upthecreek, the man you talked with about that silver bar. can you talk with him again. find out if the finder owned land at flat gap. if he owned land there, maybe part of the creek ran across his property and that's maybe how it was found. if you can get close to the location if you have a name then check old land records for site location and look up flat gap ky. property owners. the library may have this in there genealogy secton. you may need to go to the paintsville library for that. take a look at the cliffs our hills around his property there, to see if it could have washed down off a steep hill from heavy rains or washed out from the creek bank after a flash flood. go to the library at louisa and search there old newspapers and get a copy of the book (history of the big sandy valley). paintsville, check old newspapers for anything on swift and silver bars/coins found. see if they have a book on (history of johnson county) and check the historical society records. its a long slow process. has for the cave. if its that small it may not show up on a topo map. caves of any size would have this symbol ----< and old coal mines used the same symbol's. at flat gap, if they have a mail dropoff or a local store, see if they have info on caves in the area. but just say you are looking for places to hunt arrowheads. if you say anything about gold/silver you will find in most cases they know nothing. there is two more things, on upper laurel creek near its headwaters, there is a natural rock bridge. i was told there are strange carvings on it. also near the end of paintsville lake there is a creek called mine fork. a silver mine was worked there. i never checked it out. but that creek was called that long before they started mining coal. just a guess, i think i read this in one of paul hensons books. read the post on (yep another swift waybill).
(Up the Creek) Laurel creek
- Thread starter boomer
- Start date
UpTheCreek
Greenie
BOOMER,
thanks for the info.
his great-great grandfather that found the bar was walking along the creek, I dont think it was on thier property. I will try to find out though.
He also mentioned a hill his grandfather used to tell of. I did find a road in the direction he stated this hill was at. The road name has the name of the hill in it.(may be a good sign huh)
KW
thanks for the info.
his great-great grandfather that found the bar was walking along the creek, I dont think it was on thier property. I will try to find out though.
He also mentioned a hill his grandfather used to tell of. I did find a road in the direction he stated this hill was at. The road name has the name of the hill in it.(may be a good sign huh)
KW
UpTheCreek
Greenie
Hey guys check out the maps I found from late 1700's and early 1800's
interesting to compare todays conties, cities and other locations.
Pay close attention to the carter county/grayson lake area. I have a good place to start when we meet this summer.
Anyhow, check them out, give me your feedback....thanks
KW
interesting to compare todays conties, cities and other locations.
Pay close attention to the carter county/grayson lake area. I have a good place to start when we meet this summer.
Anyhow, check them out, give me your feedback....thanks
KW
Attachments
- Thread starter
- #4
Notice on the first map, upper right it shows the big sandy river. there is a wavy line that runs from the edge, going across the river heading to Lexington KY. this was the route that was used if you were coming from the northeast threw west va.
today route 460 runs on this old buffalo trail. swift used this route several times. the first map was showing the known trails into kentucky. the next or later map was showing the best roads into kentucky for settlers moving here. to help with research download google maps, google earth and world wind done by NASA. the topo and satellite maps saves a lot of time when your researching. good going.
today route 460 runs on this old buffalo trail. swift used this route several times. the first map was showing the known trails into kentucky. the next or later map was showing the best roads into kentucky for settlers moving here. to help with research download google maps, google earth and world wind done by NASA. the topo and satellite maps saves a lot of time when your researching. good going.
Curtis
Hero Member
Great Maps!
Boomer, notice the one map show the mountains or ridges? I am betting one of those is the one that Swift mentions "North of the furnace about three miles is a large hill, seven or eight miles long, which there is good timber of different kinds, where we were able to make charcoal in large quantities, for our use in smelting the ore." I have my eye on one of them to check out and see just how it fits.
Boomer, notice the one map show the mountains or ridges? I am betting one of those is the one that Swift mentions "North of the furnace about three miles is a large hill, seven or eight miles long, which there is good timber of different kinds, where we were able to make charcoal in large quantities, for our use in smelting the ore." I have my eye on one of them to check out and see just how it fits.
UpTheCreek
Greenie
Boomer,
That line actually falls right in the vicinity of the hill the old guy from flatgap, ky was telling me about.
Also looks like it reaches the lower part of West Carter and Elliiot county areas. These are areas of interest and areas evidence has been found. Right?
What do you think?
