A bronze chest filled with at least $1 million worth of treasure was found after being hidden for at least a decade. The chest was buried in an undisclosed location by Sante Fe, New Mexico, author and artifacts dealer Forrest Fenn in 2010.
Fenn shared clues to the treasure chests whereabouts online and in his 2010 autobiography, “The Thrill of the Chase.” Hundreds of thousands of people searched for the treasure over the last 10 years, and at least four died during their pursuit. And, just a few days ago, the treasure was finally found, putting an end to one of the most fascinating treasure hunts in modern history.
Prior to making two separate trips to deliver the chest to its top-secret hiding place, Fenn said that he spent a decade packing and repacking his treasure chest with 265 gold coins, hundreds of gold nuggets, about 250 rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, as well as Pre-Columbian animal figures, prehistoric ‘mirrors’ of hammered gold, and ancient Chinese faces carved from jade. He hid the treasure somewhere in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming or Montana, and wrote a riddle that served as a treasure map.
The motive behind the elaborate treasure hunt was simple…Fenn wanted to give people a reason to explore the wilderness and enjoy an old-fashioned adventure.
While the exact location of Fenn’s treasure chest hasn’t been disclosed yet, he did share the following on his website:
“It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than 10 years ago. I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot. I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries. So the search is over. Look for more information and photos in the coming days.”
Hear Forrest Fenn talk about his historic treasure hunt in the clip below from a 2018 interview.