The famous treasure chest hidden by millionaire Forrest Fenn a decade ago has been discovered in the Rocky Mountains, Fenn reported on his website on 6 June. "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. I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot”, the 89-year-old said in a statement posted on a blog dedicated to Fenn treasure hunters.
The art and antiquities collector noted that the discovery was made several days ago and confirmed by a photograph of a chest the person sent him. "The guy who found it does not want his name mentioned. He's from back East", he told the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper.
The millionaire hid the chest, which is said to contain gold nuggets, precious gems, jewels and other valuables, in 2010. He said he got the idea after he was diagnosed with cancer and given the prognosis that it would be terminal. Later he recovered from the disease. According to the collector, he hid the treasure somewhere north of Santa Fe and gave clues to its whereabouts in a 24-line poem, which was published in his autobiography "The Thrill of the Chase".
It is believed that thousands of people have searched for the chest in the past decade, with many quitting their jobs to dedicate their time to treasure hunting. At least four people have died attempting to find the chest, which according to Fenn weighs 9 kilograms, and its contents weigh another 10 kilograms.
Following reports of deaths of treasure hunters, Fenn said that where the treasure is hidden is not dangerous, noting he personally delivered it to the hiding place over two separate trips when he was almost 80-years-old. The millionaire said he would never reveal where he hid the prize. "If I die tomorrow, the knowledge of that location goes in the coffin with me”, he said in an interview in 2016.
When asked how he feels about the treasure being found, the art collector said: "I don’t know, I feel halfway kind of glad, halfway kind of sad because the chase is over."
