Did Someone Finally Find Forrest Fenn’s Buried Treasure? — OK Whatever

Fenn is an eccentric New Mexico author and retired antiquities dealer who buried a treasure chest “in the mountains somewhere north of Santa Fe” 10 years go.

That same year, he self-published the autobiographical book, “The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir.” The short stories contained within the book and the coded, 24-line poem at the end were said to contain clues that revealed the chest’s whereabouts if deciphered correctly. 

Over the years, thousands of people attempted to find the buried money and other valuables estimated to be worth more than $1 million. Some quit their jobs to hunt for the fabled chest. Others emptied their bank accounts to fund search trips or saw their marriages dissolve because of it. Depending on which publication you read, anywhere from four to seven people have died in their pursuit of the bounty over the last 10 years. 

And now the hunt is over.

According to the June 6th announcement on Fenn’s website, a man from “back East” who didn’t want to be named had found the legendary chest a few days earlier. 

“I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot,” Fenn wrote in his short post. “So the search is over.” 

Exactly where the chest was found has not been disclosed, but many think the poem’s clues lead to Dinosaur National Monument on the Utah-Colorado border near Wyoming. A photo of the treasure and its finder haven’t been shared yet either, although Fenn’s blog post does advise readers to “look for more information and photos in the coming days.”

One thing we do know about whoever found the treasure is that they’re strong and able to lift at least 40 pounds, which is the combined weight of the chest and its contents. Fenn, who turns 90 in August, told The New Mexican that he buried and packed the contents of the chest by himself over two separate trips, while also adding new items over the years, like rare coins and gold nuggets. 

The chest, which measures 10-inches by 10-inches, also reportedly contained pre-Columbian animal figures, prehistoric hammered gold “mirrors,” ancient Chinese carved jade faces, and antique jewelry with rubies and emeralds.