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Adventurer, Private Investigator, Explorer, Treasure Hunter
The three secret shrines of Japan
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How to quit your job to travel the world
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Sir Francis Drake’s Hidden Fortunes
- by Grey
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE’S
Hidden Fortunes
Overview
Sir Francis Drake known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition from 1577 to 1580 was an English Sea Captain, Privateer, Naval Officer, and Explorer. In 1581 he was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth I and appointed Mayor of Plymouth.
Drakes exploits made him a legend that will likely be never forgotten. To the English he was a hero but to the Spanish he was deemed a pirate. The Spanish believed Drake to be working with the devil and named him “El Draque” – The Dragon.
Drake met his end when an attack on San Juan, Puerto Rico failed, injured, Drake succumbed to dysentery in January 1596. He was buried at sea in full armor in a lead coffin that has never been seen since.
1590 or later Marcus Gheeraerts, Sir Francis Drake Buckland Abbey, Devon by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger.
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The Legends
Sir Francis Drake’s travelled far and wide across the entire world leaving a mass of treasure legends in his wake. Use the map below to navigate through some of those legends and learn more about his adventures around the world.
Map Key:
*Click on a Treasure for more information.
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The Treasures – Part 1
Nombre De Dios Silver Train
In 1572 Drake led his first independent mission to attack the town of Nombre de Dios in the Isthmus of Panama from where the Spanish would load the gold and silver treasures of Peru onto galleons to be sent onto Spain.
They succeeded in capturing the town and its treasure and remained the area for almost a year carrying out raids on Spanish shipping and attempting to capture more treasure shipments.
In 1573 he tracked a silver train to Nombre de Dios where they captured the haul of approximately 20 tons of silver and gold. Too much to carry, they buried a large sum of it taking what they could back to their boats 18 miles away only to find their boats gone. Burying the rest they built a raft to get back to their ship down the coast.
Arriving back at their ship Drake pulled a necklace of Spanish gold from around his neck and said to his crew “Our voyage is made, lads!”
Illustration of an imagined Nombre de Dios, from Peter Schenk’s 1672 Hecatompolis.
A map of part of the Isthmus of Darien : shewing the communication with Panama, from Portobello & Chagre both by land, and by water oriented with north to the bottom[1700–1799].
Nombre De Dios Silver Train
In 1572, Drake embarked on his first major independent enterprise. He planned an attack on the Isthmus of Panama, known to the Spanish as Tierra Firme and the English as the Spanish Main. This was the point at which the silver and gold treasure of Peru had to be landed and sent overland to the Caribbean Sea, where galleons from Spain would pick it up at the town of Nombre de Dios. Drake left Plymouth on 24 May 1572, with a crew of 73 men in two small vessels, the Pascha (70 tons) and the Swan (25 tons), to capture Nombre de Dios.
Drake’s first raid was late in July 1572. Drake formed an alliance with the Cimarrons. Drake and his men captured the town and its treasure. When his men noticed that Drake was bleeding profusely from a wound, they insisted on withdrawing to save his life and left the treasure. Drake stayed in the area for almost a year, raiding Spanish shipping and attempting to capture a treasure shipment.
The most celebrated of Drake’s adventures along the Spanish Main was his capture of the Spanish Silver Train at Nombre de Dios in March 1573. He raided the waters around Darien (in modern Panama) with a crew including many French privateers including Guillaume Le Testu, a French buccaneer, and African slaves (Maroons) who had escaped the Spanish. One of these men was Diego, who under Drake became a free man was also a capable ship builder.[1] Drake tracked the Silver Train to the nearby port of Nombre de Dios. After their attack on the richly laden mule train, Drake and his party found that they had captured around 20 tons of silver and gold. They buried much of the treasure, as it was too much for their party to carry, and made off with a fortune in gold.[2][3] (An account of this may have given rise to subsequent stories of pirates and buried treasure). Wounded, Le Testu was captured and later beheaded. The small band of adventurers dragged as much gold and silver as they could carry back across some 18 miles of jungle-covered mountains to where they had left the raiding boats. When they got to the coast, the boats were gone. Drake and his men, downhearted, exhausted and hungry, had nowhere to go and the Spanish were not far behind.
At this point, Drake rallied his men, buried the treasure on the beach, and built a raft to sail with two volunteers ten miles along the surf-lashed coast to where they had left the flagship. When Drake finally reached its deck, his men were alarmed at his bedraggled appearance. Fearing the worst, they asked him how the raid had gone. Drake could not resist a joke and teased them by looking downhearted. Then he laughed, pulled a necklace of Spanish gold from around his neck and said “Our voyage is made, lads!” By 9 August 1573, he had returned to Plymouth.
It was during this expedition that Drake climbed a high tree in the central mountains of the Isthmus of Panama and thus became the first Englishman to see the Pacific Ocean. He remarked as he saw it that he hoped one day an Englishman would be able to sail it – which he would do years later as part of his circumnavigation of the world.[4]
When Drake returned to Plymouth after the raids, the government signed a temporary truce with King Philip II of Spain and so was unable to acknowledge Drake’s accomplishment officially. Drake was considered a hero in England and a pirate in Spain for his raids.[5]
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- Kaufmann, Miranda. “The Untold Story of How an Escaped Slave Helped Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigate the Globe”. History. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- David Marley (2008). Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the Present. ABC-CLIO. pp. 103–104. ISBN 978-1-59884-100-8.
- Angus Konstam (20 December 2011). The Great Expedition: Sir Francis Drake on the Spanish Main 1585–86. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-78096-233-7.
- Cummins 1997, p. 287
- Cummins 1997, p. 273
Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation
A map of part of the Isthmus of Darien : shewing the communication with Panama, from Portobello & Chagre both by land, and by water oriented with north to the bottom[1700–1799].
Francis Drake’s Circumnavigation Of The Globe
With the success of the Panama isthmus raid in 1577, Elizabeth I of England sent Drake to start an expedition against the Spanish along the Pacific coast of the Americas. Drake used the plans that Sir Richard Grenville had received the patent for in 1574 from Elizabeth, which was rescinded a year later after protests from Philip of Spain. Diego was once again employed under Drake; his fluency in Spanish and English would make him a useful interpreter when Spaniards or Spanish-speaking Portuguese were captured. He was employed as Drake’s servant and was paid wages, just like the rest of the crew.[1] Drake and the fleet set out from Plymouth on 15 November 1577, but bad weather threatened him and his fleet. They were forced to take refuge in Falmouth, Cornwall, from where they returned to Plymouth for repair.[2]
After this major setback, Drake set sail again on 13 December aboard Pelican with four other ships and 164 men. He soon added a sixth ship, Mary (formerly Santa Maria), a Portuguese merchant ship that had been captured off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands. He also added its captain, Nuno da Silva, a man with considerable experience navigating in South American waters.
After passing the coast of Portuguese Brazil, Drake’s fleet suffered great attrition after storms twice scattered the fleet; so on 13 May Drake put in to a bay and anchored off Cape Tres Puntas in the San Jorge Gulf. Another storm blew up and the fleet once more were forced to run for the open sea. When the Swan became separated from the rest of the fleet during a severe storm, Drake became convinced that Doughty was practising witchcraft and became somewhat of a bad superstition amongst the crew.[6]
On 17 May the fleet anchored in Deseado in order for the other ships to catch up, and over the next few days the fleet was brought together except the Swan under Doughty. They turned up the following day to meet a seething Drake where they had another quarrel, the former accusing him of witchcraft which he vehemently denied. Decisions were made regarding the fleet – Drake realised the need to condense his force due to losses sustained from disease and storms from the Atlantic crossing. The decision was made to scuttle Swan – the resultant loss of his command enraged Doughty. He confronted Drake who promptly lost his temper, struck Doughty and ordered him bound to the mast. It was decided that the ex Spanish Christopher was no longer needed so was burned, and so only the rigging and ironwork was kept.[7]
Drake’s fleet suffered great attrition; having scuttled both Christopher and the flyboat Swan due to loss of men on the Atlantic crossing. He made landfall at the gloomy bay of San Julian, in what is now Argentina. Ferdinand Magellan had called here half a century earlier, where he put to death some mutineers. Drake’s men saw weathered and bleached skeletons on the grim Spanish gibbets. The crew discovered that Mary had rotting timbers, so they burned the ship. Drake decided to remain the winter in San Julian before attempting the Strait of Magellan.[3]
Execution of Thomas Doughty
On his voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, Drake had several quarrels with his co-commander Thomas Doughty and on 3 June 1578, accused him of witchcraft and charged him with mutiny and treason in a shipboard trial.[4] Drake claimed to have a (never presented) commission from the Queen to carry out such acts and denied Doughty a trial in England. The main pieces of evidence against Doughty were the testimony of the ship’s carpenter, Edward Bright, who after the trial was promoted to master of the ship Marigold, and Doughty’s admission of telling Lord Burghley, a vocal opponent of agitating the Spanish, of the intent of the voyage. Drake consented to his request of Communion and dined with him, of which Francis Fletcher had this strange account:
And after this holy repast, they dined also at the same table together, as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand.[5]
Drake had Thomas Doughty beheaded on 2 July 1578. When the ship’s chaplain Francis Fletcher in a sermon suggested that the woes of the voyage in January 1580 were connected to the unjust demise of Doughty, Drake chained the clergyman to a hatch cover and pronounced him excommunicated.
Sourced from: Wikipedia/Francis Drake
- Kaufmann, Miranda. “The Untold Story of How an Escaped Slave Helped Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigate the Globe”. History. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- Sugden 2012, p. 130
- Kelsey 2000, p. 104
- Coote, p.133
- Barrow, John (1843). The Life, Voyages, and Exploits of Admiral Sir Francis Drake. J. Murray. p. 102. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
Sourced from: Wikipedia/Circumnavigation
6. Poole, Reginald Lane; Hunt, William, eds. (1911). The Political History of England: The history of England from the accession of Edward VI to the death of Elizabeth, 1547-1603. Longmans, Green & Company. p. 319.
7. Purves, David Laing (1874). The English Circumnavigators: The Most Remarkable Voyages Round the World by English Sailors. William P. Nimmo. p. 53.
Copy by John Conyers of Francis Fletcher’s map of Elizabeth Island, off Cape Horn, forming part of the British Library’s Sloane Manuscript 61.
Elizabeth Island
Drakes circumnavigation didn’t get off to a good start meeting frequent and violent storms. When they departed the Magellan Strait at the southern tip of South America this didn’t change.
Another violent storm hit them destroying three of the ships and causing one to flee back to England leaving only the Pelican with Drake aboard.
The Pelican was pushed southward to where they discovered an island that Drake called Elizabeth Island. This island is considered a phantom as it has never been seen again although many suggestions have been offered as to where Drake landed.
Elizabeth Island
Megellan Straight (1578)
The three remaining ships of his convoy departed for the Magellan Strait at the southern tip of South America. A few weeks later (September 1578) Drake made it to the Pacific, but violent storms destroyed one of the three ships, the Marigold (captained by John Thomas) in the strait and caused another, the Elizabeth captained by John Wynter, to return to England, leaving only the Pelican. After this passage, the Pelican was pushed south and discovered an island that Drake called Elizabeth Island.
Drake, like navigators before him, probably reached a latitude of 55°S (according to astronomical data quoted in Hakluyt’s The Principall Navigations, Voiages and Discoveries of the English Nation of 1589) along the Chilean coast.[1] In the Magellan Strait Francis and his men engaged in skirmish with local indigenous people, becoming the first Europeans to kill indigenous peoples in southern Patagonia.[2] During the stay in the strait, crew members discovered that an infusion made of the bark of Drimys winteri could be used as remedy against scurvy. Captain Wynter ordered the collection of great amounts of bark – hence the scientific name.[2]
Despite popular lore, it seems unlikely that Drake reached Cape Horn or the eponymous Drake Passage,[1] because his descriptions do not fit the first and his shipmates denied having seen an open sea.[citation needed] Historian Mateo Martinic, who examined his travels, credits Drake with the discovery of the “southern end of the Americas and the oceanic space south of it”.[3] The first report of his discovery of an open channel south of Tierra del Fuego was written after the 1618 publication of the voyage of Willem Schouten and Jacob le Maire around Cape Horn in 1616.[4]
Sourced from: Wikipedia
- Wagner, Henry R., Sir Francis Drake’s Voyage Around the World: Its Aims and Achievements, Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2006, ISBN 1-4286-2255-1.
- Martinic, Mateo (1977). Historia del Estrecho de Magallanes (in Spanish). Santiago: Andrés Bello. pp. 67–68.
- Martinic B., Mateo (2019). “Entre el mito y la realidad. La situación de la misteriosa Isla Elizabeth de Francis Drake” [Between myth and reality. The situation of the mysterious Elizabeth Island of Francis Drake]. Magallania (in Spanish). 47 (1): 5–14. doi:10.4067/S0718-22442019000100005. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Kelsey, Harry, Sir Francis Drake; The Queen’s Pirate, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1998, ISBN 0-300-07182-5.
