Maybe, but I would think if one had an explosive without a license it wouldn't matter where it was? I think there are federal laws related to that? Very heavily regulated professions, blasting and mining. Also, silver is in KY, that is a known fact. What is not known (to people with degrees and authority) is if there is any in paying quantities. Remember, Mrs. Timmins had several assays done in the late 1800s. Both silver and gold was in the ore sampled, just not in paying density from where she took samples. I think the area was mined by Swift and he moved on to other locations once the silver tapered off. Mrs. Timmins thought she needed to dig deeper to find the richer material. My problem with that is, if she believed that it makes no sense that Swift was there? Why would he mine poor quantities of silver content ore and then just stop? If he had found a seam of silver he would have dug deeper IMHO.