Share now:
Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn more.
Home » Adventure » How the Fenn Treasure Was Found: Author Chronicles Truth Behind Storied Hunt
Journalist and amateur treasure seeker Daniel Barbarisi tells us what he learned from the search for Forrest Fenn’s treasure and what it was like to hold it in his hands.
For a little more than a decade, hundreds of thousands of people searched for a box of gold, jewelry, and rare coins hidden by the eccentric art dealer Forrest Fenn. In 2020, Fenn simply announced that the treasure had been found yet gave no details about its location or its finder.
Credit Penguin Random House
Last summer, a modern day treasure hunt came to an end. New Mexico Art Dealer Forrest Fenn s chest of jewels, gold and pre-Columbian artifacts were found somewhere in Wyoming.
Journalist Dan Barbarisi broke the news of the identity of the finder, while writing a book about the treasure hunt. He said Jack Steuf didn t feel joy or glory, but relief when he found the chest. He went back to his car and he cried, said Barbarisi. He just felt so relieved that he wouldn t spend the rest of his life absolutely sure that he knew where the treasure was and not be able to find it.
For a decade, Forrest Fenn had lived as creator, promoter, steward, and defender of perhaps the most extraordinary treasure hunt America had ever known. He lived to see its conclusion. And then, barely three months after the hunt he had brought into the world had ended, Fenn was gone.
On the morning of September 7, 2020, Fenn was found unconscious in his study, having fallen, according to the police report. He was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, then released to the care of his family, who returned him to his home. There he died later that same day, never having regained consciousness. The first responders who arrived on the scene that morning were initially responding to a cardiac-arrest call, indicating Fenn may have had a heart attack that precipitated his fall.
smithsonianmag.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smithsonianmag.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.