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$1M Rocky Mountain treasure hunt that killed five solved with discovery of chest full of jewels after a decade

Forrest Fenn hid his treasure in the Rocky Mountains in 2010 amidst a global recession to give people hope. The identity of the winner was not revealed
PUBLISHED JUN 8, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

A treasure hunt that has been ongoing for more than a decade and has cost five people their lives has come to an end after someone finally managed to uncover the chest filled with $1 million worth of gold and jewels somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Forrest Fenn, an 89-year-old eccentric art dealer, had hidden the chest 10 years ago and hinted at its whereabouts in a 24-line poem published in his 2010 autobiography, 'The Thrill of the Chase.'

In the poem, Fenn suggested that those looking for the treasure should start their search "where warm waters halt" and "take it in the canyon down." He also said the chest was hidden in a place that was not for the "meek," before including several other cryptic hints to its location. He also dropped a few other more obvious hints, stating it was more than eight miles north of Santa Fe and was above an elevation of 5,000 feet. In the years that have followed, thousands have made their way to the Rocky Mountains to search for the treasure but fallen short. It even saw several internet forums and YouTube channels spring up, dedicated solely to unearthing a treasure that was quickly reaching an almost mythical status.

But in what will come as a blow to most, Fenn announced in a statement this past Sunday, June 7, that a treasure seeker had successfully found the chest he had so expertly hidden all those years ago. The identity of the treasure hunter was not revealed. "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," he said. "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," he continued, before adding that people could look forward to more information and photos in the coming days.

The Sun reported that the chest, which was bronze and packed with gold coins, gold nuggets, ancient Chinese jade carvings, and antique jewelry with emeralds and rubies, was located somewhere in the wilderness in either Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, or New Mexico.

Fenn said he had mixed feelings about the chest being found. "I don’t know, I feel halfway kind of glad, halfway kind of sad because the chase is over."

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2018, the 89-year-old had revealed he hid the chest because he wanted to encourage people to explore nature and give them hope amidst a global recession.

"First of all, we were going into a recession – lots of people losing their jobs. I wanted to give some people hope," he shared. "Despair was written all over the newspaper headlines." "And secondly, we’re an overweight society – I think not only in this country, but the world," he continued. "So I wanted to get the kids away from their electronic gadgets … and out into the sunshine, out into the mountains, hiking, fishing, picnicking – and anything but the couch. Get out of the game room."

The hunt for the treasure has proven to be quite deadly. At least five men have died while searching for the chest, with Michael Sexson the last known casualty. Sexson, 53, from Deer Park, had been searching for it this past March with an unnamed 65-year-old when they became trapped in heavy snowfall. By the time rescuers reached him, he had already succumbed to the cold. Randy Bilyeu, Jeff Murphy, Pastor Paris Wallace, and Eric Ashby also went missing and died during their attempts to uncover the treasure.

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