Fenn treasure

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The Fenn Treasure is a treasure reportedly worth over a million dollars supposedly hidden by art dealer and author Forrest Fenn in the Rocky Mountains. Fenn has said he is going to go back and get it when the value is inflated to 10 million dollars. When asked why he created the treasure hunt, Fenn said he "just wanted to give people some hope."

According to Fenn, many people have claimed to have found the treasure, but no one has provided any evidence to him supporting their claim. As of July 2017, Fenn has stated "The treasure remains where I hid it about 7 years ago". In May 2017, Fenn was asked: "Has anyone determined the nine clues and what they represent?" and his response was: "I don't know that anybody has told me the clues in the right order", leading to speculation all of the clues have been solved, but the chest remains hidden. Forrest reconfirmed searchers have been within 200 feet (60 m) of the treasure and many within 500 feet (150 m). The Thrill of the Chase and Too Far to Walk books chronicle Fenn's life as an adrenaline junkie and the treasure hunt has attracted many thrill seekers.

Video Fenn treasure

History

Forrest Fenn was a pilot for the United States Air Force with the rank of Major and was awarded the Silver Star for his service in the Vietnam War where he flew 328 missions. After retiring from the United States Air Force, he and Rex Arrowsmith, who taught Fenn the business of art, operated the Arrowsmith-Fenn Gallery which later became the Fenn Galleries that he operated with his wife Peggy. The gallery, which he began by purchasing sculptures from struggling artists and casting bronzes of them, was located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and sold everything from artifacts to fine art, openly selling forgeries of Monet, Degas, and other artists. It was eventually sold to Nedra Matteucci. In 1988, Fenn was diagnosed with cancer and came up with the idea during this illness to hide a chest full of treasure for anyone to go find. He filled the chest with "treasure" containing gold nuggets, rare coins, jewelry and gemstones, along with an olive jar holding his autobiography. He intended to hide it and end his life nearby, with the treasure as a legacy. However, he survived his illness and waited until he was 79 or 80 to hide the treasure. Prior to the treasure hunt, Fenn found himself at odds with federal antiquities laws. FBI agents raided his home in 2009 as part of an investigation into artifact looting in the Four Corners area and seized items, but he was not charged. Two people targeted in the case committed suicide and Fenn has blamed the FBI for their deaths.

Maps Fenn treasure

Deaths

Four people are known to have died while searching for the treasure. New Mexico police have tried to pressure Fenn into ending the hunt.

Randy Bilyeu, who went missing in January 2016 and was later found dead in July of that year. As a result, Bilyeu's ex-wife told others she thought the Fenn Treasure was a hoax.
Jeff Murphy, 53 years old, of Batavia, Illinois was found dead inside of Yellowstone National Park on June 9, 2017 after falling about 500 feet down a steep slope. The details of the investigation into his death by Yellowstone officials were not made public but KULR obtained the facts through a Freedom of Information Act request. KULR-TV reports that Murphy was searching for Fenn's treasure. According to KULR, Murphy's wife told park authorities that Murphy was looking for said treasure when she first reported him missing.
Pastor Paris Wallace of Grand Junction told family members he was searching for a buried treasure and later failed to show up for a planned family meeting Wednesday June 14, 2017. His car was found parked near the Taos Junction Bridge and his body was subsequently found 5-7 miles (8-11 km) downstream.
Eric Ashby, 31 years old, was identified as the treasure seeker found in the Arkansas River on July 28, 2017. On January 26, 2018, Fremont County Coroner's Office received the DNA report from Colorado Bureau of investigations positively identifying Ashby. It is alleged by some of Ashby's family members that Ashby had moved to Colorado in 2016 to look for the treasure, and was last seen on June 28 rafting on the river, 10-15 miles (15-25 km) upstream from where the body was found. The raft overturned and Ashby had been missing since that time.