Treasure Hider And New Mexico Millionaire Forrest Fenn Dead at 90

Famed for hiding a multi-million dollar treasure in the Rocky Mountains, art dealer Forrest Fenn has passed away at the age of 90. The man who created one of the most popular treasure hunts in moden US history has passed away. Forrest Fenn was a millionaire art dealer and author who called Santa Fe, New Mexico home. After surviving his battle with terminal cancer, Fenn decided to add the treasure hunt into his 2010 memoir. Fenn said he wanted to motivate people to get out and explore nature and knew a treasure chest worth millions would entice some to get outdoors. The country was also still in a recession at the time he was writing his book, so he wanted to give people hope.

While his initial reasons for beginning the hunt were good, treasure seekers have lamented over how dangerous and large the search area was. Hundreds of thousands of people grabbed their hiking gear and went out to search for the gold. Tragically, some hunters even lost their lives while looking for Forrest Fenn's treasure chest. Five men died looking for the treasure, which led to National Park officials and New Mexico State Police to plead with Fenn to call off the hunt, which he refused. Forrest Fenn said it would have been unfair to the hundreds of thousands of people who had spent years looking for the treasure.

Thankfully, Forrest Fenn announced in June that after ten years, his treasure had finally been found. The announcement was made on his Old Santa Fe Trading Co. website that the treasure was found somewhere in Wyoming.

“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."

The details on who found the treasure were never released, but it makes sense. The lucky treasure finder would most likely have to pay taxes and that would dampen their find a bit. Hopefully in the future whoever found the treasure comes forward, at least to tell us where the treasure was hidden. Rest In Peace Mr. Fenn, hopefully you're somewhere hiding more treasures.