Cueva del Pirata (Cave of the Pirate)
By December 5th Drake had reached Valparaíso, Chile. Plundering the small settlement of valuable art, silver from the church, 25,000 pesos in gold, and Chilean wine.
Valparaíso folklore says the Cueva del Pirata (lit. “Cave of the Pirate”) is where Drake hid the treasure he had taken from the settlement. In some versions of the story he hid it here because it was not enough to be worth taking aboard his ship.
In other versions of the story the treasure had been too much to take with him back to the ship so he hid it in the cave with a sentry to guard the treasure until he returned (which he didn’t).
It said that the treasure is still there hidden in the caves but all who have gone in search of it drown.
Francis Drake in the Strait of Magellan By Thomas Somerscales.
Cueva del Pirata – Valparaíso, Chile
On December 5 he viewed the small Spanish settlement of Valparaíso, a coastal town with a number of houses and a church. He made an assault on the town and plundered what he could find, such as valuable art treasures and the church silver. Its harbour contained a ship which proved the most valuable as it was full of Chilean wine, 25,000 pesos in gold and with charts of the South American coast. Drake’s sack of Valparaíso gave origin to the legend about Cueva del Pirata.[1]
In Valparaíso, Chile, folklore associates a cave known as Cueva del Pirata (lit. “Cave of the Pirate”) with Francis Drake. A legend says that when Drake sacked the port he became disappointed over the scant plunder. Drake proceeded to enter the churches in fury to sack them and urinate on the goblets.[4] However he still found the plunder to be not worth enough to take it on board his galleon, hiding it in the cave.[4] Another version the legend says a treasure was left in the cave because the plunder had been more than he could take on board.[4] Together with the treasure Drake would have left a man chained or a sentry to wait for them to return, which they did not.[4] The treasure is said to still be there, but those who approach it drown.[4]
Drake left and carried on Northwards up the coast. He sailed into the remote Salada Bay near Copiapó where he was able to careen his ship and assembled the Golden Hinde’s pinnace. Whilst here Drake attempted to wait for the Elizabeth to appear which would’ve given sufficient strength to attack Panama, the next target. When it became apparent that Elizabeth wasn’t going to turn up, Drake sailed off once the pinnace had been completed.[2]
Just before they got to Callao a Spanish coaster laden with 25,000 pesos of Peruvian gold, amounting in value to 37,000 ducats of Spanish money (about £7m by modern standards) was intercepted and captured; from the prisoners information was gained bearing news that a number of treasure ships were heading in the area. As a result, Drake entered Callao which was the harbour for Lima on 13 February. The English took the town with ease and in the harbour lay a dozen vessels which Drake ordered ransacked and run aground. They then questioned the inhabitants from whom they learnt that a large treasure galleon called Nuestra Señora de la Concepción which would come to be called the Cacafuego, had recently departed North West towards Panama bearing a valuable cargo of silver with its final destination of Manila. The following day an excited Drake rushed off in pursuit with the recently built pinnace and headed to the direction where the Spanish treasure galleon was most likely to be intercepted.[3]
Sourced from: Wikipedia/Circumnavigation
REFERENCES:
- Montecino Aguirre, Sonia (2015). Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos (in Spanish). Catalonia. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-956-324-375-8.
- Spate 2004, p. 251
- Marley 2008, p. 64
Sourced from: Wikipedia/Francis Drake
REFERENCES:
4. Montecino Aguirre, Sonia (2015). Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos (in Spanish). Catalonia. pp. 196–197, 269. ISBN 978-956-324-375-8.
The golden hind replica in Brixham.
Drake’s Treasure in Arica, Chile
Carrying on Northward from Valparaíso along the coast Drake stopped at Salada Bay near Copiapó to careen his ship before pushing on to Callao.
Before reaching Calao Drake and his crew captured a Spanish coaster laden with 25,000 pesos of Peruvian gold (worth around £7 million in modern standards) and learned of other treasure ships in the area including Nuestra Señora de la Concepción bearing a valuable cargo of silver with its final destination of Manila. Excited Drake rushed off in pursuit the following day.
Legend says that because Drake was afraid that he could be captured by the Spanish he decided to stop near Arica, Chile to bury his treasures consisting of 800 bars of silver, 123 bars of gold and 500,000 silver coins.
Drake Buried Treasure In Arica, Chile
Further north in Chile a tale says that because Drake feared falling prisoner to the Spanish he buried his treasure near Arica, these being one of many Chilean stories about entierros (“burrowings”).[1]
The treasure in or near Arica is supposed to be of 800 bars of silver, 123 bars of gold and 500,000 silver coins that once belonged to King of Spain. If you go to the cemetery in Arica you will find the supposed tomb of Sir Francis Drake.[2]
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFRENCES:
- Montecino Aguirre, Sonia (2015). Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos (in Spanish). Catalonia. pp. 196–197, 269. ISBN 978-956-324-375-8.
Sourced from: Southamerica.cl
2. http://www.southamerica.cl/Chile/Arica.htm
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The Treasures – Part 2
Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
Drake still in pursuit of the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción took a small ship containing nearly 20,000 gold pesos from the Zuruma gold mines. By March 1st Drake had sited his prize just off the Audiencia of Qutio coast.
The English took the ship without much resistance and took the ships to a nearby secluded stretch of coastline where they would find the ship so laden it would take them six days to unload the treasure consisting of 36 kilos of royals of plate, 26 thousand kilograms of silver, 25,000 gold pesos, a golden crucifix, and jewels.
The total value of the treasure is estimated to be the equivalent of around £480 million in todays terms.
Drake Viewing Treasure Taken From a Spanish Ship.
Capture of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
Around the same time the Spanish authorities began getting reports that an English naval force was off the coast. Panic began to spread once news that settlements had been raided. In Lima the Viceroy of Peru Francisco de Toledo was shocked and was surprised that the English had got this far. He immediately ordered all ships to be repaired and re floated from Callao to pursue but none were equipped to challenge Golden Hinde. A dispatch was also sent off to Lima calling for more troops, and two ships were chosen for the chase. Frias Trejo commanded the Nuestra Señora del Valle and Pedro De Arana in the Nao de Muriles. These two were however improperly ballasted and so returned to port despite both being in sight of Drake. Toledo furiously ordered his own son Luis to lead the expedition with two heavily armed galleons and eleven other vessels to capture any English vessel they came across. They also were given the best pilots in the region including Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa and 120 soldiers.[1]
The fleet left Callao on 27 February and set out in pursuit of the English who they thought were heading towards Panama where Gamboa thought Drake would strike next.[2]
Drake still in pursuit of the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and unaware of the sizeable Spanish force now coming for him, took a small ship just having departed from Guayas River which led to Guayaquil. The ship belonged to Benito Diaz Bravo and in its hold contained nearly 20,000 gold pesos from the Zaruma gold mines along with other victuals.[3]
On 1 March Drake sited the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción just off the Audiencia of Qutio coast. Drake came across the slower moving galleon then moved the pinnace towards the Spanish ship’s port. The Spanish captain Juan de Anton was surprised to see a foreign vessel out this far. Drake ordered Diego to demand in Spanish for their sails to strike. Anton however refused and so Drake answered with cannon and arquebus fire. No further answer came from the Spaniard so more cannons were fired, this time damaging Nuestra Señora de la Concepcións rigging and also tore the mizzenmast and lateen yard off. Then with the Golden Hind on one side and the pinnace on the other, the English closed in and were able to board the vessel.[4] Since they were not expecting English ships to be in the Pacific, Nuestra Señora de la Concepcións (which later become known as Cagafuego’s) crew was taken completely by surprise and surrendered quickly and without much resistance. Once in control of the galleon, Drake brought both ships to a secluded stretch of coastline to unloaded the treasure.[5]
Such was the hoard, it took six days for the treasure to be unloaded. Aboard the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, Drake discovered 36 kilograms (80 lb) or 13 chests full of royals of plate and 26 thousand kilograms (26 long tons) of silver. 25,000 pesos of amounting in value to 37,000 ducats. In addition a golden crucifix, jewels completed the total worth around 360,000 Pesos (about £7m by modern standards). In total the treasure amounted to the equivalent to around £480m in today’s terms. There was so much treasure that the silver bars replaced the Golden Hinde’s ballast.[6] The crew could not believe their luck and were overjoyed at the sight of the Spanish galleon’s treasure, and their morale reached a new high. Drake was also pleased at his good luck, and he showed it by dining with Cagafuego’s officers and gentleman passengers. He offloaded his captives a short time later, and gave each one gifts appropriate to their rank, as well as a letter of safe conduct. Through Diego, Drake was able to bluff the Spanish and made it clear that there were other English ships in the area such as the Elizabeth under John Wynter (even though he had returned home) in order to cause some kind of panic and confusion and lead the Spanish into a wild-goose chase.[7]
Sourced from: Wikipedia/Circumnavigation
REFERENCES:
- Sugden 2012, p. 126
- Bicheno 2012, p. 144
- Bawlf 2009, p. 141
- Levine & Lane 2015, p. 39
- Coote 2005, p. 157
- Bicheno 2012, p. 146
- Bawlf 2009, pp. 146–47
Detail of Jodocus Hondius map of 1589 showing cove in New Albion visited by Francis Drake.
Nova Albion
On June17th 1579 Drake had found a protected cove in what is believed to have been Northern California. It was here that they planned to repair the ship and prepare it for the long journey ahead across the Pacific and around Africa back to England.
Posting a brass plate in the cove Drake had claimed the area as Nova Albion for Queen Elizabeth I. Drake and his crew remained in the area for several weeks making the necessary repairs to their ship. Making friends with the local Coast Miwok Drake explored the surrounding land by foot.
Leaving Nova Albion on the 23rd of July 1579 to sail across the Pacific and around Africa back to England they first stopped the next day at Farallon Islands to hunt for seal meat. The location of Nova Albion is debated as the brass plate Drake left has never been found.
Where was Nova Albion?
Nova Albion (1579)
Prior to Drake’s voyage, the western coast of North America had only been partially explored in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who sailed for Spain.[1] So, intending to avoid further conflict with Spain, Drake navigated northwest of Spanish presence and sought a discreet site at which the crew could prepare for the journey back to England.[2][3]
On 5 June 1579, the ship briefly made first landfall at what is now South Cove, Cape Arago, just south of Coos Bay, Oregon, and then sailed south while searching for a suitable harbour to repair his ailing ship.[4][5][6][7][8] On 17 June, Drake and his crew found a protected cove when they landed on the Pacific coast of what is now Northern California.[9][10] While ashore, he claimed the area for Queen Elizabeth I as Nova Albion or New Albion.[11] To document and assert his claim, Drake posted an engraved plate of brass to claim sovereignty for Elizabeth and every successive English monarch.[12] After erecting a fort and tents ashore, the crew labored for several weeks as they prepared for the circumnavigating voyage ahead by careening their ship, Golden Hind, so to effectively clean and repair the hull.[13] Drake had friendly interactions with the Coast Miwok and explored the surrounding land by foot.[14] When his ship was ready for the return voyage, Drake and the crew left New Albion on 23 July and paused his journey the next day when anchoring his ship at the Farallon Islands where the crew hunted seal meat.[15][16][17]
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- Davis, Loren; et al. (November 2013), “Inventory and Analysis of Coastal and Submerged Archaeological Site Occurrence on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf”, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management: 188
- Sugden, John (2006). Sir Francis Drake. London: Pimlico. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-844-13762-6.
- Gough, Barry (1980). Distant Dominion: Britain and the Northwest Coast of North America, 1579-1809. Vancouver: U Univ. of British Columbia Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-7748-0113-1.
- Von der Porten, Edward (January 1975). “Drake’s First Landfall”. Pacific Discovery, California Academy of Sciences. 28: 28–30.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1978). The Great Explorere: The European Discovery of America. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 700. ISBN 978-0195042221.
- Cassels, Sir Simon (August 2003). “Where Did Drake Careen The Golden Hind in June/July 1579? A Mariner’s Assessment”. The Mariner’s Mirror. 89 (1): 263. doi:10.1080/00253359.2003.10659292. S2CID 161710358.
- Gough, Barry (1980). Distant Dominion: Britain and the Northwest Coast of North America, 1579-1809. Vancouver: U Univ. of British Columbia Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-7748-0113-1.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
- Cassels, Sir Simon (August 2003). “Where Did Drake Careen The Golden Hind in June/July 1579? A Mariner’s Assessment”. The Mariner’s Mirror. 89 (1): 263,264. doi:10.1080/00253359.2003.10659292. S2CID 161710358.
- Gough, Barry (1980). Distant Dominion: Britain and the Northwest Coast of North America, 1579-1809. Vancouver: U Univ. of British Columbia Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-7748-0113-1.
- Sugden, John (2006). Sir Francis Drake. London: Pimlico. p. 136,137. ISBN 978-1-844-13762-6.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
- Sugden, John (2006). Sir Francis Drake. London: Pimlico. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-844-13762-6.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1978). The Great Explorere: The European Discovery of America. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 702. ISBN 978-0195042221.
