Forrest Fenn was an antique collector, explorer, and ex-Airforce pilot who built riches by finding and selling ancient artifacts. Fenn claims that he hid a box of treasure that weighed roughly 40 lbs (the box itself is 20 lbs, the contents roughly 22 lbs) in the Rocky Mountains by himself. Nobody knows where Fenn's treasure is, but people have not given up the search.
There's Gold in Them Hills
If you had to narrow it down, Forrest Fenn's treasure is located within a 1,000 mile stretch of the Rocky Mountains between Santa Fe and the Canadian Border. Fenn became a treasure hunter when he left the Airforce after Vietnam. This man successfully scoured the earth for priceless, ancient artifacts in his middle ages. Forrest Fenn is the closest thing we have to a real-life version of Indiana Jones, and at 89-years-old, he hasn't lost his treasure hunter spirit.
What's in the Box?
According to Fenn, one day he just decided to start filling an antique lockbox with various small artifacts he had laying around. Evidently, there are ancient figurines, a 17th-century Spanish ring, ancient turquoise beads from a cliff dwelling near Mesa Verde, American eagle gold coins, gold nuggets, gold dust, gold discs, and handfuls of ancient jewelry ornamented with precious stones. In addition to that, he said that he included a copy of his autobiography, which he rolled up into a scroll and stored in an ancient olive jar...
The Beginning of the Legend
Fenn was diagnosed with cancer in 1988. His original plan was to fill the chest with his found riches, drag it deep into the Rocky Mountains, and die beside it, challenging those with an adventurous spirit to seek out the box and, subsequently, his corpse. However, Fenn lived through his run-in with cancer, and he re-located the box into his home vault until recent times.
The Meaning Behind the Mission
Fenn decided to go forth and hide the box during the great recession of 2007-2009. He had witnessed his friends, family, and country lose faith in the systems in place. He wanted to instill the feeling of adventure in the hearts of those who were deeply affected by the recession and replace their despair with hopeful motivation...
The Key to the Treasure
Fenn chose a secret hiding spot in the Rockies and buried (maybe not, but it's assumed that he buried the box) the box. He then published a 24-line poem that read: "So hear me all and listen good,/Your effort will be worth the cold./If you are brave and in the wood/I give you title to the gold." Nobody is sure about the order in which these acts were conducted, and Fenn refuses to give any further information regarding his process.
Dead Man's Bones
Fenn has also said that when he inevitably passes away, he will die next to the box. Therefore, whoever finds the box will also find the bones of a dead man. He wrote about this in his original memoir, it is undetermined whether he will actually do this or not, but he has claimed that since his autobiography is in the chest, people will know that it's him...
An Explorer's Collection
Forrest Fenn was an extremely well-traveled, and well-collected person. In his time as a treasure hunter, he amassed an enormous number of artifacts that he keeps in a makeshift "in-home" gallery that people can visit. The artifacts that he owns belong in museums, but he believes that anyone should be able to see and interact with these pieces of history (provided they're careful when handling them).
How Much is It Worth?
Fenn's gallery is theoretically worth millions. We don't know the exact number because he doesn't see the need to get some of his items appraised. Some of the remarkable things that he has in his collection are: a mummified falcon from King Tutt's tomb (this one isn't for sale), a jade mask that's older than Jesus (appraised at $12,500), Sitting Bull's peace pipe (not appraised), and the spiritual centerpiece of Custer's Last Stand (worth $1.1 million), all of which you can see and hold if you visit his gallery...
A Super Cool Dude
At Fenn's gallery peak, he had 16 employees, and his sales regularly passed by the $6 million point annually. He had dozens of celebrity guests, including Steven Spielberg, who begged Fenn to sell him his hand-carved ceiling beams, Steve Martin, who brought Fenn his girlfriend's home-baked banana bread, and the Chinese Minister of Culture, who accidentally broke the knob of his toggle light switch. Despite the celebrity attention, Fenn remained humble and elusive.
The Man, the Myth, the Legend
Forrest Fenn arrived in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1972. at the time of his arrival, he was a middle-aged Air Force veteran that had just retired from the service. He was not a highly educated man, and he had no experience in the art world prior to his move. However, he was fascinated by the act of digging for ancient artifacts since he was a kid. Although he has never accredited that fascination with his career choice, he began hunting for historical treasure full time...
The Test for the Ultimate Treasure Hunter
In his days of hunting treasure, Fenn never met a man that could hunt as he could. So, he buried the chest in a spot that only the most intelligent, driven, and experienced treasure hunter could find. Since he buried the treasure, he has estimated that roughly 350,000 people have tried to find it. We have no idea whether anyone has even gotten close to cracking the code. Fenn went on record and said "It could be found soon or 1,000 years from now" regarding the numerous attempts to track down the legendary box...
A Well Kept Secret
Evidently, not a single soul on Earth knows where the box is but Fenn. That includes his wife, family, and closest friends. He stated that "If I die tomorrow, the knowledge of that location goes in the coffin with me." That is, if he doesn't make it to the treasure chest right before he passes away...
Solving the Riddle
The primary source of information regarding the case is a vague 24-line poem that was written into his self-published autobiography called "The Thrill of the Chase." You can find his memoir on e-bay, in book stores, and for free online as a PDF. However, if you're looking for the poem, all you have to do is go to his Instagram account: @forrest.fenn (it's not HIS account per se, but it is representative of his ethics and personality).
Alright, Here's the Poem
If you don't want to put the time into finding the poem, that's fine. We did the hard work for you. Here is the poem that Forrest Fenn claims will lead you to his infamous treasure box:
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.
