The mystery of Forrest Fenn’s hidden treasure has finally been solved.

The millionaire became famous after hiding a treasure chest somewhere in the Rocky Mountains back in 2010, leaving a trail of clues as to where it may be hidden.

His story has been widely, and brilliantly, covered over the years, with this 2015 piece, and this 2018 piece, my two favourites.

Finally, after years of dedicated, and sometimes deadly, searching, Fenn announced that the treasure had been found earlier this month, although he declined to say where it had been found.

That led many to claim that the whole thing had been a hoax, reports CNN:

Fenn tried to put some of those to rest by unveiling the first photos of the discovered treasure.

On Tuesday, the 89-year-old art and antiquities collector posted three pictures of the treasure on dalneitzel.com, a fan blog dedicated to the treasure hunt that Fenn sparked 10 years ago after he published clues in his autobiography “The Thrill of the Chase.”

One photo shows Fenn sorting through the bronze chest filled with gold, jewelry and other artifacts that are believed to total over $1 million.

“Removing objects from the chest. It is darker than it was ten years ago when I left it on the ground and walked away,” Fenn wrote in the caption.

Another photo shows the treasure “not long after it was discovered,” according to Fenn.

And a third picture shows a picture of him wearing a silver bracelet that has been tarnished black.

Those who were sceptical had pointed to the fact that Fenn was under pressure to discourage people from continuing the search, with at least five people known to have died during attempts to find the chest.

It’s estimated that as many as 350 000 people tried, by Fenn’s own count, with a fan blog called Dal Neitzel the gathering place for those looking to share tips and tales.

On June 6, Forrest posted the following on the blog:

The treasure has been found

It was 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.

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.

The post was then updated on June 6 to include the three photos above, as well as this message:

The treasure chest was found by a man I did not know and had not communicated with since 2018.

The finder wants me to remain silent and I always said the finder gets to make those two calls. Who and where.

Whilst many who had followed the hunt closely over the years expressed sadness that the thrill of the chase was over, others thanked Forrest for having created a likeminded community of thrillseekers and adventurers.

[sources:cnn&dalneitzel]