- Torben, Rick; et al. (December 2019). “Seventy Years of Archaeologial Research on California’s Farallon Islands”. California Archaeology. 11 (2): 184.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 183,184. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
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Across The Pacific and Around Africa
Across The Pacific and Around Africa
Drake having sailed past Mindanao soon reached the Moluccas. These were a group of islands in the south west Pacific known as the ‘Spice Islands’ for its rich plantations of nutmeg and cloves. The values of these spices were virtually unknown to the English at this time. Drake was cautious about meeting further Portuguese trading settlements, but he was in luck – by mid 1575 most of the Portuguese positions in the Moluccas had already fallen to the natives of the islands. In addition the indigenous tribes or kingdoms that had supported the Portuguese had been virtually been cornered.[1]
In early November 1579 having passed Siau Island Drake encountered two fishing canoes who were able to guide the Golden Hinde through the islands. They led him to the island of Ternate – its volcanic peak Gamalama dominating the skyline. There Drake was able to dock and the crew were warmly welcomed by Sultan Babullah in a ceremonious courtesy in an old Portuguese castle. Drake proclaimed himself no friend of the Portuguese and the Sultan controlled a number of other islands other than Ternate and traded the best part in Cloves which Drake learned of its high value and importance.[2]
It was around this time that Diego died from the wounds he had sustained from Mocha island. Drake was saddened as Diego had been invaluable to him not just as a servant but for his skill, diplomacy and knowledge around South America.[3]
After the first round of negotiations, Babullah sent a sumptuous meal to Drake and his men: rice, chicken, sugar canes, liquid sugar, fruit, coconuts and sago. Drake was impressed with Babullah, noting the enormous respect that he enjoyed from his subjects but could not fulfil on any agreements. In particular he resisted invitations to join in a campaign against the last remaining Portuguese fort in Tidore since his mission was to get back to England as soon as possible and fulfil his mission. With English linen, gold and silver, Drake was able to trade to around ten tonnes of exotic spices – most of these were cloves but included ginger, black pepper and nutmeg. With so many cloves on board that were worth so much – Drake rewarded his crew with silver which boosted their morale. The Golden Hind stayed for a further five days before sailing away.[4]
Drake sought a place to trim and water his ship and soon arrived off the Celebes islands unaware of the dangerous shoals and subsequently became caught on a reef on 8 January 1580.[5] Here Fletcher came at odds with Drake – in a sermon he preached regarding the grounding, Fletcher suggested that their ships’ recent woe had resulted from the execution of Doughty which Drake promptly claimed as unjust. After the sermon, Drake had Fletcher chained to a hatch cover, then “solemnly excommunicated him”.[6] The sailors waited for expedient tides and soon dumped three tons of cargo (mostly cloves) and a number of guns – this eventually freed the ship after three days much to the crew’s and Drake’s relief. As they left they were driven westwards into the Banda Sea and refitted at either Damer or Romang island to trim and careen Golden Hinde.[7]
He made multiple stops on his way toward the tip of Africa, eventually rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and reached Sierra Leone by 22 July 1580.
Return to Plymouth (1580)
On 26 September, Golden Hind sailed into Plymouth with Drake and 59 remaining crew aboard, along with a rich cargo of spices and captured Spanish treasures. The Queen’s half-share of the cargo surpassed the rest of the crown’s income for that entire year. Drake was hailed as the first Englishman to circumnavigate the Earth (and the second such voyage arriving with at least one ship intact, after Elcano’s in 1520).[8]
The Queen declared that all written accounts of Drake’s voyages were to become the Queen’s secrets of the Realm, and Drake and the other participants of his voyages on the pain of death sworn to their secrecy; she intended to keep Drake’s activities away from the eyes of rival Spain. Drake presented the Queen with a jewel token commemorating the circumnavigation. Taken as a prize off the Pacific coast of Mexico, it was made of enamelled gold and bore an African diamond and a ship with an ebony hull.[8]
For her part, the Queen gave Drake a jewel with her portrait, an unusual gift to bestow upon a commoner, and one that Drake sported proudly in his 1591 portrait by Marcus Gheeraerts now at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. On one side is a state portrait of Elizabeth by the miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard, on the other a sardonyx cameo of double portrait busts, a regal woman and an African male. The “Drake Jewel”, as it is known today, is a rare documented survivor among sixteenth-century jewels; it is conserved at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.[8]
Sourced from: Wikipedia/Circumnavigation
REFERENCES:
- Sugden 2012, pp. 138–39
- Thrower 1984, pp. 69–70
- Guasco 2014, p. 98
- Mason 2018, p. 157
- Andrews 1984, p. 158
- Oakeshott 2010, p. 83
- Sugden 2012, p. 143
Sourced from: Wikipedia/Francis Drake
REFERENCES:
8. “The Drake Jewel”. Oieahc.wm.edu. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
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Drake’s Coffin
On 26th September 1580 Drake sailed into Plymouth and while Drake was hailed as the first Englishman to circumnavigate the Earth Queen Elizabeth I declared that all written accounts of Drakes voyages were to become Queen’s secrets of the Realm and Drake and his crew the pain of death sworn to their secrecy.
This wasn’t the end of Drake’s seafaring career. He pursued to attack the Spanish again in South America in his mid-fifties. It appeared though, that Drake’s luck had run out in 1595 when suffering a series of defeats and unsuccessful attacks on the Spanish before dying of dysentery while anchored off the coast of Portobello on the 28th January 1596.
Drake was buried at sea in full armor and in a lead-lined coffin a few miles off the coast of Portobello. However, Drakes coffin has never been found which has lead to many alternative theories. In Arica, Chile there is a cemetery which hold the supposed tomb of Sir Francis Drake.
Sir Francis Drake buried at sea. One of 4 bronze relief plaques by Joseph Boehm displayed on the base of the Drake statue in Tavistock, Devon.
Drake’s Lead Coffin Has Never Been Found
Drake’s seafaring career continued into his mid-fifties. In 1595, he failed to conquer the port of Las Palmas, and following a disastrous campaign against Spanish America, where he suffered a number of defeats, he unsuccessfully attacked San Juan de Puerto Rico, eventually losing the Battle of San Juan.
The Spanish gunners from El Morro Castle shot a cannonball through the cabin of Drake’s flagship, but he survived. He attempted to attack over land in an effort to capture the rich port of Panamá but was defeated again. A few weeks later, on 28 January 1596, he died (aged about 56) of dysentery, a common disease in the tropics at the time, while anchored off the coast of Portobelo where some Spanish treasure ships had sought shelter.[1] Following his death, the English fleet withdrew.[2]
Before dying, he asked to be dressed in his full armour. He was buried at sea in a sealed lead-lined coffin, near Portobelo, a few miles off the coastline. It is supposed that his final resting place is near the wrecks of two British ships, the Elizabeth and the Delight, scuttled in Portobelo Bay. Divers continue to search for the coffin.[3][4] Drake’s body has never been recovered.
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- “The Last Voyage of Sir Francis Drake”. loc.gov. p. 588. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- “Sir Francis Drake”. thepirateking.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- “Sir Francis Drake’s body ‘close to being found off Panama‘“. BBC News. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- Henderson, Barney; Swaine, Jon (24 October 2011). “Sir Francis Drake’s final fleet ‘discovered off the coast of Panama‘“. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July2017.
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Conclusion
Pat Croce and expedition team claim to have found the remains of the Elizabeth and the Delight at the bottom of the Portobelo Bay.
Drake had spent most of his life voyaging around the world fighting, looting and discovering new lands and along the way left a trail of stories of hidden treasures and mysterious lands all of which have never been found. Even his lead coffin from his burial at sea has eluded treasure hunters for hundreds of years.
Or have they? An article from 2011 reported that the owner of an American pirate museum claimed to be close to finding the remains of Sir Francis Drake. However, the expedition plans appear to have been shut down under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 which protects all British naval vessels anywhere in the world from exploitation.
Unless the rules change Drake’s coffin may never be recovered. At least not by treasure hunters and archaeologists who follow the laws and make legitimate expeditions for the sake of preserving history.
Sources & References
Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:
Primary Source: Francis Drake – Wikipedia
Bibliography:
-
- Paris Profiles. Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris. pp. Portfolio 17.
- Helen Wallis (1984). “The Catography of Drake’s Voyage”. In Norman J. W. Thrower (ed.). Sir Francis Drake and the Famous Voyage, 1577–1580: Essays Commemorating the Quadricentennial of Drake’s Circumnavigation of the Earth. University of California Press. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-520-04876-8.
- Soto Rodríguez, José Antonio (2006). “La defensa hispana del Reino de Chile”(PDF). Tiempo y Espacio (in Spanish). 16. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- According to the English calendar then in use, Drake’s date of death was 28 January 1595, as the new year began on 25 March.
- His name in Latinised form was Franciscus Draco (“Francis the Dragon”). See Theodor de Bry.
- John Cummins (1997). Francis Drake: The Lives of a Hero. St. Martin’s Press. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-312-16365-5.
- Mark G. Hanna (22 October 2015). Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire, 1570-1740. UNC Press Books. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-4696-1795-4.
- Bland, Archie (10 June 2020). “After Colston, figures such as Drake and Peel could be next”. The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- Andrews, Evan. “10 Things You May Not Know About Francis Drake”. History. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- Kaufmann, Miranda. “The Untold Story of How an Escaped Slave Helped Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigate the Globe”. History. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- David Marley (2008). Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the Present. ABC-CLIO. pp. 103–104. ISBN 978-1-59884-100-8.
- Angus Konstam (20 December 2011). The Great Expedition: Sir Francis Drake on the Spanish Main 1585–86. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-78096-233-7.
- Cummins 1997, p. 287
- Cummins 1997, p. 273
- Kaufmann, Miranda. “The Untold Story of How an Escaped Slave Helped Sir Francis Drake Circumnavigate the Globe”. History. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- Sugden 2012, p. 130
- Kelsey 2000, p. 104
- Coote, p.133
- Barrow, John (1843). The Life, Voyages, and Exploits of Admiral Sir Francis Drake. J. Murray. p. 102. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- Poole, Reginald Lane; Hunt, William, eds. (1911). The Political History of England: The history of England from the accession of Edward VI to the death of Elizabeth, 1547-1603. Longmans, Green & Company. p. 319.
- Purves, David Laing (1874). The English Circumnavigators: The Most Remarkable Voyages Round the World by English Sailors. William P. Nimmo. p. 53.
- Wagner, Henry R., Sir Francis Drake’s Voyage Around the World: Its Aims and Achievements, Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2006, ISBN 1-4286-2255-1.
- Martinic, Mateo (1977). Historia del Estrecho de Magallanes (in Spanish). Santiago: Andrés Bello. pp. 67–68.
- Martinic B., Mateo (2019). “Entre el mito y la realidad. La situación de la misteriosa Isla Elizabeth de Francis Drake” [Between myth and reality. The situation of the mysterious Elizabeth Island of Francis Drake]. Magallania (in Spanish). 47 (1): 5–14. doi:10.4067/S0718-22442019000100005. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- Kelsey, Harry, Sir Francis Drake; The Queen’s Pirate, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1998, ISBN 0-300-07182-5.
- Montecino Aguirre, Sonia (2015). Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos (in Spanish). Catalonia. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-956-324-375-8.
- Spate 2004, p. 251
- Marley 2008, p. 64
- Sugden 2012, p. 126
- Bicheno 2012, p. 144
- Bawlf 2009, p. 141
- Levine & Lane 2015, p. 39
- Coote 2005, p. 157
- Bicheno 2012, p. 146
- Bawlf 2009, pp. 146–47
- Davis, Loren; et al. (November 2013), “Inventory and Analysis of Coastal and Submerged Archaeological Site Occurrence on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf”, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management: 188
- Sugden, John (2006). Sir Francis Drake. London: Pimlico. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-844-13762-6.
- Gough, Barry (1980). Distant Dominion: Britain and the Northwest Coast of North America, 1579-1809. Vancouver: U Univ. of British Columbia Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-7748-0113-1.
- Von der Porten, Edward (January 1975). “Drake’s First Landfall”. Pacific Discovery, California Academy of Sciences. 28: 28–30.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1978). The Great Explorere: The European Discovery of America. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 700. ISBN 978-0195042221.
- Cassels, Sir Simon (August 2003). “Where Did Drake Careen The Golden Hind in June/July 1579? A Mariner’s Assessment”. The Mariner’s Mirror. 89 (1): 263. doi:10.1080/00253359.2003.10659292. S2CID 161710358.
- Gough, Barry (1980). Distant Dominion: Britain and the Northwest Coast of North America, 1579-1809. Vancouver: U Univ. of British Columbia Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-7748-0113-1.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
- Cassels, Sir Simon (August 2003). “Where Did Drake Careen The Golden Hind in June/July 1579? A Mariner’s Assessment”. The Mariner’s Mirror. 89 (1): 263,264. doi:10.1080/00253359.2003.10659292. S2CID 161710358.
- Gough, Barry (1980). Distant Dominion: Britain and the Northwest Coast of North America, 1579-1809. Vancouver: U Univ. of British Columbia Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-7748-0113-1.
