a lot about all this time and no one has found a Swift marked mine...

Good to hear the TV show Expedition Unknown may cover the legend... its a shame they never find much of anything on the show though!