Where Was the Forrest Fenn Treasure Found

Where was the Forrest Fenn treasure found? On June 6, 2020, Forrest sent MW an official statement to post on this site saying that his treasure chest was found. The email was as follows: (screenshot of email) :

The treasure was valued at over a million dollars. It consisted of gold nuggets, gold coins, and other artifacts. The chest itself was described as a relic from 1150 AD.

The hunt for the treasure chest was released in the fall of 2010, via a poem published online and in Forrest Fenn’s memoir, The Thrill of the Chase. Each year the Chase community grew. For years searchers scrutinized the poem which was said to hold nine clues. Some other clues to the location were that the treasure was hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains – North of Santa Fe New Mexico – and at a place Forrest loved. Forrest mentioned it was also at a location he wished to have his bones rest forever.

MW Question/Answer posted 6/14/2014:

“Are you willing to say whether the place of the treasure chest is the same as the one where you had previously plotted to have your bones rest forever?”~anonymous

Dear Anon,
I feel somewhat disadvantaged since you chose to not identify yourself but I will answer your question anyway.
Yes it is. f

Jack Stuef became known as the finder of the treasure chest. It seemed he focused more on learning as much as possible about Forrest, and discovering the location Forrest loved most, instead of deciphering the poem’s clues. I had the opportunity to ask Jack Six Questions about the discovery. The following is only part of how he described his approach to the Chase:

Forrest once said he thought the treasure may be found by the person who could best adjust, and it was certainly true that I had to adjust my approach along the way. I think I figured out where it was by being relentlessly goal-oriented, remembering that the poem itself is not the point, but rather the special place where he wished he could have died. But I think the next phase, boots on the ground, rewarded a process-oriented approach, putting in the methodical work out in the woods required to find the blaze. The research phase probably played more to my strengths, so I had to work harder at creating a good boots-on-the-ground approach to actually find the thing, and I was thrown for an additional curveball when I realized the blaze had probably been damaged by natural forces.

A lot of controversary surrounded the discovery, with lawsuits and whatnot, and many questions were left unanswered. The main ones being on how exactly Forrest created the nine clues of the poem to direct someone to the exact spot. Especially since where the Forrest Fenn Treasure was found was not fully disclosed.

However, now taking a look at evidence which has since surfaced, and of which has been revealed during the course of lawsuits, released emails between Jack and Forrest, and Reddit comments by a former user TheCondor2, believed to be Jack, it is most likely the treasure chest was found in the woods, across the Madison River, near Nine Mile Hole, in Yellowstone National Park.

Incredibly, it seems that the stick, which was on top of the chest, and seen in photos taken at the location by Jack, but then tossed aside, was found! Where was the stick found? At the treasure site near Nine Mile Hole confirming the photos were taken from that location.

Below is the photo of the Treasure Chest with the stick that Jack released:

Here is an image of the stick that was found. It has all the same markings as the one in the chest. It was found by Rudy Greene.

Here are the two images closer together for comparison.

Some searchers still question whether Nine Mile Hole in Yellowstone National Park was the actual hiding spot of the chest. They prefer their own locations, based on their own interpretation of clues.

But the information released after the find, along with the fact that the nine clues in the Forrest Fenn’s poem can be reverse engineered to lead someone to the area that Jack searched, and is believed to have found the treasure, as well as the fact that Nine Mile Hole was one of Forrest’s most favorite fishing spots, is in my opinion, a strong case for it have been found there. Here is a possible breakdown for the NINE clues for NINE mile hole in Yellowstone.

• Clue 1: Begin it where warm waters halt – Madison Junction
• Clue 2: Take it in the canyon down – Madison Canyon
• Clue 3: Not far, but too far to walk – drive to Nine Mile Hole (play on words/Nine Mile (the name of the location) is too far to walk)
• Clue 4: Put in below the home of Brown – Brown trout in the area
• Clue 5: From there it’s no place for the meek – Cross the Madison River
• Clue 6: The end is ever drawing nigh – drawing left
• Clue 7: There’ll be no paddle up your creek – wade across no need to paddle
• Clue 8: Just heavy loads and water high – boulders in area and high elevation
• Clue 9: If you’ve been wise and found the blaze – mark on tree

Here is a street view map of where a searcher could pull off for Nine Mile Hole:

Jack Stuef sold the treasure chest and contents in the fall of 2022. The sale included the SEALED Olive Jar which is said to hold Forrest’s Autobiography. In a MW Q/A Forrest described the process of sealing:

Question posted 6/26/2014:

You have mentioned sealing a bottle that is included in the chest with wax. What was your reason for doing this? Were you concerned merely for damp conditions or is the Chest hidden in water? ~ Izcajun

Thanks for the questions Izcajun.

When I was ready to put the olive jar that contained my autobiography and two of my hairs in the treasure chest I studied the lid. It was made of tin coated steel, which is not easily oxidized in air or water. Over time those characteristics can break down.

Although I am not ready to say the treasure is not in water, I certainly didn’t want moisture to enter the jar. So I melted a chunk of microcrystalline wax to the point that it started smoking, which meant it was at its thinnest viscosity. Then I dipped the jar in the molten wax deep enough to cover the lid and part of the jar, and held it there for several seconds. I wanted the wax to seal the threads on both the lid and the jar, but I didn’t want the heat to break the glass. After it cooled for a minute or so and the wax hardened, I repeated the process two times, increasing the wax thickness on the lid. The wax was petroleum based and won’t evaporate or deteriorate. When cold, it becomes brittle. That’s why I wanted the threads on the lid and jar clogged.

All I know are the facts, if you want the truth go next door to the psychology department.f

The LLC which purchased the treasure from Jack decided to auction off most of the items. On December 12, 2022 items passed from Heritage Auctions to the highest bidders. Pieces of the Chase spread out among the public. Each artifact holds the story. I’m sure they will be treasured by their new owners.

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Although the Thrill of the Chase treasure hunt has ended, many other treasure hunts remain – discuss these on the MW Forum, MW Facebook Group Page, or the MW Discord Channel