- Sugden, John (2006). Sir Francis Drake. London: Pimlico. p. 136,137. ISBN 978-1-844-13762-6.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
- Sugden, John (2006). Sir Francis Drake. London: Pimlico. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-844-13762-6.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1978). The Great Explorere: The European Discovery of America. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 702. ISBN 978-0195042221.
- Torben, Rick; et al. (December 2019). “Seventy Years of Archaeologial Research on California’s Farallon Islands”. California Archaeology. 11 (2): 184.
- Turner, Michael (2006). In Drake’s Wake Volume 2 The World Voyage. United Kingdom: Paul Mould Publishing. p. 183,184. ISBN 978-1-904959-28-1.
- “The Drake Jewel”. Oieahc.wm.edu. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- “The Last Voyage of Sir Francis Drake”. loc.gov. p. 588. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- “Sir Francis Drake”. thepirateking.com. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- “Sir Francis Drake’s body ‘close to being found off Panama‘“. BBC News. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- Henderson, Barney; Swaine, Jon (24 October 2011). “Sir Francis Drake’s final fleet ‘discovered off the coast of Panama‘“. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July2017.
Other sources of information:
Circumnavigation: Wikipedia
Drake’s Treasure in Arica, Chile: SouthAmerica.cl
Expedition for Drake’s Coffin: BBC News
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ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
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The Secret: A Treasure Hunt
- by Grey
THE SECRET
A Treasure Hunt
Overview
The Secret is a treasure hunt started by Byron Preiss in 1982. Twelve treasure boxes were buried at secret locations across North America. As of August 2020 only three of the twelve boxes have been found.
Each of the twelve boxes contains a casque which holds a key. Once retrieved the keys can be exchanged for a valuable stone. Collectively the stones are said to be worth approximately ten thousand dollars.
The Secret treasure book cover by Byron Preiss
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The Legend
The Secret: An Armchair Treasure Hunt tells a story of “Fair People”, enchanted mystical and fantastical creatures.
Inspired by the hit armchair treasure hunt book Masquerade which took the world by storm in 1979, Byron Preiss decided to create his own armchair treasure hunt with not one, but 12 prizes hidden across the United States and Canada.
The Secret: An Armchair Treasure Hunt was launched in 1982 complete with a story of fairies, goblins, and other strange creatures travelling to the New World with their treasures. These treasures were in the form of rare stones and gems which could be collected by the lucky person to solve any of the 12 puzzles and find a hidden key and casque.
The puzzles consist of 12 images and 12 poems. Each poem must be paired with the correct image to correctly solve the puzzle. In 1983 a group of friends in Chicago found the first of the treasures, an emerald worth more than $1,000.
Years went by before another casque was found in 2004 in Cleveland. Another key had been exchanged for a precious gem. In 2005 Byron Preiss died in an accident leaving the responsibility of the game and its prizes to his family. Another casque was then found in 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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The Treasure
For each cask retrieved the finder is rewarded a valuable gem or stone in exchange for the key found. The book explains the following for the value of the treasures as well as some rules around the treasure hunt:
“The jewels collectively are worth over ten thousand dollars. The treasure casques themselves are of incalculable value, never having been owned by man or woman.”
“Every treasure casque is buried underground, at a depth of no more than three to three and one-half feet. The casques are protected by lustrous transparent boxes, and are sealed.”
“The following places do not hold any treasure:
– any life-threatening location, such as a dangerous highway embankment, a contaminated area or active railway track
– any cemetery
– any public or private flower bed
– any property owned by the contributors to the book, their families or friends.”
The Cask, Key, and Gems.
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The Clues
Inside the book there are twelve cryptic images and twelve verses as seen below in the order they appear in the book.
Image
Verse
-
Verse 1:
Fortress north
Cold as glass
Friendship south
Take your task
To the number
Nine eight two
Through the wood
No lion fears
In the sky the water veers
Small of scale
Step across
Perspective should not be lost
In the center of four alike
Small, split,
Three winged and slight
What we take to be
Our strongest tower delight
Falls gently
In December night
Looking back from treasure ground
There’s the spout!
A whistle sounds. -
Verse 2:
At the place where jewels abound
Fifteen rows down to the ground
In the middle of twenty-one
From end to end
Only three stand watch
As the sound of friends
Fills the afternoon hours
Here is a sovereign people
Who build palaces to shelter
Their heads for a night!
Gnomes admire
Fays delight
The namesakes meeting
Near this site. -
Verse 3:
If Thucydides is
North of Xenophon
Take five steps
In the area of his direction
A green tower of lights
In the middles section
Near those
Who pass the coliseum
With metal walls
Face the water
Your back to the stairs
Feel at home
All the letters
Are here to see
Eighteenth day
Twelfth hour
Let by lamplight
In truth, be free. -
Verse 4:
Beneath two countries
As the road curves
In a rectangular plot
Beneath the tenth stone
From right to left
Beneath the ninth row from the top
Of the wall including small bricks
Seven steps up you can hop
From the bottom level
Socrates, Pindar, Apelles
Free speech, couplet, birch
To find casque’s destination
Seek the columns
For the search. -
Verse 5:
Lane
Two twenty two
You’ll see an arc of lights
Weight and roots extended
Together saved the site
Of granite walls
Wind swept halls
Citadel in the night
A wingless bird ascended
Born of ancient dreams of flight
Beneath the only standing member
Of a forest
To the south
White stone closest
At twelve paces
From the west side
Get permission
To dig out. -
Verse 6:
Of all the romance retold
Men of tales and tunes
Cruel and bold
Seen here
By eyes of old
Stand and listed to the birds
Hear the cool, clear song of water
Harken to the words:
Freedom at the birth of a century
Or May 1913
Edwin and Edwina named after him
Or on the eighth a scene
Where law defended
Between two arms extended
Below the bar that binds
Beside the long palm’s shadow
Embedded in the sand
Waits the Fair remuneration
White house close at hand. -
Verse 7:
At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and Justice
For all to see
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
Running north, but first across
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
Giant pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept. -
Verse 8:
View the three stories of Mitchell
As you walk the beating of the world
At a distance in time
From three who lived there
At a distance in space
From woman, with harpsichord
Silently playing
Step on nature
Cast in copper
Ascend the 92 steps
After climbing the grand 200
Pass the compass and reach
The foot of the culvert
Below the bridge
Walk 100 paces
Southeast over rock and soil
To the first young birch
Pass three, staying west
You’ll see a letter from the country
Of wonderstone’s hearth
On a proud, tall fifth
At its southern foot
The treasure waits. -
Verse 9:
The first chapter
Written in water
Near men
With wind rose
Behind bending branches
And a green picket fence
At the base of a tall tree
You can still hear the honking
Shell, limestone, silver, salt
Stars move by day
Sails pass by night
Even in darkness
Like moonlight in teardrops
Over the tall grass
Years pass, rain falls. -
Verse 10:
In the shadow
Of the grey giant
Find the arm that
Extends over the slender path
In summer
You’ll often hear a whirring sound
Cars abound
Although the sign
Nearby
Speaks of Indies native
The natives still speak
Of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.
Take twice as many east steps as the hour
Or more
From the middle of one branch
Of the v
Look down
And see simple roots
In rhapsodic man’s soil
Or gaze north
Toward the isle of B. -
Verse 11:
Pass two friends of octave
In December
Ride the man of oz
To the land near the window
There’s a road that leads to
Dark forest
Where white is in color
With two maps
After circle and square
In July and August
A path beckons
To mica and driftwood
Under that
Which may be last touched
Or first seen standing
Look north at the wing
And dig
To achieve
By dauntless and inconquerable
Determination
Your goal. -
Verse 12:
Where M and B are set in stone
And to Congress, R is known
L sits and left
Beyond his shoulder
Is the Fair Folks’
Treasure holder
The end of ten by thirteen
Is your clue
Fence and fixture
Central too
For finding jewel casque
Seek the sounds
Of rumble
Brush and music
Hush.
-
Verse 1:
Fortress north
Cold as glass
Friendship south
Take your task
To the number
Nine eight two
Through the wood
No lion fears
In the sky the water veers
Small of scale
Step across
Perspective should not be lost
In the center of four alike
Small, split,
Three winged and slight
What we take to be
Our strongest tower delight
Falls gently
In December night
Looking back from treasure ground
There’s the spout!
A whistle sounds. -
Verse 2:
At the place where jewels abound
Fifteen rows down to the ground
In the middle of twenty-one
From end to end
Only three stand watch
As the sound of friends
Fills the afternoon hours
Here is a sovereign people
Who build palaces to shelter
Their heads for a night!
Gnomes admire
Fays delight
The namesakes meeting
Near this site. -
Verse 3:
If Thucydides is
North of Xenophon
Take five steps
In the area of his direction
A green tower of lights
In the middles section
Near those
Who pass the coliseum
With metal walls
Face the water
Your back to the stairs
Feel at home
All the letters
Are here to see
Eighteenth day
Twelfth hour
Let by lamplight
In truth, be free. -
Verse 4:
Beneath two countries
As the road curves
In a rectangular plot
Beneath the tenth stone
From right to left
Beneath the ninth row from the top
Of the wall including small bricks
Seven steps up you can hop
From the bottom level
Socrates, Pindar, Apelles
Free speech, couplet, birch
To find casque’s destination
Seek the columns
For the search. -
Verse 5:
Lane
Two twenty two
You’ll see an arc of lights
Weight and roots extended
Together saved the site
Of granite walls
Wind swept halls
Citadel in the night
A wingless bird ascended
Born of ancient dreams of flight
Beneath the only standing member
Of a forest
To the south
White stone closest
At twelve paces
From the west side
Get permission
To dig out. -
Verse 6:
Of all the romance retold
Men of tales and tunes
Cruel and bold
Seen here
By eyes of old
Stand and listed to the birds
Hear the cool, clear song of water
Harken to the words:
Freedom at the birth of a century
Or May 1913
Edwin and Edwina named after him
Or on the eighth a scene
Where law defended
Between two arms extended
Below the bar that binds
Beside the long palm’s shadow
Embedded in the sand
Waits the Fair remuneration
White house close at hand. -
Verse 7:
At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and Justice
For all to see
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
Running north, but first across
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
Giant pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept. -
Verse 8:
View the three stories of Mitchell
As you walk the beating of the world
At a distance in time
From three who lived there
At a distance in space
From woman, with harpsichord
Silently playing
Step on nature
Cast in copper
Ascend the 92 steps
After climbing the grand 200
Pass the compass and reach
The foot of the culvert
Below the bridge
Walk 100 paces
Southeast over rock and soil
To the first young birch
Pass three, staying west
You’ll see a letter from the country
Of wonderstone’s hearth
On a proud, tall fifth
At its southern foot
The treasure waits. -
Verse 9:
The first chapter
Written in water
Near men
With wind rose
Behind bending branches
And a green picket fence
At the base of a tall tree
You can still hear the honking
Shell, limestone, silver, salt
Stars move by day
Sails pass by night
Even in darkness
Like moonlight in teardrops
Over the tall grass
Years pass, rain falls. -
Verse 10:
In the shadow
Of the grey giant
Find the arm that
Extends over the slender path
In summer
You’ll often hear a whirring sound
Cars abound
Although the sign
Nearby
Speaks of Indies native
The natives still speak
Of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.
Take twice as many east steps as the hour
Or more
From the middle of one branch
Of the v
Look down
And see simple roots
In rhapsodic man’s soil
Or gaze north
Toward the isle of B. -
Verse 11:
Pass two friends of octave
In December
Ride the man of oz
To the land near the window
There’s a road that leads to
Dark forest
Where white is in color
With two maps
After circle and square
In July and August
A path beckons
To mica and driftwood
Under that
Which may be last touched
Or first seen standing
Look north at the wing
And dig
To achieve
By dauntless and inconquerable
Determination
Your goal. -
Verse 12:
Where M and B are set in stone
And to Congress, R is known
L sits and left
Beyond his shoulder
Is the Fair Folks’
Treasure holder
The end of ten by thirteen
Is your clue
Fence and fixture
Central too
For finding jewel casque
Seek the sounds
Of rumble
Brush and music
Hush.
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Conclusion
A dozen paintings
Share the clues
Yet Fairy secrets
Come in twos
To sing a happy treasure song
To have a casque to you belong
Wed one picture
With one verse
For Fair Folk’s peace
Goodness first.
Since 1982 when the Treasure Hunt began only three treasure casques have been found as follows:
Image 5 was matched with Verse 12 revealing the treasures location as being Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois.
A casque was found in 1983, one year after the launch of the game by pairing image 5 and verse 12 which revealed the outline of Illinois and some iconic landmarks around Chicago with an image of a bowman and reference to “L” leading the treasure hunters to Grant Park. It was two intersecting lines of trees that pinpointed the exact spot under a unique fence design which provided confirmation.
Chicago Treasure Found
Synopsis
The casque associated with Image 5 and Verse 12 was buried in Grant Park in Chicago, IL, somewhere in the near vicinity of these coordinates: 41°52’41.2″N 87°37’20.4″W.
