John Swifts Lost Silver Mines (carvings)

Rebel, if you are right, I need to be out opening up the first mine and West mine I have already found - if they were depositories that is! I have to disagree with you on this one, as I believe Swift was a miner and did mine old Shawnee mines. That is the reason I haven't opened up the mines - too much digging to get to a mine where you would have to mine ore in the middle of nowhere. Plus in this area, Penn VA owns all the mineral rights, so you would be SOL anyway. I can tell you that Swift and his crew were melting a LOT of Silver. I spoke with my friend (who is coming in to look for the Great Cave with me next week) and was telling him about the HUGE FURNACE I found in this area near the forks of two creeks (actually, I have been at that furnace about 3 or 4 times). Anyway, it completely dwarfs the one pictured in Henson's book on page 51 by about 50 times or more!

Mr. Steely is right about Swift and these markings - in one journal he did state to follow the trail starting at Martin's Cabin. Then, if on the right path, one will find several trees and rocks with various markings. I believe I posted the pic of the old half-fallen tree near the mines and furnaces on here before - that had an ancient JS carved into it, that was mossed over. I have also found some markings myself in a coupld of rockhouses - again JS, along with a dead tree near the top of a cliff (and the Indian Stairsteps) that had "GIST" carved on it! So, there are literally hundreds of "markings" in VA/KY and other states from Swift and his crew. Also, one must be aware, as Dan Graybeal and I have discussed many times on the phone, there are FAKE Swift markings around as well - Dan even told me of people he knew in the thirties that would go around marking trees and rocks, making the markings look old, to fool others.

I am glad Mr. Steely posted about the gun carved on a tree. I have never heard that one. Although, I do know the branch where a gun dating from Swift's time was found in the mid 1800's, that was in the forks of a tree and supposed to have been a marker pointing to one of Swift's mines.

I sent Mr. Steely an e-mail with the pic of Turtle Back Rock and asked him this question, since he has over a dozen journals - does anyone have a journal that gives more specific directions to the Rich Mine from Turtle Back Rock? The journals I have and others I have read all simply state that the Turtle Back Rock is "NEAR" the mine and that is it.
 

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OLD Th'ers "language" of "near" &"far"... NOT in terms of MILES...

Yo! ;D A LITTLE "insight" from overhearing '' ''old-timers"... " NEAR'' is when you can "see" it from the MOUNTAIN TOP; "FAR" is when you can't "see" it (MAY be over the NEXT mountain ridge). In other words... something "far away" MAY be over the NEXT mountain ridge... AND! closer to you in today's miles... HA! ALSO, they did "things" by the "rising/setting sun"... EAST to WEST; getting THAT "bearing" for NORTH to SOUTH (like "reading" a MAP... EAST is on yer right hand... WEST is on yer left hand; you face NORTH... and yer A** is SOUTH...). Gotta be "mindful" that the EAST does change during the "seasons" of the year, especially SUMMER & WINTER; adjust "directions", accordingly... ;)
 

that old dried up creek bed is of major importance. i dont believe its as dried up as you say. im quite confidant it still runs below the surface. go below to look further. kiddrock33
 

Rebel, it is close (at least the vicinity where I believe the rich mine to be from the location of the turtle back rock). The biggest problem for me (I have nerve damage in my back and my hip is dislocated) is the steep terrain. I was thinking if someone might have a journal with more detail, it would save a cripple like myself from walking the steep gap/knob area in search (I could go in a more direct manner). Anyway, I am CLOSE.

Kid - I think I know what you are eluding to. The creeks that flow uderground I have already found - they are West of this area, just as Swift stated - I even have a pic of that waterfall as well. This creek is right below the rockhouse 100 yards above the furnace rockhouse (just as Swift stated in several journals!). The rocks are still there leaning together over this dried up creek.

I cannot wait to put all this info and pics together in book form (which should be in the next month or so), then get this published.
 

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"Rebel, any time you want to come down and trek through the mountains with me - simply LMK! Believe it or not, I cannot get anyone to go around here (that I trust that is - I had some people e-mail me from Haysi and Pound - they wanted to tell me when they would be down, when we would go and sounded as if they wanted to take over MY search!). Well, more power to those guys - they can find things the HARD WAY, like I did!"


Sorry if it sounded that way man. I was the one from Pound that emailed you and told you what days I was available IF YOU wanted to go. I've done my fair share of research and have alot of pics too. I live right at and have hiked ALOT of pine mountain I just figured I would give you a hand. I'm not out to make a buck on anything I find either. Good luck. Hope you find what you're looking for.
 

Well, Dirtdiggler,

I offered to go with you and hadn't heard back. Of course, that's your choice. I know Pine Mountain as good as anybody else, I guess. It's been my playground for over 20 years.

Cavers5
 

Re: John Swifts Lost Silver Mines (carvings)... LOOK for 'em...

Yo! ;D S.S., M.S., et al.: I can't make it down yer way, due to family obligations in the Shenandoah Valley, Va.; HOWEVER, I want to recommend a TH'er, who also have experience in looking for the S.M. AND! has experience looking for other treasures, written "books" on C.D.'s (computer), etc. He will be my "proxy", and NOW, is the time to look, while the leaves are down (and "slimy" wild things ;D...). He knows that I will recommend him, and will be "watching" this site. "beale" is his "nick"/username. hh & good luck!! ;)
 

DD - I don't think it was you I was referring to, especially if you e-mailed me the way you said you did. I have actually received SEVERAL e-mails from people wanting to go with me on Swift adventures. Some were nice, and some were demanding. Ralph H. from the board has been a "regular" with me out in the woods for over a year now. There were a couple who e-mailed me around the time I first conversed with Ralph who were demanding, and wanting to bring others with them. TBH, I have only shown what I have found to my family, Ralph H. and a couple National Forest Rangers who helped me obtain some National Forest Service maps I can use for my upcoming book.

