The Story Behind The Treasure This Millionaire Hid In The Rocky Mountains

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Buried treasure sounds like the stuff of legends, but 87-year-old millionaire Forrest Fenn says it’s real, and he knows exactly where it is. The wealthy antique dealer claims he hid a treasure chest worth millions back in 2010, and he says that only he knows its location.

The treasure is supposedly located somewhere in the Rocky Mountains between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Canadian border. Fenn estimates that more than 350,000 people have attempted to find it, but so far no one has been successful.

One clue is hidden in a poem written in his self-published memoir, “The Thrill of the Chase.” He shared the contents of the poem on Instagram, and wrote, “All of the information you need to find the treasure is in the poem. The chapters in my book have very subtle hints but are not deliberately placed to aid the seeker. Good luck in the search. ff.”

Here’s the post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BI7xMsUAKJB/?utm_source=ig_embed

The treasure chest is said to weigh about 40 pounds and contains emeralds, rubies, gold coins and diamonds. Fenn says he created the treasure hunt for an altruistic reason.

“In 1988, I was diagnosed with what everybody thought was terminal caner,” Fenn told ABC News of the reasons behind his decision to fill and hide the chest. “But besides that, we were going into a recession, and lots of people losing their job, despair was written all over the headlines, and I just wanted to give some people hope.”

Because some people have gone missing while searching for the treasure, Fenn offers some safety tips on his blog for those hoping to cash in.

“The treasure chest is not under water, nor is it near the Rio Grande River. It is not necessary to move large rocks or climb up or down a steep precipice, and it is not under a man-made object. Please remember that I was about 80 when I made two trips from my vehicle to where I hid the treasure,” he wrote.

What do you think? Would you go looking for this hidden treasure?

Curiosity, Money

About the Author
Kate Streit
Kate Streit lives in Chicago. She enjoys stand-up comedy, mystery novels, memoirs, summer and pumpkin spice anything.

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