From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is ever drawing nigh;
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.
If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.
So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answers I already know,
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak.
So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.
What to Do With the Information
Fenn wants individuals to read the clues in his poem multiple times, study maps of the Rocky Mountains, and try to draw comparisons between the two. In an interview with Business Insider, Fenn stated that you should "try to marry the two. The treasure is out there waiting for the person who can make all the lines cross in the right spot."
Nine Confirmed Clues
Although every dedicated treasure hunter has found their own interpretation of what the poem means, the community was able to deduce that there are nine key clues from the original poem. These nine clues are still debated by certain individuals within the treasure hunting community, but they are the closest thing we have to concrete accurate interpretations. The clues are as follows...
1. Begin it where warm waters halt
2. Take it in the canyon down
3. Put in below the home of Brown
4. Look quickly down
5. Tarry scant
6. Take the chest
7. Go in peace
8. Hear me all
9. Listen good
Clue Number Ten
Several years after Fenn published his original poem, he released a tenth clue that narrowed down the search significantly. He said definitively that the treasure was hidden more than 5,000 feet above sea level. Since this clue narrowed the field so far, thousands more wannabe treasure hunters ran to the Rockies to find their riches.
Then, An Eleventh Clue
Not too long ago, Forrest Fenn released another clue. He stated that there was "no need to dig up the old outhouses, the treasure is not associated with any structure." This is likely due to treasure hunters digging up areas that they should have been digging into. Still, the treasure remains a mystery...
What Does the Box Look Like?
Well, we don't know exactly what the box looks like, but we do have some ideas. Fenn collected the majority of his inventory from his explorations of the Southwest. There is a high potential that the box is of ancient Mexican or Native American origin. Additionally, we know that the box weighs roughly 40 pounds (with the treasure inside of it) and is nearly a square foot in size.
The Hunters Behind the Treasure
Much like Fenn himself, some of the hunters looking for Fenn's treasure have become obsessed with locating it. A man named Ricky Idlett told Vox in an interview that "Most of my 12 hours every night I'm on Google or something looking up clues. Every night. Every night I'm looking." Beyond the individual effort, the most popular place to discuss findings and theories regarding Fenn's treasure is a subreddit called r/FindingFennsGold...
Threats Fall on Deaf Ears
According to a New York Times interview, Fenn reportedly gets 100 emails a day. He has been followed, trespassed upon, and has even had to contact the police out of fear for his own safety regarding people coming to his house "to talk." He vividly remembers one particular phone call, in which he stated that the man on the other end of the line said "Tell me where the treasure is right now. I'm going to kill you." Needless to say, none of these threats went anywhere...
The Search Continues
Regular hunters will typically re-read the poem and study topographical maps until they come up with a new theory. Once they've studied enough, they'll trek out through aspen forests, riverbeds, and down mountain faces to find the elusive box. Still, nobody can locate the treasure...
The Internet is Your Best Friend
The communities and forums that have popped up to try and collectively work on finding the box are a treasure hunter's best friend. Online, thousands of people document their explorations and mark maps so other treasure hunters know where not to look. However, it is important to leave no stone unturned, especially when you're searching for a treasure that's valued so highly...
The Curioius Bookstore
Fenn recently made his personal email box available to the public, as well as all the forms and unused segments that he cut out of his memoir. All of the sales, donations, and profits he makes regarding the treasure hunt get donated to a bookstore in downtown Santa Fe. That bookstore takes what they need and donates the rest to various cancer funds...
The True Purpose of His Writings
Fenn has stated that he wrote "The Thrill of the Chase" to be targeted at one specific type of person. In his own words, he stated that he wrote the book for outdoorsmen that have a pickup truck, six kids, just lost his job, his wife, and is craving adventure without even knowing it. However, the search for Fenn's treasure has spanned globally, with thousands of people flying into Santa Fe every year to get started on their search...
All Stories Get Told
Fenn tends to ignore the criticism and threats, but he does love reading positive testimonies from individuals that search for the treasure. He remembers laughing at a story that a college student once sent to him about the fact that he was prepared to dive in a river to seek for the treasure at the bottom. When he got there, he realized that he remembered everything but an air tank. However, Fenn's favorite personal testimony is from a single Canadian treasure hunter that emailed him one simple word: "Stumped."
Not All Fun and Games
For some, the hunt for Fenn's treasure was fatal. Evidently, at least four people are believed to have perished while searching for Fenn's treasure. Although Fenn encourages everyone from all walks of life to come search for the treasure, it is important to read up on the dangers of wilderness exploration and prepare for the potential experiences to come...
A Safety Net
Due to the fatal attempts at finding the treasure, Fenn recently released a statement that is a precautionary clue for those who want to continue the search. He said that "The treasure chest is not underwater, nor is it near the Rio Grande River. It is not necessary to move large rocks or climb up or down a steep precipice. Please remember that I was about 80 when I made two trips from my vehicle to where I hid the treasure..."
Getting What He Really Wanted
Fenn has confirmed that hiding the treasure wasn't an attempt to get famous, remembered, or even talked to, he just wanted to inspire people to enjoy the great outdoors. He stated that "[Kids] spend too much time in the game room or playing with their little handheld texting machines. I hope parents will take their children camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. I hope they will fish, look for fossils, turn rotten logs over to see what’s under them, and look for my treasure...”
The Quest Is Not Complete
Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of dollars have been collectively spent by individuals that have tried to find the treasure. Fenn told CNBC recently that hiding the treasure "has been successful beyond my wildest dreams."
So, what are you waiting for? Go get it!
(When it's safe, of course)