That line actually falls right in the vicinity of the hill the old guy from flatgap, ky was telling me about.
Also looks like it reaches the lower part of West Carter and Elliiot county areas. These are areas of interest and areas evidence has been found. Right?
What do you think?
UpTheCreek
Greenie
Hey All,
I am looking for a metal detector. Any advice or ideas on a good beginners detector would be appreciated.
Or, if anyone has one they want to sell let me know.
Thanks.KW
I am looking for a metal detector. Any advice or ideas on a good beginners detector would be appreciated.
Or, if anyone has one they want to sell let me know.
Thanks.KW
- Thread starter
- #8
Carter, Elliott and Lewis, this is a hot bed. i have seen some of the mines. but do not do what i did in the past. i vary rarely took samples home. get a small pocket detector, easy to carry and you can test for metal on the spot. if it rings out take a sample home with you and use a small torch to see what melts out. start out with a low flame and work up in heat. a temperature gauge to see how hot your flame is and a chart that tells the melting point of the diffrent metals. one thing if rock is wet it will explode. wear a face shield and welding gloves. heat vary slowly. you can learn a lot about rock. the indians would throw rock in to a hot fire to see what melted out.
Curtis
Hero Member
On the rocks and fire: I've read where the Indians would build a fire against the rock with ore and then when the coals started dieing down they would sweep them off and pour cold water on the rocks. This would fracture the rock and make it easier for them to mine the ore.
UpTheCreek
Greenie
Curtis
Hero Member
Hey Up,
Thanks for the post! That is a cool map...never seen anything where someone printed a map with the trail on it. Do you know the source of the newspapers information? Do you have the whole article? Or the name of the paper and date? I would be interested in seeing the context they were writting about Swift in all the way down there.
Thanks for the post! That is a cool map...never seen anything where someone printed a map with the trail on it. Do you know the source of the newspapers information? Do you have the whole article? Or the name of the paper and date? I would be interested in seeing the context they were writting about Swift in all the way down there.
UpTheCreek
Greenie
Curtis,
It did not reveal the source of the info. It was actually a story of The Ashland Girls Club, Ashland, KY.
Here is a link. Kinda long. If it does not work let me know.
The article does have some interesting points and info. I did a short background on the blacksmith and farmer in the story. Appears they were living in Johnson County, and maybe Floyd County area.
This does fall into the area that I posted about a while back, when I had talked with an old timer from the are and he told me stories of his great-great Grandfather and great Grandfather finding a bar of silve in a creek and visiting a cave to extract lead for bullets for hunting. This is very encouraging and exciting to say the least....Let me know what you find....KW
The Miami News - Jul 27, 1929Browse this newspaper
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...3,2306755&dq=jonathan+swift+silver+mine&hl=en
It did not reveal the source of the info. It was actually a story of The Ashland Girls Club, Ashland, KY.
Here is a link. Kinda long. If it does not work let me know.
The article does have some interesting points and info. I did a short background on the blacksmith and farmer in the story. Appears they were living in Johnson County, and maybe Floyd County area.
This does fall into the area that I posted about a while back, when I had talked with an old timer from the are and he told me stories of his great-great Grandfather and great Grandfather finding a bar of silve in a creek and visiting a cave to extract lead for bullets for hunting. This is very encouraging and exciting to say the least....Let me know what you find....KW
The Miami News - Jul 27, 1929Browse this newspaper
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...3,2306755&dq=jonathan+swift+silver+mine&hl=en
UpTheCreek
Greenie
Curtis,
The more I thought about this map, the more I may have talked myself out of it being of any significance.
Looking at the map notice it displays W.Virginia and Virginia. These were not labeled states around Swifts time. Also, being in an article from S.Florida, im thinking this map is just a map made by the newspaper for the public reading the article. But...Hmmmmm...I dunno
Give me your thoughts.
The more I thought about this map, the more I may have talked myself out of it being of any significance.
Looking at the map notice it displays W.Virginia and Virginia. These were not labeled states around Swifts time. Also, being in an article from S.Florida, im thinking this map is just a map made by the newspaper for the public reading the article. But...Hmmmmm...I dunno
Give me your thoughts.
-Ki-
Hero Member
- Feb 12, 2009
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UpTheCreek, those are some good maps, first time id seen one with Swifts trail on it. But it matches exactly with the Indian trail that came in from Virginia to Ky.
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