The weather has been bad lately and I have been extremely busy, so I haven't gotten back out in the area of the Great Cave since Ralph H. came in and went with me. The mountains are really wet now and some of the creeks I cannot pass to get where I want to go (too bad I am crippled I guess). Again, the only things I have left to find are the Great Cave and the Rich Mine (which I haven't begun looking for yet, but have the general area down, from my other finds).

I do need regular help however, as my family hardly ever goes with me and Ralph lives in VA Beach. DD, if you would like to go sometime, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] with your phone number and the best time to call you. I figure I can give you a call and we can meet and talk at a local restraunt. Then, after I am more comfortable and feel I can trust you, you are more than welcome to go with me. BTW - I will make you the same deal I made my family, as I am NOT greedy. IF we do find a cache (at the rich mine where Swift buried one and might still be there, or the Great Cave), you can have half of what you carry out. Feel free to e-mail me anytime.
 

I gave my opinion on the Pigeon Water find in the other thread (that it was more than likely Cornstalk's cache from working with Swift and others). I have some other stories/theories on Pigeon Water as well that will be in my book.

I am in the process of hunting for the Great Cave myself and could use one Trustworthy person to help (I have a great friend - Ralph Hurst who helps when he can, but he lives on the coast and can't be here every search unfortunately).

I do have some good leads on the Great Cave - including an old copy of a map supposedly showing the entrance location! However, the country is rough, full of laurel and the opening is small (I figure about the size of the Rich Mine opening I found). The biggest problem is there are no clear directions, as Swift gave in finding the Rich Mine.

Like I stated to a member when he thought he found the Rich Mine (before I found it), he would know for SURE he found it IF it had the right landmarks nearby and the chestnut burr rock above the mine entrance, there is also one FACT that will let one know if he/she/they have found the Great Shawnee Cave Swift spoke of and Swift's Co.'s cache - it IS if you find the skeletons of the crew members and Indians Swift killed inside the cave near the cache. Also, more than likely, if these are gone, the cache will DEFINITELY be gone (who would move a bunch of bones and leave all that gold and silver???).

Of course I know a little more than I have revealed about the Great Cave. I will tell all the members this: I have found all the cache sites Swift mentioned in his journals and they have all been dug years ago. IMHO, the ONLY gold/silver cache related to Swift still left to be found is inside the Great Cave he mentions in the journals. I still believe this has not been found and I have a few reason why that I will write about in the book.

Again Seth, feel free to e-mail me and we can start working on a friendship. I do only need ONE person to help when my fiance' and Ralph cannot however and don't want this person to reveal anything I show them or hunt these areas without me present (until we find the Great Cave and/or my book comes out and I quit searching of course). I am a very honest person and that is all I want - one honest person (who can keep a secret or two) to help me in searching for the Great Cave, as it is going to be like finding the needle in the haystack!
 

Sense this is a carvings thread I thought I would actually post a pic. How bout a cornstalk carving near the water cave?
 

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Speaking of "Serpent Carvings", some Swift journals have mentioned a rock with a snake on it that points to Swift's mine. Well, I found the rock (along with everything else Swift mentioned), and here it is. It is in the "Saddle Gap" and points to Swift's Rich mine!

As for the image above, I have to agree with CacheCrazy on this one, the carving looks more like a serpent on a pole than a cornstalk IMHO. I would think, if the carving was a cornstalk, the leaves would be more elongated. I would love to know what the "Treasure Sign" experts believe the meaning of the carving to be (IF it is a serpent on a pole). Then, again, it could have had a meaning to the person carving it that doesn't "fit" a treasure sign "meaning". ???
 

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The S & M stand for Sol Mullins. The two middle signs between the S & M mean TWO deposits of treasure or mines. The dots mean Treasure buried in a cave or caves. The intersecting triangles at the top are the TWO treasures. So, if this carving is at or near Pigeon Water, it would mean that Sol Mullins buried TWO "treasures" in a couple of caves. I have heard that there are caves close to Pigeon Water Cave. IF these carvings are close to Pigeon Water, we know one cache was found in Pigeon Water, so, there should be another cache in a cave nearby. The cave might even intersect with Pigeon Water Cave, if this is the case as well (going by the top carvings intersecting)! GOOD LUCK!
 

It is not near the water cave. This carving is on lower devils creek in wolfe county. This carving is one that is mentioned in Henson's book.
 

My take then is the "S" might be a stream, river or creek and the "M" might be two mountain peaks, with the treasure caves in between the water and mountains. ???
 

What type of rock would this be? A table top rock, a buffalo rock, a chesnut burr rock opinions?
 

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If that was going to be any of the rocks you mentioned, it would be located where Swift mentioned. I can attest that the three rocks you mentioned are still where Swift stated they were (the chestnut burr rock is still above the Rich Mine opening and the buffalo rock is still West of the Rich Mine, with the table top rock directly above it on a cliff - sticking out over the ledge).

Unfortunately, the earthquacke of 1811/12 did do some damage to the furnace rockhouse (main one) and the rockhouse Swift and his Co. lived in (several rocks have fallen around and inside of these. However, the good news is the landmark rocks are still there for everyone to see for themselves! :thumbsup: I have been in both rockhouses, but would urge anyone to use caution going in these due to the large fallen rocks (after my book comes out and you know exactly where to go). Also, it seems that the cache of Silver Pigs below the furnace rockhouse is probably still there - the only problem, there are some HUGE boulders that have fallen over the area from the earthquake that would be impossible to move. :-[
 

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