The outline of Illinois and a few well-known landmarks get us to Chicago. An image of a bowman and a reference to “L” (Lincoln) get us to Grant Park. Two intersecting lines of trees pinpoint the spot and a distinctive fence feature provides the confirmation.
Sourced From: thesecret.pbworks.com
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A casque was found in 2004, over 20 years after the Chicago find. This time the treasure hunters connected verse 4 and image 4 to find Cleveland, Ohio by seeing the shape of Ohio’s rivers in the visual. The clues eventually leading to the Greek Cultural Gardens the visual depicts the exact area to dig for the hidden treasure.
Cleveland Treasure Found
Synopsis
The casque associated with Image 4 and Verse 4 was buried in the Greek Cultural Garden in Cleveland, OH, at these coordinates: 41.527651 N, 81.626926 W.
The shape of Ohio (with rivers) is hidden in the image. Several of the clues that would presumably get us to Cleveland are still unsolved, but the visual references to the Greek Cultural Garden are very clear and unambiguous. Lines in the verse pin down the exact place to dig inside the neglected planter bed shown in the image. Visual images in this puzzle seem more realistic and true-to-life than in the other 11 images, possibly because the artist saw the spot in person rather than working from photographs.
Sourced From: thesecret.pbworks.com
Image 4 was matched with Verse 4 revealing the treasures location as being the Greek Cultural Garden, Cleveland, Ohio.
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.@JoshuaGates is on the verge of finding a new piece of the puzzle that no one has cracked for nearly 40 years: The Secret. 🗝
Join the real life treasure hunt next Wednesday at 9p in the #ExpeditionUnknown season finale event on Discovery and the Discovery GO app. pic.twitter.com/qvm8vMaRC1
— Discovery (@Discovery) October 24, 2019
In 2019 a third casque was found in Boston, Massachusetts and featured on a series finale of a television series: ‘Expedition Unknown’. In the episode they pair up verse 3 and image 11 and by following the clues find themselves at the North End Baseball Field.
Boston Treasure Found
The scene took place at the baseball fields at Langone Park / Puopolo Field on Commercial Street as featured on this week’s season finale of Discovery’s Expedition Unknown. The TV crew followed the story of Jason Krupat and his family who figured out a puzzle from a 1982 book, The Secret, leading the clue-seeking treasure hunters to stop the construction at the waterfront parks.
In the North End, the painting matched that of the Christopher Columbus statue at the namesake park on Atlantic Avenue. The book’s author, Byron Preiss, looked to celebrate immigrants groups, including Chicago’s Irish, Cleveland’s Greeks and now, the Italians in Boston’s North End.
Sourced From: Northendwaterfront.com
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So, what about the other 9 treasures hidden across North America?
Below is a table of the generally accepted pairings of verses and images along with the cities the treasures are suspected to be buried.
| Image No. | Verse No. | Status | Likely Location |
| 1 | 7 | Unsolved | San Francisco, California |
| 2 | 6 | Unsolved | Charleston, South Carolina |
| 3 | 11 | Unsolved | Roanoke Island, North Carolina |
| 4 | 4 | Solved | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 5 | 12 | Solved | Chicago, Illinois |
| 6 | 9 | Unsolved | St. Augustine, Florida |
| 7 | 2 | Unsolved | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| 8 | 1 | Unsolved | Houston, Texas |
| 9 | 5 | Unsolved | Montreal, Canada |
| 10 | 8 | Unsolved | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| 11 | 3 | Solved | Boston, Massachusetts |
| 12 | 10 | Unsolved | New York, New York |
Where Are The Rest Of The Treasures Hidden?
Three of the treasure boxes have been recovered.[1][2] The first was found in Chicago, Illinois; the second in Cleveland, Ohio; and the most recent treasure box was found in Boston, Massachusetts.[2] The remaining nine treasure boxes have not yet been recovered.[1] The Boston treasure box’s recovery was filmed for Discovery Channel’s television show Expedition Unknown and aired on Wednesday, October 30, 2019.[3] [4]
| Image No.[5] | Verse No.[5] | Verse opening | Status | Location (solved, or likely) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | At stone wall’s door | Unsolved | San Francisco, California | [6][7] |
| 2 | 6 | Of all the romance retold | Unsolved | Charleston, South Carolina | [8] |
| 3 | 11 | Pass two friends of octave | Unsolved | Roanoke Island, North Carolina | [9] |
| 4 | 4 | Beneath two countries | Solved (2004) | Cleveland, Ohio | [10][11] |
| 5 | 12 | Where M and B are set in stone | Solved (1983) | Chicago, Illinois | [12][13] |
| 6 | 9 | The first chapter Written in water | Unsolved | St. Augustine, Florida | [14][15] |
| 7 | 2 | At the place where jewels abound | Unsolved | New Orleans, Louisiana | [16][17] |
| 8 | 1 | Fortress north Cold as glass | Unsolved | Houston, Texas | [18][19] |
| 9 | 5 | Lane Two twenty two | Unsolved | Montreal, Canada | [20] |
| 10 | 8 | View the three stories of Mitchell | Unsolved | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | [21][22] |
| 11 | 3 | If Thucydides is North of Xenophon | Solved (2019) | Boston, Massachusetts | [2][23] |
| 12 | 10 | In the shadow Of the grey giant | Unsolved | New York, New York | [24] |
Sourced From: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- “Shhh! The Secret Podcast”. 12treasures.com. Retrieved November 10,2019.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Baker, Billy (October 25, 2019). “Hidden treasure, a family’s quest, and ‘The Secret‘“. The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ “EPIC SEASON FINALE OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S ‘EXPEDITION UNKNOWN’ STARRING JOSH GATES UNCOVERS FAMED HIDDEN TREASURE”. discovery.com (Press release). October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ “Expedition Unknown: ‘The Secret’ Treasure Found in Boston”. Discovery Com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
- ^ Jump up to:a b “The Secret (a treasure hunt)”. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via pbworks.com.
- ^ Walker, Wilson (March 4, 2019). “Treasure Hunters May Be Closing In On Prize In Golden Gate Park”. KPIX-TV. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Parks, Shoshi (September 20, 2019). “S.F. Marks the Spot for Buried Treasure”. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
A fantasy author’s 37-year-old cache may soon be unearthed in one of the city’s 220 parks. But which one?
- ^ Behre, Robert (April 22, 2019). “Discovery Channel team to dig up Charleston’s White Point Garden in search of buried key”. The Post and Courier. San Francisco, California. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ Kile, Jenny (June 9, 2019). “In Search of the Roanoke Island Casque of The Secret Armchair Treasure Hunt: Six Questions with Dustin and Deidra White”. Mysterious Writings. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Firschein, Merry (July 18, 2004). “Treasure hunter strikes pay dirt”. The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Firschein, Merry (July 18, 2004). “Treasure: A 22-year quest ends in a park in Cleveland”. The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. p. 12. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Swartz, Tracy (January 17, 2018). “Travel Channel show revisits ’80s treasure find in Grant Park”. Chicago Tribune. p. 1-3. Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ “The Secret of Byron Preiss: How they found the Chicago key”. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via YouTube.
- ^ Connolly, Patrick (July 27, 2019). “In Search of ‘The Secret‘“. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Connolly, Patrick (July 27, 2019). “Treasure”. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A4. Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Brasted, Chelsea (April 9, 2019). “There’s a secret treasure in New Orleans. We may have found it”. The Times-Picayune. Retrieved November 11, 2019 – via nola.com.
- ^ Truong, Thanh (May 18, 2018). “The Secret: There’s a treasure buried in New Orleans”. WWL-TV. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ Ramirez, Fernando (May 16, 2017). “The 35-year-old hunt for Hermann Park’s buried treasure continues”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2019 – via chron.com.
- ^ West, Aaron (March 5, 2018). “You’ll (Probably) Never Find the Buried Treasure In Hermann Park”. bylinehouston.com. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ Lynne, Aeryn (March 21, 2018). “Treasure Hunting North America: The Secret in Montreal”. geeklife.ca. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ Tanzilo, Bobby (January 16, 2018). “Did Travel Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” dig up treasure in Lake Park?”. OnMilwaukee. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ Brooke, Zach (June 1, 2016). “The 35-Year-Long Hunt to Find a Fantasy Author’s Hidden Treasure”. Vice. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- ^ Conti, Matt (October 30, 2019). “Treasure Hunt Leads to North End Baseball Field”. North End Waterfront. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Kile, Jenny (April 18, 2019). “Six Questions with James Renner: In Search for the New York City Casque of The Secret (A Treasure Hunt)”. Mysterious Writings. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
Sources & References
Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:
Primary Source: The Secret Treasure Hunt – Wikipedia
Bibliography:
-
- “Book Variants”. 12treasures.com. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- “The History Behind ‘The Secret‘“. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- The Secret (1982), pp. 7–8
- “Shhh! The Secret Podcast”. 12treasures.com. Retrieved November 10,2019.
- Baker, Billy (October 25, 2019). “Hidden treasure, a family’s quest, and ‘The Secret‘“. The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- “EPIC SEASON FINALE OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S ‘EXPEDITION UNKNOWN’ STARRING JOSH GATES UNCOVERS FAMED HIDDEN TREASURE”. discovery.com (Press release). October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- “Expedition Unknown: ‘The Secret’ Treasure Found in Boston”. Discovery Com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
- “Shhh! The Secret Podcast”. 12treasures.com. Retrieved November 10,2019.
- Baker, Billy (October 25, 2019). “Hidden treasure, a family’s quest, and ‘The Secret‘“. The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- “EPIC SEASON FINALE OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S ‘EXPEDITION UNKNOWN’ STARRING JOSH GATES UNCOVERS FAMED HIDDEN TREASURE”. discovery.com (Press release). October 28, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- “Expedition Unknown: ‘The Secret’ Treasure Found in Boston”. Discovery Com. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
- “The Secret (a treasure hunt)”. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via pbworks.com.
- Walker, Wilson (March 4, 2019). “Treasure Hunters May Be Closing In On Prize In Golden Gate Park”. KPIX-TV. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- Parks, Shoshi (September 20, 2019). “S.F. Marks the Spot for Buried Treasure”. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
A fantasy author’s 37-year-old cache may soon be unearthed in one of the city’s 220 parks. But which one?
- Behre, Robert (April 22, 2019). “Discovery Channel team to dig up Charleston’s White Point Garden in search of buried key”. The Post and Courier. San Francisco, California. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- Kile, Jenny (June 9, 2019). “In Search of the Roanoke Island Casque of The Secret Armchair Treasure Hunt: Six Questions with Dustin and Deidra White”. Mysterious Writings. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- Firschein, Merry (July 18, 2004). “Treasure hunter strikes pay dirt”. The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. p. 1. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Firschein, Merry (July 18, 2004). “Treasure: A 22-year quest ends in a park in Cleveland”. The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. p. 12. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Swartz, Tracy (January 17, 2018). “Travel Channel show revisits ’80s treasure find in Grant Park”. Chicago Tribune. p. 1-3. Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- “The Secret of Byron Preiss: How they found the Chicago key”. Retrieved November 9, 2019 – via YouTube.
- Connolly, Patrick (July 27, 2019). “In Search of ‘The Secret‘“. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A1. Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Connolly, Patrick (July 27, 2019). “Treasure”. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. p. A4. Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- Brasted, Chelsea (April 9, 2019). “There’s a secret treasure in New Orleans. We may have found it”. The Times-Picayune. Retrieved November 11, 2019 – via nola.com.
- Truong, Thanh (May 18, 2018). “The Secret: There’s a treasure buried in New Orleans”. WWL-TV. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- Ramirez, Fernando (May 16, 2017). “The 35-year-old hunt for Hermann Park’s buried treasure continues”. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 11, 2019 – via chron.com.
- West, Aaron (March 5, 2018). “You’ll (Probably) Never Find the Buried Treasure In Hermann Park”. bylinehouston.com. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- Lynne, Aeryn (March 21, 2018). “Treasure Hunting North America: The Secret in Montreal”. geeklife.ca. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- Tanzilo, Bobby (January 16, 2018). “Did Travel Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” dig up treasure in Lake Park?”. OnMilwaukee. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- Brooke, Zach (June 1, 2016). “The 35-Year-Long Hunt to Find a Fantasy Author’s Hidden Treasure”. Vice. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
- Conti, Matt (October 30, 2019). “Treasure Hunt Leads to North End Baseball Field”. North End Waterfront. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- Kile, Jenny (April 18, 2019). “Six Questions with James Renner: In Search for the New York City Casque of The Secret (A Treasure Hunt)”. Mysterious Writings. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
Other sources of information:
Previous finds and General Information: TheSecret.PBWorks.com
Boston Treasure Found: NorthEndWaterfront.com
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Written By
Follow On:
ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
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The Thrill Of The Chase
- by Grey
THE THRILL OF THE CHASE
Forrest Fenn’s Treasure
Overview
In 2010, Forrest Fenn an art dealer and author from Santa Fe, New Mexico hid a treasure chest full of gold and jewels in the Rocky Mountains estimated to be worth nearly 2 million dollars. The clues that were to lead the finder to the treasure were hidden within a poem found within his book: ‘The Thrill Of The Chase: A Memoir’
The chase ended on the 6th June 2020 when Forrest announced that the treasure had been found. Although the treasure has been found the solution to the poem and where the treasure was found still remain a mystery.
