The Indian Way Bill

[Ken S.]

Awesome man. Did you find any evidence he was in the Little Sandy area? Im assuming he was. He would make a lot better sense then Chief Joseph. Was Crane educated like I read? Not many Indians during that time were so I could see how him and Joseph would be mixed up. Has that carving been found in Ohio as well? Any additional information would be greatly appreciated!

Could it be that Crane was Indian name and Joseph was a name the English gave him?? Could they be one in the same??

 

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[EC.Mason]

That's possible! Seems that Crane was the English name gave to him from what I read. Apparently he was about 6 foot 4 inches tall which was very unusual back then. Because of his height and lankiness he was called the crane.

 

[Bigwilliy]

Where can one obtain a copy of this way I’ll?

 

[Bigwilliy]

My apologies my phone autocorrected me lol where can I get a copy of the way bill?

 

[KY Hiker]

My apologies my phone autocorrected me lol where can I get a copy of the way bill?

Here is what I have, I think it was posted on Tnet here somewhere. It doesn't read very well but considering it was an Indian original source, they think differently than settlers did. Several people on here have been to the places described and claim the openings are there, some say many of the landmarks parallel the Swift legend landmarks...One of my theories is they may just be one and the same Silver Mines. I have been told the crane carved in this document is very similar to one carved on the Red River at the mouth of Indian Creek. There are other places in the state with crane carvings as well...

Copy of Indian Waybill

by Chief Joseph Brant 1804

You will go to the little Kanawha and then you will find the maps of the silver mines in kentucky, strate waybills to the same. These mines are 10 and a half suns west. You will come down to the forks of great sandy river, then up said river to where you will find a crane cut on a stone which will be found at the mouth of a branch. Then three quarters of a mile where a line of rock seems to cross the river. Then turn your face to the north and you will find a snake trail or a rainbow in the face of the cliff, then go to the lower corner of the rock house. set your face to the east, walk 70 paces and you will find a rock on its edge with a crevice behind it, then go to the east end of the rock house to the corner, then turn your face to the west and step 2 paces west and behind this rock we hidden four barrels of money. Then go out of the rock house east, then go north to the top of the point bench of the cliff you will have to climb up a ladder, then set your face to the west, which will bring you into a rock house, go to the west end and you can pitch a rock into the river. Look in the rock house and you will see three ceder trees, if the paleface has not cut them down. Then climb down and cross the river on the line of rock and climb up steps and down steps, then go southwest a quarter mile and you will come to a gap in a low place in the cliff some distance from the creek. This gap is some 36 feet across, the gap some 4 feet wide and has a lid on it and is some 18 feet high. The creek and X and the river forms a horse shoe bend with some 45 acres of ground in it. Then go to the line of rock and go up the left hand side of the river. Then come down the river three hundred paces and you will come to the mouth of a creek that leads west and runs into the river east, go up the river to the gap with a lid on it and then go up the creek and you will come to a place you will have to climb down on a ladder. Then you go up the creek a small distance and you will find a large rock house forming to the south, which did have two or three corner rocks pointing down into a hole thirty-five feet in the hole is the indian mine. Then go up this creek and you will find a lick on the right hand side, then set your face south and go 30 paces south and you will cross a silver mine on its edge, then go up the creek two hundred yards and you will see in a spring running out of a crack of a rock, then turn your face east and you will see two large rocks standing on a point 253 yards, than you will see three large cliffs, one in your face, one on the right faces the north and the one left faces northeast, then go up the left hand fork one and a quarter miles and you will see a oval rock, then go up the creek a few spaces and you will see a break in the cliff to your left, then climb up the scale way now a road. Go east to the top of the hill and set your face to the south then go six hundred and 55 paces coming to the head of a sag that runs north east on a small ridge on the head of a branch thirteen paces west from the head to a large knob that has some brush on it and you will find a square hole in the ground thirty five feet deep, running across the bottom of the hole on its edge two inches wide in hard soap stone. Then go to the scale way that you came up and set your face to the east, go three quarters of a mile and you will come to the top of the ridge then turn your face to the west and you can see the high knob on your right and the mine in the knob. Keep on X your feet and the forks of the creek without change your body, then turn your face to the north east and go 90 paces to the north east and you will see from the top of a large rock house in. Then go back over your east line and set your face east, and go 145 paces and you will find yourself in a large buffalo, then set your your face north west and go to the sag on the rock house and you will pass over the richest mine ever known to the indians than go on the east flat and you will find four large mounds lying side by side running east and west about 45 feet and 14 feet high in a small branch running by ends of mounds and falls over the cliff that has the mine under it.

 

[Bigwilliy]

Thanks for the info. Looks like I’ll be heading to sandy lol.

 

[KY Hiker]

Good luck and happy hunting.