The hunt for a $2 million treasure buried at the foot of the mountain

An American millionaire buried treasure at the foot of a mountain and then wrote a book revealing clues for people to search for.

Millionaire Forrest Fenn. Photo: NPR.

Forrest Fenn, 85 years old millionaire, is a successful art dealer and archaeologist in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. According to NPR, Fenn created one of the biggest treasure hunts of modern times when he claimed to have buried a treasure chest worth more than $2 million filled with gold coins, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and many other precious artifacts in the Rocky Mountains, USA.

Fenn left clues to the treasure's whereabouts in the form of a poem in his book, "The Thrill of the Chase," and several hints on a website dedicated to the treasure hunt. In the six years since the book's publication, an estimated 65,000 people have joined the search, but no one has discovered the treasure's location.

Clues about the treasure are few. The poem includes cryptic hints like “where the warm waters stop” and “laid beneath the Brown house.” Fenn reveals that the treasure is buried 5,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains, between Santa Fe and the Canadian border. It is not in a mine, cemetery, or building. The treasure is a chest measuring 10 by 10 inches, weighing about 40 pounds.

According to Mother Nature Network, Fenn claimed his motive was to cheer people up after the Great Depression, to get them out of their chairs and into the great outdoors. Fenn could afford to bury the treasure, and was a millionaire living comfortably.

The treasure trove was filled with gold coins, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and many other precious artifacts. Photo credit: NPR.

Many believe the treasure story is a hoax, created to help Fenn sell his memoir, but Fenn's friends disagree. Longtime friend Doug Preston claims to have seen the treasure chest before it was buried.

"I'm 100% confident Fenn would never create a hoax. I'm sure he buried the treasure chest," Preston said.

Treasure hunters are searching everywhere from Yellowstone National Park to the Rio Grande. Meanwhile, Fenn is busy answering nearly 100 emails a day from people asking for more clues.

"No one knows where the treasure is buried except me. If I die tomorrow, the treasure's location information will go into the coffin with me," said Fenn.

According to VNE