There’s a modern-day treasure chest buried in the Rocky Mountains.
Howard Pyle, “The Ruby of Kishmoor,” 1899
No, really, there is.
Well, okay, I haven’t actually seen said treasure with my own eyes,
(so I guess it’s more gossip than gospel),
but it sounds true enough.
The story goes …
Vietnam veteran and art gallery proprietor (and, oh, did I mention millionaire?) Forrest Fenn closed his gallery in 1988 and began writing books about exploration and adventure.
Shortly thereafter, however, he was diagnosed with cancer. With a less-than-optimistic prognosis, he decided to create a real-life adventure tale that would serve to, someday, share his wealth in a rather unusual manner.
“While receiving cancer treatment, Forrest Fenn purchased an antique chest and began filling it with an estimated $2 million worth of treasure” explains Inquisitr.com. “The items inside the chest include jewelry, figurines, gems, gold nuggets, and 265 gold coins.”
Photo by Theodore Scott via Wikimedia Commons
Yup. A veritable pirate’s booty hidden high and dry in the Rockies (somewhere, Fenn says, in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana).
Photo by Milan Suvajac via Wikimedia Commons
Nine more clues to finding the treasure are purportedly provided in a poem contained within Fenn’s 2010 book, The Thrill of the Chase (which is currently selling for about 100 smackeroos on Amazon, if you’re wondering).
The first question that comes to mind is … why?
Why, Mr. Fenn, would you bury a fortune that has fueled fevered fantasies and fervid searches over the past decade?
“I wanted the monetary value to be a consideration for those who are looking for it, but mostly my motive was to get kids off the couch and away from their texting machines and out in the mountains,” Fenn, who has thankfully recovered from cancer, told KOAT in Albuquerque.
Huh—(shaking my head here)—that’s a surprisingly refreshing response.
My next question …
Are YOU even the littlest bit tempted to try and find it?
No, my treasure is in heaven, but it makes for a very interesting story
After reading Jubilee Trail, I don’t doubt that there are other small treasures buried out in the wild West. With the threat of bandits on any given day, what other options did people have to protect themselves? Both on land and in the sea, there are many people who find the idea of treasure finding quite alluring. And if it gets folks off the couch and out in the world, good things are going to happen. I think Mr. Fenn is on to something here!
What a neat idea but it probably be like a gold rush to find it. Not for me but fun to watch what happens.
Thanks
darlene
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