A $1 million treasure chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains has finally been found after a decade-long search

Kelly McLaughlinJun 8, 2020, 22:30 IST

Insider

In this March 22, 2013, file photo, antiquities dealer and author Forrest Fenn sits in his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.AP Photo/Jeri Clausing, File

Antique collector Forrest Fenn, 89, says a bronze treasure chest he hid in the Rocky Mountains a decade ago has been found.
He told The Santa Fe New Mexican that he would not reveal who found the chest, but said he was from "back East."
Fenn hid the chest believed to be filled with gold, jewels, and other valuables, in 2010 in hopes of encouraging people to seek out nature while searching for the treasure.
An estimated 350,000 have searched for the treasure and at least five people died searching for it, according to the New Mexican.

A bronze treasure chest that was hidden in the Rocky Mountains by an antique collector and believed to be worth more than $1 million has been found after a decade-long search.

Forrest Fenn, 89, told The Santa Fe New Mexican that his chest filled with gold, jewels, and other valuables, had been found last week.

He did not reveal where the chest was found or the name of the man who discovered it, but confirmed it was found, saying that a photograph of the chest was sent to him. He described the man who found the chest as being from "back East," according to the New Mexican.

"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," Fenn, who hid the treasure in 2010 as a way to encourage people to explore nature, wrote in an announcement on his website. "I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot."

During the 10-year search for the bronze chest, Fenn had posted clues as to where the treasure was on his website, and published a poem about it in his 2010 autobiography, "The Thrill of the Chase," CNN reported.

An estimated 350,000 have searched for the treasure, the New Mexican reported, and, according to CBS News, many quit their jobs and depleted their savings in search of the valuable chest.

At least five people died searching for it, according to the New Mexican, and there have been multiple court cases over the chest, filed by people claiming they were misled or followed during their failed searches.

Many people questioned if the treasure was real at all, or if the chest had been found years prior to Fenn's announcement.

"I think his announcement is at least a few years, and a few lives, too late. But he has to live with that. I believe this was over much earlier than today," treasure hunter Seth Wallack told the New Mexican. "In 2020, he said the treasure was found, but doesn't reveal any details so his narrative can't be questioned."

Fenn told the outlet in 2017 that the 22-pound treasure chest was very real, and that he had placed it in its hiding place himself.

"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," Fenn said in his announcement of the treasure being found.

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A $1 million treasure chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains has finally been found after a decade-long search