That comes into play when one considers how the treasure hunt finally ended.įenn announced in June 2020 that the treasure had been found by “someone back east.” Initially that’s all the information he provided. One man threatened to kidnap Fenn’s granddaughter, there was at least one break-in at his home and delusional fans often beat a path to his home. Most of the profiles were of the fawning variety.įenn’s family, by all accounts, was less enthusiastic about his treasure hunt. He loved to meet his fans at the annual Fennboree held in Santa Fe for several summers and entertained reporters and producers who flocked to his door to hear all about his life.
We teach people how to swim.įenn relished the attention the hunt brought him. His oft-repeated line was that people drown in swimming pools but we don’t close all the pools. Fenn was asked to call off the search several times but he refused. It was their choice of course and several (not all) of their families said they were glad their relatives died doing what they loved. She carried a gun to protect herself from humans and animals alike.Īnd then there are the five people who died looking for the treasure.
We also interviewed Sacha Dent who says she spent 10,000 hours researching locations and made over 300 trips into the wilderness, often alone. She says she had a grand time even when confronted with a cougar or a frightening lighting storm.
I researched and reported on the story for “48 Hours'“ where I work as a producer.įor the broadcast, we interviewed people obsessed with the treasure including Katya Luce who sold everything she owned, moved from Hawaii to New Mexico, and spent $75,000 of her own money to look for the treasure. There are varying estimates on how much the treasure was worth because the price of gold fluctuates but most believes it was worth between $1 and $2 million and possibly more, given the intrinsic value it acquired by being the Fenn treasure.įor ten years, between 20, tens of thousands of people (Fenn said the total was 350,000 but that’s probably exaggerated) got the Fenn bug and headed off into a four state area (he “narrowed” down the search to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico) in search of Fenn’s gold. Do it and, Fenn said, “You’ll be amazed by what you find.” Finally, there are the obsessive Fenn fans, who despite bankruptcy, divorce and the death of fellow hunters, can never quit the thrill of the chase.The clues referenced physical locations-like the ‘home of Brown’ or ‘where warm waters halt’-and it was up to you to figure out what he was talking about.
Then you have Barbarisi’s own hunt through the wilderness of New Mexico and Yellowstone as he gets caught in the excitement of potential solves. The inscrutable and eccentric Forrest Fenn is a book in itself but Barbarisi also writes of other famous treasure hunts, such as the search for the Atocha. What better way to learn about treasure hunters than to hunt for the treasure himself? Little did Barbarisi know he was about to be ensnared in the obsessive world of Fenn hunters, where it was as much about conspiracies and controversies as it was about finding the treasure.Ĭhasing the Thrill by Daniel Barbarisi is one of those enthralling nonfiction books that really has it all. Intrigued, he decided to write about the enigmatic Forrest Fenn and immerse himself in the world of treasure seekers. Seven years later, journalist Daniel Barbarisi learned about this unique treasure hunt from a friend. Fenn’s memoirs and a six-stanza poem served as the treasure “map.” Solve such obscure clues as “begin it where warm waters halt” and the lucky finder would be in a possession of a treasure worth more than half a million dollars. America’s most extraordinary treasure hunt began in 2010 when Forrest Fenn, an 80-year-old art dealer from Santa Fe, hid an antique chest stuffed with gold, jewels and antiquities somewhere in the Rocky Mountains north of Santa Fe.