The Lost Silver Mine of Jonathan Swift

The Lost Silver Mine of Jonathan Swift: Kentucky’s Greatest Wild Goose Chase

Some folks dream about striking it rich in the stock market. Kentuckians? We prefer mysterious, hidden silver mines.

For over two centuries, whispers of Jonathan Swift’s lost silver mine have haunted Kentucky’s hills.

The legend tells of an 18th-century adventurer (or con man, depending on who you ask) who allegedly stumbled upon a vein of pure silver somewhere deep in the untamed wilderness.

Swift supposedly minted his own coins, living in secret wealth—until fate intervened.

Some say he was blinded by a curse, while others claim he simply lost track of the mine’s location. Either way, the treasure was never seen again.

But the clues remain.

Old journal entries hint at a location near Swift Camp Creek in Wolfe County, where rich deposits of silver-colored galena have been found.

Other theories point to the hills of Menifee and Powell Counties, where the rocky terrain and hidden caverns seem to match Swift’s own descriptions.

And every year, Campton, Kentucky keeps the legend alive with the Swift Silver Mine Festival, because the treasure, whether real or mythical, is part of local lore.

Will anyone ever find it? Maybe.

But next time you’re hiking the forests of Eastern Kentucky, keep your eyes peeled.

That shimmering rock in the creek bed?

It might just be a clue to one of America’s greatest lost treasures.

Read more about the legend here