Man Discovers $1 Million Hidden Treasure Chest in Rocky Mountains
A mystery man got rich overnight after finding a bronze chest full of gold, jewels and other valuables worth more than $1 million.
According to AP News, 89-year-old Forrest Fenn, a famed art and antique collector, secretly hid the chest about a decade ago in the Rocky Mountains, hoping one day someone would find it.
In a statement on his website, Fenn explained the chest was hidden "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," he continued.
In his 2010 autobiography, The Thrill of the Chase, Fenn penned a 24-line poem that included clues to the treasure's whereabouts.
Fenn said that he started the treasure hunt as a way to motivate people to go into the wilderness and have a good old fashioned adventure. Thousands of people have searched for the treasure over the years, though all have been unsuccessful—until early June.
When asked how he feels about his treasure finally being discovered, Fenn explained, “I don’t know... I feel halfway kind of glad, halfway kind of sad because the chase is over.”
“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,” he wrote on his website.