He hid a gold treasure worth $1.5 million in the Rocky Mountains & left clues to its location in 24-line poem. For 10 years, people risked their lives to search for it, & only shortly before his death was it discovered in Wyoming.
Forrest Fenn, an antiquities dealer, captured public attention in 2010 when he announced he had hidden a treasure chest filled with gold coins, nuggets, and other valuables in the Rocky Mountains.
The treasure's value was estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million, and it is believed that around 350,000 people searched for it over the years.
His goal was to encourage people to explore nature and to offer a chance for instant wealth. The inspiration for the hunt came from the joy he found in collecting artifacts and a personal cancer diagnosis.
To guide the search, Fenn included a 24-line poem with clues in his 2010 book, "The Thrill of the Chase".
On June 6, 2020, he announced that the treasure had been found in Wyoming by a man from the East Coast who initially remained anonymous. The finder was later identified as Jack Stuef who located the chest by solving the poem's clues.
Fenn passed away at the age of 90 in 2020.