I've always assumed that Imladris was a known haven of Elvendom in Minas Anor. Gandalf went to Minas Tirith to research The Ring, when Isildur took it. Valandil, Isildur's youngest son was reared in Imladris. It wasn't that secret a secret locale. Just difficult to invade.
Sauron knew where Imladris was located. This was revealed to me, only recently, as I waded through materials about Celeborn and Galadriel (UT). During the War of Elves and Sauron, Sauron had Elrond contained, for a short while, in Imladris. 1695, SA, the House of the Mirdain was sacked. 1700, Gil Galad gets Numenorean help. He was holed up in Lindon, Gulf of Lhun and Numenorean help came just in time. Sauron had Imladris isolated sometime in that intervening five years.
Boromir had that dream, once, that Faramir had many times "seek for the sword that was broken, in Imladris it dwells). It makes sense that Boromir and his dad went through the archives and found materials about Elrond, who helped Isildur in the Last Alliance)....
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