The Thrill Of The Chase by Forest Fenn
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The Legend
Forrest Fenn flew 328 combat missions in one year of service of the Vietnam War while he was a pilot in the United States Air Force.
Forrest Fenn flew 328 combat missions in one year of service of the Vietnam War while he was a pilot in the United States Air Force before retiring and starting a successful art gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico which grossed 6 million dollars a year.
In 1988, Fenn was diagnosed with cancer and given a prognosis that it was likely terminal. This inspired him to put together a treasure chest of gold, jewels, and other valuable items valued at over 2 million dollars which he would take into the Rocky Mountains to a secret location he would use for his final resting place.
When he recovered from the illness he decided to hide the treasure chest anyway, self-publishing The Thrill Of The Chase: A Memoir, a collection of short stories from his life. The book contained hints, a poem and a map to the chest’s location which if someone could correctly decipher would take claim to the treasure.
On June 6th, 2020, the treasure was found, 10 years after it had been hidden and 3 months before Fenn passed away on September 7th, 2020. In December 2020 it was revealed a man by the name of Jack Stuef had found the treasure. However, the location of the treasure has still not been specified. The chest and its contents have since gone up for auction and sold off by various parties.
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The Treasure
The 12th Century bronze chest featuring scenes of knights climbing ladders to get to maidens – a reference to Le Roman de la Rose’ “Castle of Love” was filled with items from Fenn’s antique collection.
The collection of antiques consisted of golden jewelry, jade carvings, gold coins, and more. Collectively the treasure was estimated to be worth between one and three million dollars.
The bronze chest filled with treasure. Photo credit: Forest Fenn
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The Clues
Forrest Fenn’s poem from ‘The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir’ paired with a map of the Rocky Mountains demonstrates the vast scale of this treasure hunt.
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Conclusion
On the 6th of June 2020 the hunt for Fenn’s treasure was over with a post by Fenn to the Thrill of the Chase blog:
“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. I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries. So the search is over. Look for more information and photos in the coming days.”
This was followed by pictures of the treasure at the site of the location and of Fenn examining the contents of the treasure chest. As a final clue to those who still wanted to know where the treasure was found Fenn and the finder agreed to reveal that the treasure was found in the state of Wyoming.
Fenn shared this image of the treasure chest from when it was found.
Forrest Fenn examining the contents of the treasure chest.
Shortly after Forrest Fenn’s death the finder revealed himself to be a medical student named Jack Stuef from Michigan and his plans to sell the treasure at auction in the near future. Stuef also stated that he doesn’t intend to reveal the solution to the poem or the location of the treasure chests hiding place as means to preserve the area and prevent it from becoming trampled by tourists.
With the solve to the poem and the location the treasure was hidden still unknown to the general public there are those in the treasure hunting community who haven’t given up on trying to solve this treasure hunt.
Sources & References
Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:
Primary Source: Fenn Treasure – Wikipedia
Bibliography:
-
- Burnett, John. “Seeking Adventure And Gold? Crack This Poem And Head Outdoors”. NPR. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- “Fenn’s Treasure Search Area”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- Aitken, Peter (June 7, 2020). “Treasure stash worth over $1 million found in Rocky Mountains after decade-long search”. Fox News. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- “Valor Awards for Forrest B. Fenn”. MilitaryTimes.
- “‘Rex’ Arrowsmith’s Former Partner Becomes Leading Art Dealer in West”. Belleville Telescope. January 19, 1978 – via newspapers.com.
- “Rex Arrowsmith Obituary”. www.legacy.com.
- Eady, Brenda (June 9, 1986). “Rivals Scorn His Santa Fe Gallery, but Forrest Fenn Baskets the Cash”. People Magazine.
- Goldsmith, Margie. “The Thrill of the Chase”. Hemispheres Inflight Magazine. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- “The Thrill of the Chase”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Fenn, Forrest. The Thrill of the Chase: A Memoir. One Horse Land & Cattle Company. p. 121. ISBN 9780967091785.
- “Fenn Treasure Poem”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- “Where is Fenn’s treasure hidden? – Frequently Asked Questions About Forrest Fenn”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- Áine Cain (February 8, 2018). “There’s a fortune hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, and this millionaire is the only one who knows where it is”. Business Insider.
- Eun Kyung Kim (March 13, 2013). “Book containing treasure-hunt clues sells out”. www.today.com.
- Miller, Cynthia (September 16, 2016). “When Forrest Fenn treasure hunters hit a dead end”. Star Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- Tamara Stewart (Fall 2009). “Authorities Charge 25 With Looting Artifacts”(PDF). American Archaeology. Vol. 13 no. 3. p. 8. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- Sharpe, Tom (August 16, 2011). “Dealer: Blame FBI for seller suicides in Four Corners looting case”. Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
- “Art dealer whose treasure sent hunters scouring US West dies”. Associated Press. September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- “Forrest Fenn’s Bronze Chest – Comparing Similar Bronze Chests To Forrest Fenn’s Bronze Treasure Chest”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- “Bronze Treasure Chest Artwork – Comparing Similar Bronze Chests To Forrest Fenn’s Bronze Treasure Chest”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- “Comparing Similar Bronze Chests To Forrest Fenn’s Bronze Treasure Chest”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- “Fenn’s Treasure Found in 2020”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
- “‘THE CHEST HAS BEEN FOUND!!!!…“. dalneitzel.com. June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- “BREAKING: The Forrest Fenn Treasure has been found”. Our.News. June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- “‘Forrest Fenn confirms his treasure has been found‘“. www.santafenewmexican.com. June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- Lee, Alicia (June 7, 2020). “A treasure chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains for a decade has finally been found”. CNN.
- “Treasure chest hidden in Rocky Mountains finally found”. ABC News.
- “$1m treasure in Rocky Mountains has been found, says Forrest Fenn”. the Guardian. June 7, 2020.
- “THE CHEST HAS BEEN FOUND!!!!…part seven”. The Thrill of the Chase. June 16, 2020.
- “Fenn Treasure Photos Released”. Coast to Coast AM. June 18, 2020.
- “THE CHEST HAS BEEN FOUND!!!!…part fifteen”. dalneitzel.com. July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- Barbarisi, Daniel (December 7, 2020). “The Man Who Found Forrest Fenn’s Treasure”. Outside Online. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ “Jack Stuef Found Fenns Treasure”. Fenn’s Treasure. Retrieved December 9,2020.
- ^ Scottie Andrew. “The man who found Forrest Fenn’s treasure wanted to be anonymous. A lawsuit compelled him to go public”. CNN. Retrieved December 7,2020.
- ^ “Man who found Forrest Fenn’s famed treasure reveals identity”. www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- ^ “A Statement on the Disclosure of My Identity”. medium.com. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
Other sources of information:
Contents of the Box: The Guardian
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Written By
Follow On:
ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
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On the Trail of the Golden Owl
- by Grey
ON THE TRAIL OF THE GOLDEN OWL
Sur La Trace De La Chouette D’or
Overview
In 1993 a book called ‘Sur La Trace de La Chouette d’Or’ (On The Trail Of The Golden Owl) was published launching an armchair treasure hunt created by Régis Hauser under the pseudonym “Max Valentin” a communications expert who created the riddles and Michel Becker the artist who created the visuals and provided the prize of the treasure hunt – A solid gold and silver owl with diamonds on it’s head, estimated to be worth between 150,000 and 500,000 Euros.
The book contained 11 puzzles which remain officially unsolved. Once solved the clues are to lead the treasure hunters to a bronze replica of the golden owl buried somewhere in France. Régis Hauser died in 2009. Now the treasure hunt is in the hands of the artist Michel Becker.
front cover of the French treasure-hunt book ‘Sur La Trace De La Chouette D’Or’ (On The Trail Of The Golden Owl)
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The Legend
Image of the iron bird found where the bronze owl countermark should have been when Becker went to check the solutions in 2021.
In 1993 an armchair treasure hunt book was published in France entitled Sur la trace de la Chouette d’or (On the trail of the golden owl) offering a prize of a Golden Owl statuette made entirely of gold and silver, encrusted with diamonds estimated to be worth over 150,000 euros to the first person to solve the clues and find the bronze owl countermark.
The original book contained eleven double-page spread riddles composed of a title, text, and a painting. Each painting was created by the artist Michel Becker while the game itself was created by communications expert Régis Hauser under the pseudonym “Max Valentin” who spent 450 hours designing the game between 1970 and 1993 when the book was launched.
Additional clues were created and released after the launch of the book in the form of short riddles or plays on words and when solved would act as confirmers of if a treasure hunter was on the right track or not.
The treasure hunt has seen a lot of controversy over the years since its launch in 1993. When “Max Valentin” died in 2009 he left the solutions inside a sealed envelope as to preserve them. However, in 2004, the original publisher of the book went bankrupt, and the Golden Owl statuette was seized as a part of its liquidation. After a long legal battle, the prize was reclaimed for the game in 2008.
Michel Becker, the co-creator of the hunt then claimed sole ownership of the Golden Owl in 2011 with intentions to sell it. More legal battles followed in order to stop this from happening. Thanks to a treasure hunter association known as A2CO the game and its prize were saved and continues to this day.
In 2019 Becker rejuvenated the game with the launch of a new edition of the puzzle book called The Secret Notebooks which tells Michel Becker’s side of the story, the history of the game and the creation of the prize. It also contained notes given to him by Valentin for the creation of the paintings, offering insight to the players for how the puzzles were created.
In 2021 Becker became the official organiser of the game when he obtained the sealed envelope containing the solutions from the Hauser family. After which he ventured with a Bailiff to confirm the bronze owl’s burial from the solutions. He reported when he dug at the spot, he found the owl missing and instead found a rusty iron bird. He replaced this rusty bird with a new bronze owl so that the treasure hunt could continue.
Front cover of the new edition of the puzzle book: On the Trail of the Golden Owl – Under the seal of secrecy released by Becker in August 2022.
In August 2022 another new edition of the book was released titled On the Trail of the Golden Owl – Under the seal of secrecy. Containing the original eleven clues, the additional clues, notes from Hauser to Becker and some more history from Becker about the creation of the game and his takeover of the game in 2021.
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The Treasure
The Golden Owl made entirely of gold and silver with diamonds on it’s head stands 10 inches tall and has a wingspan of 20 inches weighing 33lbs (15kg).
It’s estimated value is between 150,000 and 500,000 Euros.
When Régis Hauser (Max Valentin) died in 2009 the prize owl found it’s way to Michel Becker for safe keeping until the bronze countermark replica owl is found.
The Golden Owl prize is currently on display at the Lingot D’Art museum in Rochefort, France
The Golden Owl Prize
© Michel Becker.
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Conclusion
By solving the clue entitle ‘B’ it is possible to find what is believed to be the correct order of the clues by recognizing that the numbers assigned to clues are representative of wavelengths.
The following table shows the generally accepted translations and solutions to those clues.
