The buried treasure of an eccentric art dealer
The thrill of treasure hunting is greater than just the potential loot of gold and rubies. The fact that people continue to search for the spot where Forrest Fenn buried his treasure chest, even though they know it has already been found, is proof enough.
Forrest Fenn, a former fighter pilot and now art dealer, was the maverick millionaire who hid a bronze treasure worth $2 million somewhere in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming in 2010. He encoded the secrets of how to find the treasure in a six-stanza poem in his memoirs. It ends with the words:
So why do I have to go
And make my treasure accessible to everyone?
I already know the answer
I have tired it out and now I am weak.
So listen to me everyone and listen carefully,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the forest
I transfer to you the claim to the gold.
Fenn’s treasure hunt quickly became America’s most unusual treasure hunt. His game was designed to inspire the masses to explore and reconnect with the wilderness, fueled by the spirit of adventure and the promise of treasure on the other side. His mission was successful, and tens of thousands of hunters joined the hunt.
Forrest Fenn. Courtesy of Forrest Fenn.
The hunters formed a tight-knit community online and in person. Every year, campers met at Hyde Memorial State Park to participate in Fennboree, a festival that is exactly what it sounds like: a celebration honoring Fenn. People rearranged their entire lives to be closer to the states where they believed the treasure might be, and searched like mad—a few even risked their lives in the process.
Many of the adventurers were inexperienced outdoorsmen and women, inexperienced with the demands of the unforgiving wilderness. Sadly, five men are confirmed to have died during their hunt from falls, drowning or hypothermia. (The 2022 Apple Podcast Series, Missed happinessfollowed the journey of one such obsessive seeker.) When her relatives and police contacted Fenn and demanded that he call off the hunt, he refused. In 2016, Fenn explained his reasoning: “In the summer, we jump in a swimming pool. But if someone drowns in a swimming pool, should we drain the pool or teach people to swim? That’s how I feel about it.”
Forrest Fenn and Jack Stuef, who found his hidden treasure. Photo by Jack Stuef.
The 42-pound treasure chest and its contents were finally unearthed in 2020 by Jack Stuef. The then-medical student had initially fought to remain anonymous for fear of being harassed by other treasure hunters and Fenn fans, some of whom viewed his find as suspicious. Conspiracy theories circulated online accusing Stuef of being lured into the trap by Fenn. The treasure was found in the summer of 2020, just months before the dealer’s death. Some theories suggest that Fenn, facing a terminal cancer diagnosis and not wanting to pass the cost of the treasure hunt on to his family, arranged for Stuef to discover the treasure.
In a Medium post revealing his identity, Stuef refuted those theories, including a lawsuit from a woman who claimed he stole her “solution word,” as Fenn hunters called her interpretation of the clues in his poem. “This treasure hunt was not a referendum on anyone’s intelligence or abilities,” Steuf wrote. “Rather, it was a fun challenge that involved figuring out what the words of a poem meant to the older man who wrote them, and nothing more.”
A series of items from Forrest Fenn’s treasure. Photo by Lynda M. González/Heritage Auctions.
In 2022, the Fenn cache was auctioned after Steuf sold it in a private transaction. For the first time, the public was able to view its fabled contents, which included gold coins, antique jewelry, and a wax-sealed jar purportedly containing Fenn’s 20,000-word autobiography. Proceeds from the sale were just over $1.3 million, with the top lot, a 549-gram gold nugget, bringing in $55,200.
For Fenn’s most ardent followers, however, the hunt is not over yet. Many are still searching for the spot where Steuf found the treasure, as reported Outsideby attempting to analyze his search technique and even his email address. In a previous story about his find, Stuef told the publication, “I thought whoever found the chest would be absolutely hated because it ended everyone’s dream… I realize I ended something that meant so much to so many people.” As it turns out, the dream is far from over.
The Hunt explores art and ancient relics that have – sadly! – been lost to time. From the Ark of the Covenant to Cleopatra’s tomb, these legendary treasures have long captured the imagination of historians and archaeologists, even as they remain buried beneath layers of sand, stone and history.
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay up to date in the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter and receive breaking news, insightful interviews and astute critical views that drive the discussion forward.
