Swift and the Waybill

[Curtis]

Hi All,

Been doing a preliminary comparison of the Swift description's as we know them(Henson and others) and the Chief Joseph Waybill. I had always kind of scoffed at the idea. Now I am learning more and more that they maybe related. As I mentioned in previous posts the waybill mines could be the "lesser" mines or lower mines Swift talks about. Here are a few pics of the area. above the line of rocks on the way bill. In the mine under the big rock house.



standing on the line of rocks. in the mine. monument rocks ? turkey tracks.

 

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[Curtis]

Here are a couple more land mark from waybill. in front of the line of rocks balanced rock.

 

[KY Hiker]

Nice pictures Curtis, thanks for sharing! I imagined the line of rocks to be much higher. So have you made a list of landmarks that fit and don't fit between the two stories? For instance, no rock bridge over the creek or stones leaning upon one another over the water... ? A lighthouse/arch/window to see the sun set through ( on the west ridge) ?

 

[CT1976]

Nice work, Curtis. Is it me or does that balanced rock on the line of rocks look like a skull?

 

[Curtis]

Hiker..the line of rocks wee a lot higher as that is where the rock bridge or Arch use to be. The army corps of engineers were supposed to have blown it up for making the area passable for boating..as part of the reservoir system. The light house is possibly the gap with a lid on it. It was published in a magazine that some Swift searchers were there (they spent several days there) in the late evening when the sun had set and it had shown through the gap like a light house. They found rocks with Swift and company names carved on them...something I cant find there. I Found some Indian stair steps after you cross where the Arch was ..to the right and behind the monument rocks is an area that you can come down..don't think of carved steps these are rocks that are about 2-4 feet high and are the only way to get down to the river for miles. Also found some carved steps... they are almost in sight of the line of rocks. Also found turkey tracks about 2 miles from the mines. Also did you know that the French had silver mines over on Kinnikincik (spelling) creek? This was near the Swift time - its in recorded history books.

 

[Curtis]

I didn't notice it until a while later but it does look that way. Those monument rocks are the ones that Boomer said use to have black hands on the top of them-I couldn't see them.

 

[KY Hiker]

Looks like you have found a lot of parallels between the two stories, almost enough to be conclusive evidence!....So the upper mines would be SW of there.... hmm interesting!

 

[Curtis]

KY Hiker,

I haven't mentioned but half of them. It has been an adventure and I loved every minute of it! That is one of the most beautiful areas I have been in...and I have ben treasure hunting all over the US! Each Indian Waybill find was such an exciting time. I had first been in that area back in about 1978/9 looking for Swift mines. then Michael Paul Henson sent me a letter and included some info on the Indian Waybill, neither of us at that time thought they were the same thing. Boomer has been a great help to me In locating some landmarks and his theory of the area being like an Indian with a bow may bee legitimate..on the rock map you can see a small figure that looks like he is holding a bow..its directions to the silver mines.

 

[KY Hiker]

I have never seen that before, it almost looks like a figure looking at a half moon rising... or a bow but isn't it turned the wrong way?

 

[franklin]

I would like to say I see it but really I do not see anything but maybe a "J" or "K" It all looks natural to me.

 

[KY Hiker]

I would like to say I see it but really I do not see anything but maybe a "J" or "K" It all looks natural to me.

Copy the picture and apply a filter to it. If you have a photo viewer with different filters like sepia ect. Different filters can show different things, like shadows at certain times of day, or the rock being wet vs dry.
I have looked at rock ledges in the Red River Gorge that are covered with modern carvings. Wait until dark and lay a flashlight down across the rock and suddenly you can see the older and fainter scrapes easier.

 

[KY Hiker]

Hiker..the line of rocks wee a lot higher as that is where the rock bridge or Arch use to be. The army corps of engineers were supposed to have blown it up for making the area passable for boating..as part of the reservoir system. The light house is possibly the gap with a lid on it. It was published in a magazine that some Swift searchers were there (they spent several days there) in the late evening when the sun had set and it had shown through the gap like a light house. They found rocks with Swift and company names carved on them...something I cant find there. I Found some Indian stair steps after you cross where the Arch was ..to the right and behind the monument rocks is an area that you can come down..don't think of carved steps these are rocks that are about 2-4 feet high and are the only way to get down to the river for miles. Also found some carved steps... they are almost in sight of the line of rocks.View attachment 1565130View attachment 1565129 Also found turkey tracks about 2 miles from the mines. Also did you know that the French had silver mines over on Kinnikincik (spelling) creek? This was near the Swift time - its in recorded history books.