Proposed Solutions
| Wavelength | B order | Translated Title and Text | Meaning |
| B | 1 | THERE IS NO WORSE BLIND PEOPLE THAN THE ONE THAT DOES NOT WANT TO SEE 1 = 530 3 = 470 5 = 600 7 = 420 9 = 650 | This is the only riddle that doesn’t have a wavelength as its page number. Applying the colors/marks of the other riddles to a color wheel and looking for the complementary color gives the “B order” of the ten wavelength riddles: B-530-780-470-580-600-500-420-560-650-520.[11] If the eleven riddles are resolved in this order, new links appear which may point to the final zone.[12][13] |
| 530 | 2 | OPENING My first, first half of the half of the first age, Precedes my Second and Third, seeking their way. My Fourth is inspired, my Fifth is in rage, But, without protest, follows my Fourth and the roman alpha. My Sixth is hidden at the limits of ETERNITY. My Seventh, standing, spits his venom. To find my all, just to be wise, Because the Truth, in truth, will not be a Devin’s affair. | The riddle identifies the starting city of the game, Bourges.[5][6] (B/baby)(OU/où)(R/air)(G/in rage)(E/start and end letter of ETERNITE)(S/SssS) |
| 780 | 3 | FIRST STEP… Wherever you want, By the ross and the coachman. But where you have to, By the compass and the foot. | This riddle is unsolved. Valentin gave hints, but no answer has been identified.[7] He once described this as the second-most important riddle of the game.[8] |
| 470 | 4 | IT’S THE RIGHT WAY IF THE ARROW TARGETS THE HEART My First multiplies by gaiety. My Second offers you space, My Third air, and my Fourth water. When he’s lying, my Fifth snores. My Sixth is worth one hundred, and my Seventh is just one node. My Eighth tastes like laurel, While my Ninth, with astonishment, stays behind. My Tenth is always naked when there’s a link. My Eleventh, finally, is the unknown. Found my all, and through the opening, you will see the light | A simple word game. The solution is another city, Roncevaux.[18][19] (A/haha)( /space)(R/air)(O/eau)(N/lying ZZz)(C/Latin number)(E/noeud)(V/victory)(A/aah)(U/French grammatical rule)(X/the unknown) |
| 580 | 5 | THE GOOD WAY, IT IS THE WAY OF THE OPPOSITE WAY, AND VICE VERSA 19.9.13.12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19 will be worth 1 12.15.19.18.21.15.9.19.18.9.13.8.15.4 will be worth 2 9.13.16.16.9.13.9.5.18 will be worth 3 25.1.12.14.18.9.13.16.9.13 will be worth 4 8.15.4.1.12.9.19.18.15.1.6 will be worth 5 18.9.13.13.5.18.18.1.12.18.9.13.12.15.19 will be worth 6 20.18.21.15.15.4.9.18.9.13.8 will be worth 7 9.13.18.9.15.19.19.9 will be worth 8 15.4.1.12.14.18.1.12.10 will be worth 9 19.18.9.13.12.15.19.14.1.12 will be worth 0 | This riddle requires a three-stage decryption. First, by converting the numbers into letters, then, by reversing them, and finally, by applying the letter notation code to the Solfège code. The solution consists of the names of ten cities – Bourges, Cherbourg, Dieppe, Épernay, Forbach, Gerardmer, Héricourt, Issoire, Jarnac, and Angers – associated with ten numbers. The final key is A=0 B=1 etc., which is used in the following riddle.[21][22] |
| 600 | 6 | WHEN AL-MAR ALLIES TO PRAENESTE FIBULA, DARKNESS SHINE BDI,J. DF,F. CFD. BJ. HJ. EA,B. BC. E. DC,B. CDI,B. BAB,H. BE. CD. FB. BCG,J. BIG,D. BE. BG. BJD,B. DB. BGH,C. BC. E. | Al-mar is an ancient word for Arabs, implying numerals, and the Praeneste fibula implies letters – so numbers should unite with letters. If the reader applies the rule A=0 to the letters, he or she gets numbers which can be treated as atomic masses. The symbols for the elements indicated form the sentence “The Key is on the Black Perched Ship”.[9] The meaning of this phrase is unknown. Valentin gave clues, including an anagram implying that the illustration means “Becalmed Nave”, associated with the “Black Perched Ship”.[10] |
| 500 | 7 | UT QUEANT LAXIS At 2424-42-424-44-224-24-42-24, take the orthogonal. To find the Spiral with four centers, 560.606 measures, it’s far. But by the Mega, it’s a million times less. | Applying time signature to the numbers, reversing the sequence, and treating the sequence as morse code reveals the word Carignan, a French city.[3] The reference to finding, or drawing, a spiral has not yet been decoded.[4] |
| 420 | 8 | FROM THE SKY COMES THE LIGHT (the translated text is encrypted with the original method) 365-HI-10752 I-10752 WHERE 365-HE EAGLE 90677-RI-60140-365-ED 365-HE 687-ARK OF HI-10752 CLAW-10752 I-60140 365-HE 10752-ABLE, O-60140-E H-30667-60140-DRED DAY-10752 BEFORE BREAKI-60140-G HI-10752 BEAK A-60140-D LOO-10752-I-60140-G HI-10752 FEA-365-HER-10752Then lend a bow to Apollo: from this point, he will count 1969,697 measures towards the zenith. In a fraction of a 46,241,860th of a sidereal day, his line will fall. Hasten to find the arrow. | The numbers are planets’ revolutions, and the first letters of the planets are the missing elements of the text. The completed text is This is where the eagle printed the mark of his claws in the sable, one hundred days before breaking his beak and loosing his feathers, meaning Golfe Juan, the city where Napoleon returned from exile.[14] The second part is still unsolved. The direction of Apollo’s arrow is presumed to be important. Valentin corrected some theories from hunters, and clarified the action of Apollo.[15] |
| 560 | 9 | AD AUGUSTA PER ANGUSTA When at Carusburc, you will have Albion in the back, Seek the opening that reveals the Heavenly Light. Don’t linger, don’t ask for your rest, But prepare yourself to walk on water. Twice, Neptune will help you And carry you away from the icy north. Pursue your road and do not interrupt your journey Before seeing, through the Opening, the becalmed Nave. Without deviating an inch, draw a line, And you will not regret what you did. | The only riddle that requires the treasure-hunter to have several elements from other riddles. The treasure-hunter is told to do something from Cherbourg (old name Carasburc), by passing Bourges (opening), to find the Becalmed Nave. This riddle is only partially understood, but is presumed to be very important because it may point to the final zone – the “Becalmed Nave” being a reference to 600 and a special feature of the map.[20] |
| 650 | 10 | WHEN ALL IS REVEALED Back to the Ponant, seeks the Sentinels. At 8000 measures from there, they are waiting for you. Find them, you need to review them. | This text remains cryptic; some treasure-hunters consider the “Sentinels” to refer to one of the last steps, since the treasure-hunters have to “review” them (presumably in the physical final zone).[17] |
| 520 | 11 | EARTH OPENS Between them, there would be only two intervals if they were aligned. But this would be a too easy game! Now that you have undone all the yarns, Doubt is the last torment that will be inflicted to you. Because it is the rule of this cruel game: Alone, you have to find where to land your shovel. Show your respect for Mother Nature, And before getting away, close its injury. | This text is relatively straightforward: the treasure-hunter finds something in the zone, and can start to dig. If a hunter understands it correctly, he or she can find the buried owl.[16] |
- Valentin, Max. “450 Hours of Work”. Public Answers Database. 5 May 1998.
- ^ Becker, Michel. “Fabrication of the Golden Owl”. La Chouette d’Or.
- “500 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- ^ “500 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “530 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- ^ “530 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “780 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ valentin, max. “The 780 Special Case”. Public Answers Database. 19 August 1995.
- ^ “600 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- ^ “600 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “B Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- ^ Valentin, Max. “The 11 Riddles Sequence”. Public Answers Database. 11 November 1995.
- ^ “B Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “420 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- ^ “420 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “520 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “650 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “470 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- ^ “470 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “560 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- ^ “580 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- ^ “580 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
Livre Sur La Trace de La Chouette d’Or – Les Cahiers Secrets
© Michel Becker.
While these solutions in the above table are what is generally accepted it is worth noting that there a hundreds of vastly different theories as to what the solutions to the clues could be with each a convincing argument for why it could be the correct solve.
Once the 11 clues are solved the 12th clue will need to be pieced together from some of the other 11 clues. When this 12th clue is solved it is said to reveal the location of the owl. The owl buried is a bronze replica of the golden owl with the golden owl currently held in the possession of the artist Michel Becker who now makes other similar armchair treasure hunts and released a follow up book for the golden owl in 2019 – ‘Livre Sur La Trace de La Chouette d’Or – Les Cahiers Secrets’
Sources & References
Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:
Primary Source: On The Trail Of The Golden Owl – Wikipedia
Bibliography:
-
- Valentin, Max. “450 Hours of Work”. Public Answers Database. 5 May 1998.
- Becker, Michel. “Fabrication of the Golden Owl”. La Chouette d’Or.
- “Description of the Prize”. l’Express. 22 July 1993.
- Krotoski, Aleks. “Description of the Prize”. The Guardian. 25 January 2008.
- Valentin, Max. “How the Quest Started”. Public Answers Database. 28 January 1997.
- Schofield, Hugh (2018-08-12). “France’s 25-year treasure hunt for a golden owl”. BBC News. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- Valentin, Max. “The False Trails”. Public Answers Database. 16 August 1995.
- Valentin, Max. “The Strength of the False Trails”. Public Answers Database. 13 December 2001.
- Smith, Reiss (2016-12-10). “10 lost treasures that YOU could still find: From Blackbeard’s loot to hidden Nazi gold”. Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- Valentin, Max. “450 Hours of Work”. Public Answers Database. 5 May 1998.
- Becker, Michel. “Fabrication of the Golden Owl”. La Chouette d’Or.
- “500 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- “500 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “530 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- “530 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “780 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- valentin, max. “The 780 Special Case”. Public Answers Database. 19 August 1995.
- “600 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- “600 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “B Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- Valentin, Max. “The 11 Riddles Sequence”. Public Answers Database. 11 November 1995.
- “B Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “420 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- “420 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “520 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “650 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “470 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- “470 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “560 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
- “580 Explained by Monglane”. A2CO Database. 2001.
- “580 Synthesis”. Figaro Magazine. 1997.
Other sources of information:
Official Site of the Golden Owl: Editions-ChouetteDOr.com
Informative Fan Page: GoldenOwlHunt.com
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Written By
Follow On:
ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
CodeBar Podcast
Join Robert, host of the CodeBar Live podcast and journey into the greatest treasure legends, armchair treasure hunts, codes, ciphers, puzzles, escape rooms, ARG’s, puzzle boxes & more!
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Subscribe
Get Free Priority Access To Treasure News, Giveaways, And More!
*By subscribing to the newsletter you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy
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LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!
It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.
Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!
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The Buzzard’s Hidden Treasure
- by Grey
LA BUSE’S TREASURE
Olivier Levasseur’s Cryptogram
Overview
Olivier Levasseur was a French pirate between 1688 and 1730. Nicknamed La Buse (The Buzzard), he is known for allegedly hiding one of the biggest treasures in pirate history, estimated at over £1 billion, and leaving a cryptogram behind with clues to its whereabouts.
Over the years since the cryptogram was released into the public domain many treasure hunters have gone in search of La Buse’s treasure in hopes of striking it rich, but despite these attempts, nobody has yet recovered the unimaginable treasure believed to have been hidden by the pirate.
Depiction of the pirate Olivier Le Vasseur A.K.A La Buse – The Buzzard.
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The Legend
sixteenth century engraving of a Spanish galleon.
Levasseur was born in Calais, France sometime during the Nine Years’ War (1688 – 1697). During the War of Spanish Succession (1701 – 1714) he procured a letter of marque from King Louis XIV becoming a privateer for the French crown. Instead of returning home at the end of the war he joined the Benjamin Hornigold pirate company in 1716.
One year later the Hornigold party split and Levasseur partnered with Samuel Bellamy and was elected captain of William Moody’s crew in 1718 operating together with Howell Davis and Thomas Cocklyn.
From 1720 to 1724 Levasseur joined forces with John Taylor, Jasper Seagar, and Edward England with Paulsgrave Williams as quartermaster. They launched raids from a base on the island of Sainte-Marie, off the coast of Madagascar. After raiding Laccadines they sold the loot to Dutch traders for £75,000 before marooning England on Mauritius.
The remaining crew later captured the Portuguese great galleon ‘Nossa Senhora do Cabo’ (Our Lady of the Cape) or ‘Virgem do Cabo’ loaded with treasures consisting of bars of gold and silver, dozens of boxes of golden Guineas, diamonds, pearls, silk, art, and religious objects including the Flaming Cross of Goa.
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The Treasure
Each pirate received £50,000 worth of golden Guineas as well as 42 diamonds with Levasseur taking the Flaming Cross before retiring from piracy and settling down in secret in the Seychelles. In 1730 Levasseur was captured near Fort Dauphin, Madagascar.
Before Levasseur was hanged at Saint Denis, Reunion island in 1730 he wore a necklace which he threw to the crowd exclaiming “Find my treasure, the one who may understand it”. While the necklace has since been lost the 17 lines of a cryptogram that was contained within the necklace continues to puzzle treasure hunters today.
The Flaming cross of Goa is described as being seven feet tall, encrusted with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. It was so heavy that three men were needed to carry it!
Just a fraction of the “Mother Lode” discovered by Mel Fisher in 1985 from the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha.
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The Clues
Maritime historian, Charles-Germain-Marie Bourel de La Roncière.
The cryptogram first appeared in a book called “Le Flibustier Mysterieux” which was published in Paris in 1934. It had been written by a man named Charles Bourrel de la Roncière. Charels was a renowned and respected French historian and librarian whose works marked the revival of naval history studies.
The cypher as seen here, consists of 17 lines of symbols which at first glance would appear to be nonsense. However, Roncière correctly identified the symbols as being what is known as a “pigpen cipher” also known or referred to as the masonic cipher, Freemason’s cipher, Napolean cipher, and tic-tac-toe cipher.
The cipher uses a simple substitution cipher, letters of the alphabet are placed into four grids. Each part of the grid can then be used as a symbol in exchange for that letter in the secret message. The 4 grids of letters are then used as a key to break the coded message.
The pig-pen cipher is an ancient one, it can be traced back to the Knights Templar during the crusades. Fortunately for treasure hunters this type of cipher is very easy to break without the key which is exactly what Roncière did. Exchanging the symbols for letters he was able to decipher the cryptic texts. However, what it revealed was not expected.
The alleged cipher text of the pirate Olivier Le Vasseur.
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Conclusion
Roncière’s decryption of the “pig-pen” cipher text relied on this key substitution key.
