Put in below the home of Brown. That’s the sentence in the poem which seems to be one of the major keys for the finding of Forrest Fenn’s hidden treasure. It’s the eighth line in the poem:
As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.
‘Put in’ could suggest the 1150 AD bronze chest, filled with over a million dollars worth of gold and jewels, was ‘put in’ ‘something.’ That instead of this poem line referring to the searcher, it is referring to the chest. Many feel it is possible the treasure is concealed in a cave, stone crevice, or old mine. It was ‘put in’ there (below the home of Brown (where you may be standing at this point?).
Assumingly, some feel it could also mean ‘put in’ a stream or creek. For those who haven’t seen the latest Gadi Schwartz video, this seems to be what Gadi and Dal were thinking. They are shown looking in a stream. Or maybe they just liked the line on page 4 of the book which said, “My church is in the mountains and along the river bottoms where dreams and fantasies alike go to play.” The dreams of finding the treasure are ‘in the mountains and along the ‘river bottoms’?
The term ‘put in’ can also imply a few other meanings. However, wherever the chest rests, the person who eventually discovers it will have also unearthed the meaning to ‘home of Brown.’
There is an interesting point to bring up here. A few people are aware of the fur trapper Joe Meek and are following leads about him for the subsequent line of the poem, “From there it’s no place for the meek,…”
If meek refers to Joe Meek, and Brown refers to a proper name which needs capped (like Meek), then why didn’t Forrest capitalize meek? Too obvious? Or is Joe Meek proven wrong because Forrest doesn’t capitalize it?
I find it hard to decide. I like the Joe Meek line of thinking, but it would seem ‘questionable’, because it isn’t capped, like Brown is; If Brown is capped for that reason? I suppose this is one of the riddles. Obviously, by capping Brown, Forrest is drawing attention to its importance, but why? Does it refer to a proper name, place, or thing?
Thinking on that always gets me sidetracked, because since I can’t decide, I go back to the ‘put in’ and the fact Forrest could have put the treasure in a stream. I don’t like thinking that! But it does seem like a perfect place to hide a treasure, so that no one is going to just happen to come across it (unless you are looking for crayfish, which I actually do like to do with the kids..(wouldn’t the finding of a chest of gold instead of a crayfish be a surprise)!).
Plus, on page 137 of the book, Forrest mentions, “Bronze is a non-ferrous metal, meaning it won’t rust or deteriorate in any way.” Now he was talking about the making and hiding of his bronze bells, but the chest is bronze, as well.
The thought of it being in a stream, even though I imagine a small one; one which ‘there’ll be no paddle up your creek’ because it is too shallow, has me looking for a good pair of waterproof boots. Any suggestions? Lol…
Could the possibility it is hidden in a stream, also be a meaning behind, “Your effort will be worth the cold?” To be searching in a stream certainly would get a bit cold after awhile. But if you found the treasure, it would be worth it. And to back up just a bit to the Meek line of ‘From there it’s no place for the meek.’ Psalms 37:11 says, ‘the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.’ However, the poem line says it is no place for the meek. Could this imply ‘it is in the water?’ (not the land in which the meek will gain title)
There is one other thing about this ‘put in’ a stream possibility. Although I would like to think ‘it’s not in a stream’, (for I don’t know why)…. I read the following sentence in a book Forrest mentioned in The Thrill of the Chase. It is:
“To be suddenly connected through a rainbow arc of rod and run of line to something as purely wild as God’s own trout produces astonishment at the cellular level and, at least for a moment, blurs the border between man and nature. It is a bond which renews itself time after time and is the addictive essence of the sport.”
Right before the poem, we all know it says, “So I wrote a poem containing nine clues that if followed precisely, will lead to the end of my rainbow and the treasure.”
Forrest loves to fish, if his ‘rainbow’ is that of the rod and line (like the above passage relates), at the end of his rainbow…..in a stream…..could be the treasure.
Darn, we might get wet fishing for gold! Of course, it still might be in a nice, dry, warm, place on land. Who knows? Only Forrest.
Best of luck to all…..
I have a backhoe if it helps. I have an idea of another place to look but I don’t have all the clues figured out.
Call me . We can talk about it. (5oh5) 753-3oh16
Well, guess I know where its at.
sure wish I lived closer to Yellowstone, having the love of trout fishing gives advantage to the poem. things in the poem a trout fisherman relate to. Another advantage is being around old school men ,knowing there ways , how they think an talk. Yellowstone fall trout fishing trip is on my bucket list if I find it ill leave half of it that’s my word.