Really like those stair steps carved. I would say those are more prominent than the ones in the Red River Gorge called Indian Stairway. The ones above Rock Bridge on Rock Bridge Trail were supposedly cut by the C.C.C. during the depression. Some say there were some already there and that the C.C.C. just made them better.... who knows there are no records of their work in 1930s.

 

[Curtis]

The rock map is definitely carved. Here is the negative requested. my feet in the steps talk about a peculiar rock...

here, not far from the DAR 1769 rock..

 

[KY Hiker]

I really need to visit this area and check it out soon. There are too many things in common with the Swift Journals for it not to be one of the locations. You should publish your findings and conclusions Curtis, it may not make you a fortune but it sure will verify the basis of the Legend. The last picture of the face in the rock... the rock itself is shaped like an eagle's head from that angle, with the face being the eye... good stuff!

 

[boomer]

First I want to thank Creekcrawler, he reopened my brain. I completely forgot about the historical aerial photo maps still out their. I was able to find them. some run back to 1937, I looked at the location of the indian mine on canney creek and it showed a better picture of the workings there. it showed the rock that was takin out of the mine an tossed over the edge of the cliff and down to the creek. showed other places that were dug and piled down by creek. it looks like canney from the mouth at little sandy to near the boat dock is about 6 to 8 feet wide at mouth and 2 feet wide near boat dock. just a guess but canney looks to be a foot deep. sandy seems to be 8 feet wide at line of rock. you can see old paths that run to cliffs and stop, also a trail that seems to run from line of rock up the hill toward the indian mine on canney. I ordered some maps going back to 1926. I still have a lot of work to do.

 

[Curtis]

Boomer, can we find those historic pictures somewhere?

 

[Curtis]

KY Hiker,

Never noticed the eagle head until you mentioned it. Thanks for the encouragement. I have most of the story of discovering the 6 silver mines in a booklet form....not published just for my reference...and it does make since to add the Swift info and the Way Bill info and write about the comparisons. I think I will go to Kinnikinick too, try to find the place where the French were. That could tie the Swift location to the Way Bill area....or not.

 

[boomer]

Curtis, remember when I showed several old news paper articles telling about the French and monks being on kinnikinck and carter city and mining at carter caves. go up kinnikinck a good ways and you will see a drain on your right called silver run and if you walk east to the top of the ridge, that is where I found a lot of silver pieces melted, still had a lot of slag stuck to them it looked like they had fallen from some kind of sack. if you go down the east side of the ridge, the drain is also called silver run. I was shown an old cabin site there that some coins were minted by a man named swingle? some of the old paths or still up there. go past silver run and on your right, the next creek is burned cabin branch, where the French worked the mine and had there furnace. I think the next creek on up past burned cabin creek is indian paint creek? (not sure of the wording) where supposedly 3 indian mines are. never got to check this creek out.
I ordered Aerial photo maps from historical aerial photos on internet, but they are high. but a light at the end. USGS AERIAL PHOTOS and so far its free, uses earth explorer. I am using you tube to figure out how to download all this.

 

[KY Hiker]

Here is a link to a topo map of Carter Caves and surrounding area, I don't see any drains with those names listed under the map!

https://www.topoquest.com/map.php?l...ad83&zoom=32&map=auto&coord=d&mode=pan&size=m

 

[KY Hiker]

KY Hiker,

Never noticed the eagle head until you mentioned it. Thanks for the encouragement. I have most of the story of discovering the 6 silver mines in a booklet form....not published just for my reference...and it does make since to add the Swift info and the Way Bill info and write about the comparisons. I think I will go to Kinnikinick too, try to find the place where the French were. That could tie the Swift location to the Way Bill area....or not.

Where is this Kinnikinick creek ? I can't seem to find a creek in KY with that name or spelling.