The decrypted text below which was revealed after Roncière broke the cipher surprisingly doesn’t reveal anything to do with piracy or treasure, in fact it would appear more like a recipe of some sort:
1. aprè jmez une paire de pijon tiresket
2. 2 doeurs sqeseaj tête cheral funekort
3. filttinshientecu prenez une cullière
4. de mielle ef ovtre fous en faites une ongat
5. mettez sur ke patai de la pertotitousn
6. vpulezolvs prenez 2 let cassé sur le che
7. min il faut qoe ut toit a noitie couue
8. povr en pecger une femme dhrengt vous n ave
9. eua vous serer la dobaucfea et pour ve
10. ngraai et por epingle oueiuileturlor
11. eiljn our la ire piter un chien tupqun
12. lenen de la mer de bien tecjeet sur ru
13. nvovl en quilnise iudf kuue femm rq
14. i veut se faire dun hmetsedete s/u dre
15. dans duui ooun dormir un homm r
16. esscfvmm / pl faut n rendre udlq
17. u un diffur qecieefurtetlesl
At this point, any sensible person would look at this and regret wasting their time decrypting it in the first place. So why did a well-respected historian like Roncière after discovering the decoded message to reveal nothing and with apparently no evidence to link the text to any pirate or treasure would he then proceed to risk his reputation and write a book about it?
This is the real reason why this legend lives on today and why it has led so many treasure hunters since 1934 to go in search of the lost treasure of Olivier Le Vasseur, some spending their entire lives and spending every bit of their fortunes looking for it.
What do you believe?
Reginald Cruise-Wilkins went in search of La Buse’s treasure from 1947 until the day he died. Now his son John Cruise-Wilkins continues his father’s legacy at Bel Ombre, on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles.
Sources & References
Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:
Primary Source: Olivier Levasseur – Wikipedia
Bibliography:
-
- “Olivier Levasseur”. goldenageofpiracy.org. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- Hostin, Geraldo (2019). The Pirate of Cotinga Island (1718): A Historical and Archaeological Study of a Mysterious Shipwreck in the South of Brazil. ISBN 978-1-64826-767-3.
- Hostin, Geraldo (2019). The Pirate of Cotinga Island (1718): A Historical and Archaeological Study of a Mysterious Shipwreck in the South of Brazil. ISBN 978-1-64826-767-3.
- Grey, Charles (1933). Pirates of the eastern seas (1618-1723): a lurid page of history. London: S. Low, Marston & co., ltd. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- Fox, E. T. (2014). Pirates in Their Own Words. Raleigh NC: Lulu.com. ISBN 9781291943993. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- Woodard, Colin (2008). The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down. Orlando FL: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0547415758.
- Smith, Wilbur (2018). On Leopard Rock: An Adventure in Books. New York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 274–276, 283. ISBN 978-1-4998-6128-0. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- One Man’s Search for Buried Treasure’ by Jean-Marc Mojon (Agence France-Presse) in The Jakarta Globe of 14 December 2009, Features C3
Other sources of information:
Charles de La Roncière:Wikipedia
More on the La Buse cryptogram: CipherFoundation.org
Pig-Pen Cipher: Wikipedia
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Written By
Follow On:
ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
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It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.
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Atahualpa’s Inca Gold
- by Grey
ATAHUALPA’S INCA GOLD
The Valverde Guide
Overview
In the 1850’s Richard Spruce while on an expedition to South America found a guide and map detailing how to find a vast treasure of the Inca King Atahualpa (1532) supposedly hidden in a cave, deep within the Llanganates mountain range of Ecuador.
In 1532, Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador began his conquest of the Inca empire. He sent an interpreter and a friar (Vincent de Valverde) to meet with the Incan king – Atahualpa in order to claim religious right to his lands. Atahualpa wasn’t accepting of this and the Spaniards captured him and his nobles.
Atahuallpa, Inca XIIII From Berlin Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany
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The Legend
Carte DU Perou et Bresil Sep De Tierra-Firme De Guayana Et De La Riviere Des Amazones
Atahualpa, seeing that that the Spaniards valued gold made an agreement with Pizarro. He would fill the room he was being held in with gold and the next two rooms with silver in exchange for his release. (The total value of this ransom would be approximately half a billion dollars today.)
Before Atahualpa’s ransom could be collected Pizarro’s distrust for Atahualpa grew too much. He had feared that Atahualpa still had too much influence over the Incan warriors and as such he charged the king with crimes to tarnish his reputation and had the king executed. As such, no ransom was ever paid for the release of Atahualpa.
According to legend, the Inca General Rumiñahui was on his way to Cajamarca to pay the ransom before hearing of Atahualpa’s execution. After hearing this he sent porters to collect more treasures from the temple of the sun.
Rumiñahui is said to have then hidden all of the treasures he could so that the Spaniards could not get them and continued fighting against the Spanish, and though he was eventually captured and tortured, he never revealed the location of the treasure.
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The Treasure
During Richard Spruce’s (Famous English Botanist) expedition in the 1850’s to the Andes of Peru in search of the Cinchona tree he claimed to have uncovered a map made by Atanasio Guzman and what he called ‘The Valverde Gude’ leading to the hidden treasure of Atahualpa’s ransom.
It is said that the Valverde Guide is a handwritten account of the directions needed to be taken to find the treasures location wrote by Valverde after his Incan bride’s family led him to the treasure after which he is said to have become rich.
Portrait of Richard Spruce
Newspaper Clipping from the Battle Creek Enquirer, Monday 31st May 1993, page 2, Battle Creek, Michigan
Barth Blake, a treasure hunter in 1886 left for the Llanganates in search of the treasure believing that he could follow the Valvede Guide, Guzmans map, and Spruce’s account of his expedition to the treasures location.
During Blakes journey he made maps of the area and wrote several letters to a friend back in North America claiming he had found the treasure and was bringing back what he could to North America to sell and raise funds for a second trip with help to retrieve the rest as it had been far too much for one man to carry.
However, Blake never made it back to North America. It is believed that he disappeared overboard while on a boat on route to New York.
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The Clues
Atanasio Guzman’s Map
Translation of the Valverde Guide
Once in the town of Pillaro, ask for the farm of Moya, and sleep a good distance above it; and ask there for the mountain of Guapa, from whose top, if the day be fine, look to the east, so that thy back be towards the town of Ambato, and from thence thou shalt perceive the three Cerros Llanganati, in the form of a triangle, on whose declivity there is a lake, made by hand, into which the ancients threw the gold they had prepared for the ransom of the Inca when they heard of his death.
From the same Cerro Guapa thou mayest see also the forest, and in it a clump of Sangurimas standing out of the said forest, and another clump which they call Flechas (arrows), and these clumps are the principal mark for the which thou shalt aim, leaving them a little on the left hand.
Go forward from Guapa in the direction and with the signals indicated, and a good way ahead, having passed some cattle-farms, thou shalt come on a wide morass, over which thou must cross, and coming out on the other side thou shalt see on the left-hand a short way off a juc·l on a hill-side, through which thou must pass.
Having got through the juc·l, thou wilt see two small lakes called “Los Anteojos” (the spectacles), from having between them a point of land like to a nose. From this place thou mayest again descry the Cerros Llanganati, the same as thou sawest them from the top of Guapa, and I warn thee to leave the said lakes on the left, and that in front of the point or “nose” there is a plain, which is the sleeping-place. There thou must leave thy horses, for they can go no farther.
Following now on foot in the same direction, thou shalt come on a grat black lake, the which leave on thy left-hand, and beyoud it seek to descend along the hill-side in such a way that thou mayest reach a ravine, down which comes a waterfall: and here thou shalt find a bridge of three poles, or if it do not still exist thou shalt put another in the most convenient place and pass over it. And having gone on a little way in the forest, seek out the hut which served tho sleep in or the remains of it.
Having passed the night there, go on thy way the following day through the forest in the same direction, till thou reach another deep dry ravine, across which thou must throw a bridge and pass over it slowly and cautiously, for the ravine is is very deep; that is if thou succeed not in finding the pass which exists.
Go forward and look for the signs of another sleeping-place, which, I assure thee, thou canst not fail to see in the fragments of pottery and other marks, because the Indians are continually passing along there. Go on thy way, and thou shalt see a mountain which is all of margasitas (pyrites), the which leave on the left-hand, and I warn thee that thou must go round it in this fashion (The Valverde mark).
On this side thou wilt find a pajonál (pasture) in a small plain, which having crossed thou wilt come on a canyon between two hills, which is the way of the Inca. From thence as thou goest along thou shalt see the entrance of the socabon (tunnel), which is in the form of a church-porch. Having come through the canyon, and gone a good distance beyond, thou wilt perceive a cascade which descends from a offshoot of the Cerro Llanganati, and runs into a quaking-bog on the right hand; and without passing the stream in the said bog there is much gold, so that putting in thy hand what thou shalt gather at the bottom is grains of gold.
To ascend the mountain, leave the bog and go along to the right, and pass above the cascade, going round the offshoot of the mountain. And if by chance the mouth of the socabon be closed with certain herbs which they call “salvaje”, remove them, and thou wilt find the entrance. And on the left-hand side of the mountain thou mayest see the “Guayra” (for thus the ancients called the furnace where they founded metals), which is nailed with golden nails. And to reach the third mountain, if thou canst not pass in front of the socabon, it is the same thing to pass behind it, for the water of the lake falls into it.
If thou lose thyself in the forest, seek the river, follow it on the right bank; lower down take to the beach, and thou wilt reach the canyon in such sort that, although thou seek to pass it, thou wilt not find where; climb, therfore, the mountain on the right-hand, and in this manner thou canst by no means miss thy way.
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Conclusion
Front cover for Lust For Inca Gold: An Intriguing True Story of Exploration, Discovery, Murder, Espionage & Treasure by Steven J. Charbonneau.
Many treasure hunters have gone in search of Atahualpa’s Inca Gold since Barth Blake but none have been able to successfully locate the treasure with many dying in pursuit of the fortune.
A well-researched and written book ‘Lust For Inca Gold’ by Steven J. Charbonneau goes into great detail about the history of Atahualpa’s past, his ransom, the treasure and the stories of some of the treasure hunters that have gone in search of this treasure legend.
The book covers a lot of information, most fascinating of all is the stories of the treasure hunters such as Barth Blake who claim to have found the treasure cache and give detailed accounts and maps for how to get to the treasure cave tucked away in the Llanganati Mountains.
According to the author, Steven J. Charbonneau, he spent more than two years forming Ecuadoran Explorations Inc and getting permits and terms negotiated agreed and approved with a Presidential Decree in order to recover the treasure from the mountains.
However, when it came time to sign these agreements the President changed their approach and determined that the expedition should go ahead without official documentation. A strange thing to do, Charbonneau became suspicious and fears that the treasure may be confiscated if found and that he’d meet his end in an unmarked grave eventually doomed the project.
As a result, Charbonneau wrote ‘Lust For Gold’ to tell his story and share his extensive research with others. Ultimately, the treasure remains unconfirmed despite claims of some who are said to have found the cave, taken what they could carry and sold or donated some of the finds to museums and private parties.
What do you believe?
The Sun Mask from northern Ecuador currently held in the Museo del Banco in Quito, Ecuador. Just a taste of what could be hidden in the treasure cave of the Llanganates.
Sources & References
Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:
Primary Source: Treasure of the Llanganatis – Wikipedia
Bibliography:
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- De Betanzos, Juan; Hamilton, Roland; Buchanan, Dana (1996). Narrative of the Incas. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-75559-8. Following Pizarro’s assassination, Dona Angelina married the interpreter Juan de Betanzos.
- Jackson, Joe (2008). The Thief at the End of the World. Viking. ISBN 9780670018536.
- Prescott, W.H., 2011, The History of the Conquest of Peru, Digireads.com Publishing, ISBN 9781420941142
- Eubel, Konrad (1923). HIERARCHIA CATHOLICA MEDII ET RECENTIORIS AEVI Vol III (second ed.). Münster: Libreria Regensbergiana. pp. 184. (in Latin)
Other sources of information:
Francisco Pizarro: Wikipedia
Lust For Inca Gold: Amazon
Richard Spruce: Wikipedia
Ransom Room: Wikipedia
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Written By
Follow On:
ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
CodeBar Podcast
Join Robert, host of the CodeBar Live podcast and journey into the greatest treasure legends, armchair treasure hunts, codes, ciphers, puzzles, escape rooms, ARG’s, puzzle boxes & more!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Subscribe
Get Free Priority Access To Treasure News, Giveaways, And More!
*By subscribing to the newsletter you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!
It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.
Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!
Follow us on:
GET IN TOUCH
Follow us on:
-
It is impossible for me to describe the wealth that now lays in that cave marked on my map, but I could not remove it alone, nor could thousands of men….There are thousands of gold and silver pieces of Inca and pre-Inca handicraft, the most beautiful goldsmith works you are not able to imagine, life-size human figures made out of beaten gold and silver, birds, animals, cornstalks, gold and silver flowers. Pots full of the most incredible jewelry. Golden vases full of emeralds.
– Captain Barth Blake, 1886
