The search for a bronze chest filled with treasures such as gold and jewels that was hidden in the Rocky Mountain wilderness more than a decade ago is finally over.
Forrest Fenn, the art and antiquities collector who's brainchild the treasure hunt was, confirmed to the Santa Fe New Mexican on Sunday that the famous real-life quest had been solved by a man who did not wish to be identified. The man - who was from "back East" - located the chest a few days ago, and confirmed his discovery by sending a photograph to Fenn.
“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," 89-year-old Forrest Fenn wrote in an announcement posted to his website, "I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot."
He continued;
"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. So the search is over. Look for more information and photos in the coming days”.
Per CBS Denver, Fenn posted tantalizing clues as to the whereabouts of the treasure chest online, as well as in a 24-line poem published in his 2010 autobiography The Thrill of the Chase. The treasure was intended by Fenn as a method of inspiring people to explore nature and to give hope to people affected by the Great Recession, per CNN.
The art and antiques collector estimated that as many as 350,000 people had attempted to locate the remote treasure. Some quit their jobs in pursuit of the riches, while some others even died in the attempt.
In 2017, Fenn told the New Mexican that the chest itself weighed 20 pounds, while its contents weighed another 22 pounds.
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