Page 169 - WDT MAGAZINE PORTUGAL

Treasure Worth $3-$4 Million In the Mountains North of Santa of Fe Waiting to Be Found

By Margie Goldsmith

omewhere in the mountains north of Santa David Rockefeller, and Steven Spielberg.
Fe, Forrest Fenn, a legendary former fighter In a way, Fenn credits Ralph Lauren for the idea to
pilot and art dealer has hidden a treasure hide the treasure. Lauren was in Santa Fe visiting
chest containing irreplaceable items Fenn during the time Fenn was told he had only a 20%
Sincluding gold nuggets the size of chicken chance of survival. He had already sold his successful
eggs, two ancient carved jade faces from China, pre- Santa Fe art gallery and was waiting for the inevitable.
Colombia gold figures a 17th century Spanish gold Many of his friends stopped by to visit him at his
and emerald ring, and other priceless objects. While home which was filled with over 3,000 pieces of
Fenn has never said what he thinks the treasure is museum-quality art ranging from an important 18th
worth, some have estimated it to be valued at $4 century painted buffalo skin, the pipe of the Dakota
million dollars; others says it’s closer to $6 million. Sioux Indian leader, Sitting Bull, to early Southwest
Why would this mischievous Indiana Jones-type Indian Pottery and rare Plains Indian medicine
millionaire hide a treasure in the first place? bonnets.
In 1998, Forrest Fenn developed cancer and was Ralph Lauren saw Fenn’s favorite piece – a Crow
told he had only a 20% chance of surviving. Thinking Indian’s white ermine medicine bonnet and made an
he didn’t have much time left, he sold his prestigious offer. As this was Fenn’s dearest treasure, he refused
art gallery. After a long bout of chemo and radiation, to sell. Ralph Lauren commented, “well, you can’t take
the cancer went into remission, but doctors said the it with you.” To which Fenn replied, “Then I’m not
cancer could recur. Fenn told himself, “If it comes going.”
back, I’m going to grab 52 sleeping pills, a bottle of But Lauren’s visit gave Fenn an idea. Inspired by
single-malt Scotch, fill a treasure chest with booty and
a copy of my autobiography, and I’m going to walk childhood adventure stories of pirates’ booty, Fenn
started to write his autobiography, jotting down
deep into the forest and end it all there. Sometime incidents and remembrances as they occurred to him.
they’ll find my bones and the treasure, and my
autobiography will be inside the box, so at least they’ll He had Kinko’s Copy Shop reduce the manuscript to
minuscule type, rolled it like a scroll and placed it in a
know who I was.”
wax-sealed glass jar to keep it waterproof. He put the
It’s not as though Fenn was unknown. He’d owned jar into an antique treasure chest along with hand-
the most successful art gallery in Santa Fe with works picked items from his personal collection. Then he
including Remingtons and Russells and O’Keefes – took the chest and drove somewhere north of the
every major artist of Western art, most of whose Santa Fe mountains where he hid the treasure.
pieces are now in museums from The Buffalo Bill
Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming to the Chicago Fenn didn’t draw a treasure map but he self-
Art Institute. Fenn’s clients included Ralph Lauren, published a memoir The Thrill of the Chase, which
included a poem with nine clues necessary to finding
Robert Redford, Jacqueline Onassis, Sam Shepard,
the treasure:

168 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE 2019