Hi Jenny,
I just read this post and appreciate your insight. You have reinforced my own interpretations and given me faith in my current solve on several points. Thank you and good luck in your search.
Sincerely. -Randawg.
Chas, can you point me to where Forrest said that you could see the blaze at night with a flashlight?
Thanks. The reason I ask is that some folks think that the blaze relates to the sun — or may, in fact,
BE the sun.
also heavy loads and water high i think its by a raging river with rail road tracks by it meaning the rail road tracks carry heavy loads and the raging water is water high.
I had never heard of Forrest Fenn until a coworker told me about the treasure today. I decided to look it up and was told to start with the poem. So, with a virgin eye I typed the poem into Word so I could type notes and brainstorms next to the lines. My first thought was the treasure would be somewhere near a treatment plant or power plant as I took the lines ‘warm waters halt’ (waste water from plant or factory), ‘heavy loads’ (load can be an electrical term), and ‘water high’ (high concentration in the water such as waste, salinity, pH, etc.). My second thought was it was near a dam – ‘waters halt’; ‘canyon down’; ‘too far to walk (too steep?)’; ‘heavy loads (electric dam)’. After reading the posts on this website, it is romantic to think it is the poem of an old fisherman creating a verbal map to his favorite fishing spot. I think the poem is direct but uses uncommon uses of word or plays on the words such as ‘home of Brown’ meaning the word home might be painted brown (except that nagging capital ‘B’ which makes it a proper noun and I believe not by accident). My next step is to rewrite the poem with my interpretation and then sit back and feel proud in my genius, knowing I am not wrong until the treasure is found. Happy hunting to those that actually get to hunt the treasure!
🙂
Hello Jenny my name is Michael and I have read a lot of other Searchers thoughts and you are the only one who now makes me worry with what you have shared, even though you have no Clue what you have found from what I gather but another Searcher may have a Clue. I have been waiting for things to be as they need to be for me to retrieve the Chest since I stood over it in October and until now my wait wasn’t so bad but next week if weather allows I may have your answer to one of your questions and will try to contact you again and share with you my Solve. Until then Ponder this, one Path from the South and one Path from the North meeting in the middle where the Chest lies.
I think we may have the same solve, but mine is incomplete. Email me at nathanbellew@outlook.com. I live in Wyoming and I can easily travel to any of the 4 states. I would also be willing to go 75/25 on the chest. (75 you, 25 me). Let me know… N.
Found this thread looking for Brown Trout near the Hoover Dam , Where warm waters end I believe is at the Hoover dam, down that canyon there are Brown Trout fishing holes or the home of Brown, (he is a big fisherman) I’d say somewhere around Willow Beach.
So what if put in below the home of Brown simply means that you’ll put your watercraft in a river dictated by the preceding lines at an elevation below the resting spot of the bronze chest? Bronze is after all a brown colour; So the “home of Brown” could be the resting spot or home of the bronze chest or Brown and Brown could be his name for the chest.
Could be Brown’s Hole (Park), which was visited by Joe Meek
What about Browns Creek Waterfall? Behind it maybe? Sounds like a fairly easy trail I believe near access roads and a resort. Works with most of the clues from what I can interpret. Cold, water high, home of brown, down from hot springs, no paddle creek, hike no walk, and so on. Just a thought if he is saying he could go back.
Finn recently said in an interview that the chest is not buried, it’s not underwater, it’s not in or around the Rio Grande. I see everyone is obsessed with the term “put in” as if he said “I put it in.” Negative. He specifically said “”Put in”, and it’s a continuation of a line referring to water. To “put in” is the maritime term used by boaters when you pull up to shore, usually in a raft or long boat. The line follows the “not far, but too far to walk” portion about the “where cold waters halt.”, not are stopped, but halt. If water halts, it’s natural, not artificial. So you are looking for a cold water river or large stream in a canyon, one that you can row a boat up, and is located near the “Home of Brown”, I’d look for a Brownston, or Brownstown, or Brownville or something.
The line “there’ll be no paddle up your creek” is also interesting. Could be referring to a “shit creek”? Or maybe the creek is too shallow to row”
I’m concerned of the blaze what is his real mean?
Today I returned from a trip to YNP to claim Fenn’s Treasure. Treasure-wise, I returned empty-handed, but I shall never forget the experience of spending four days exploring the wonders of YNP- even during the rainy, cool weather which my son and I encountered. The trip gave us “boots on the ground” appreciation of the terrain and a little better understanding of Forrest Fenn’s experiences in that area. So it’s back to the drawing board for my next “solve”. After reading all the comments on this site, I have no idea where to start, but start I shall because hope springs eternal and puzzles must be solve. We are all nuts.