According to ABC , in 2010, billionaire Forrest Fenn caused a stir when he announced that he had hidden a treasure trove full of gold, jewelry and precious stones, worth 1 million USD, in the Rocky Mountains, in the western United States.

Revealing on The New Mexican , Mr. Forrest Fenn said that the treasure contains about 10kg of gold with 265 American Gold Eagles and Double Eagles along with many other gold artifacts and jewelry. The chest alone weighs up to 9kg.

Sharing the reason for hiding the treasure, on Business Insider , this billionaire said that 2010 was also the time when the Great Recession severely affected the US and world economies . "I wanted to give people a little hope and something to believe in," he said.

In addition, he hopes that through treasure hunting, more people will leave the city and live closer to the wild, which is the real wealth.

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Treasure worth $1 million hidden in the Rocky Mountains. Photo: Dailymail

Hints at the location of the treasure include two books and a poem he wrote, which advises to “start looking where the warm water stops.” The poem also contains eight other clues that could help explorers locate the treasure.

The treasure's value has sent thousands of people into the remote, rugged mountains of the American West in search of it. The hunt has lasted nearly a decade and is considered the largest of the 21st century.

Some people even quit their jobs and spent all their money to research and find clues to where the treasure was hidden. Meanwhile, some others believed that this was just a scam and sued Forrest Fenn.

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American art collector Forrest Fenn. Photo: CNBC

Several treasure hunters died in 2015-2016. At least five people lost their lives while searching for the treasure, according to The New Mexican.

In 2017, New Mexico state police convinced Mr. Fenn to stop the hunt when many people risked their lives to participate in this race.

The treasure hunt seemed to have been forgotten, but in 2020, the identity of the person who found the treasure was revealed. It was Jack Stuef (a medical student from Michigan). Shiloh Forrest Old, Forrest Fenn's grandson, confirmed that Jack Stuef found it.

Forrest Fenn's family was forced to publicly name Stuef to stop the hunt under a federal court order.

Stuef told the press that he learned about the treasure in 2018 and became obsessed with finding it. Stuef did not reveal the exact location where he found the treasure. Jack Stuef kept the treasure in a safe location in the state of New Mexico.

In August 2020, Forrest Fenn passed away at the age of 90.