A bronze chest filled to the brim with gold, jewels and other valuables worth more than $1 million and hidden over a decade ago somewhere in the Rocky Mountain wilderness has been found. Famed art dealer and antiquities collector Forest Fenn said the treasure has finally been found in an announcement on his website Sunday.
"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 announced. "I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot."
Fenn Hid the Treasure in 2010
Fenn, 89, filled a brass treasure chest with 265 gold coins, hundreds of gold nuggets, two of which are as large as a hen's egg, about 250 rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds as well as artifacts and jewelry from his personal collection and hid it somewhere in the mountain range that spans across New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
Fenn says he hid the treasure to start an old-fashioned adventure and expedition for riches and encourage people to get out into the wilderness and give hope to people affected by the Great Recession.
350,000 People Participated in the Treasure Hunt
He posted clues of the hidden treasure online and in a 24-line poem in his 2010 autobiography "The Thrill of the Chase," prompting as many as 350,000 people from around the world setting out in search for the riches across the remote corners of the US west.
Some even quit their jobs to fully dedicate their lives to the hunt and at least four people died while looking for the treasure while others deemed the treasure hunt a hoax and filed lawsuits against Fenn.
Fenn revealed that one of the treasure hunters located the treasure a couple of days ago but wishes to remain anonymous. He did not reveal any other details except that the individual is from back East and confirmation of the treasure being found was received via a photograph sent to him by the man. The location where the loot was discovered was not revealed either.
"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 statement.
