Forrest Fenn s treasure

Ok, I found a fly in the ointment of my solve for Castle Gardens Petroglyphs, Wyoming.

But I found a workaround by coming from the other direction. It's still worth a look to go there, spend a day just to rule it out.

The fly in the ointment was that I didn't have a WWWH from the poem. I had a WWWH from TTotC:

"In Wyoming, between Shoshoni and Casper, we had some kind of slight misunderstanding and I told him to just stop the dumb car and let me out."

"I remember sitting down beside the road for about an hour to consider my lot in life and ponder if anything was left in my future."

WWWH is a metaphor for life's comforts abruptly ending, and it aptly applies as life's comforts came to a screeching "halt" for Forrest for a couple hours that day, as he watched his brother, Skippy, putt-putt away in his Model B Ford, leaving Forrest behind with no money, no coat, no shoes, and to make matters worse, it started to get cold.

And to think they were having such a good time together just earlier in the trip.

Forrest was perhaps 15 years old, Skippy was maybe 17. The year, best I can tell, was 1945, WW2 had just ended, though the documents were not signed until September.

This all took place most likely on Route 20/26, and Castle Gardens Petroglyphs is adjacent to the south.

But this is all from the book, not the poem, and Forrest said the poem can render a solution on its own.

The poem can still do it, but the approach to the solve comes from the southerly direction, and not the northerly direction.

Forrest Fenn Treasure Chest Solve for Castle Gardens Petroglyphs, WY (July 2017)

  1. BIWWWH
    • Canyon Creek Reservoir; Fremont County, WY
      • The headwaters of both the East and West branches of Canyon Creek are nearby
      • The two of them, together, form the plural for "waters"
      • Shortly thereafter both branches merge together to form a singular Canyon Creek
  2. TIITCD
    • Canyon Creek flows north, adjacent and just east of Castle Gardens Petroglyphs
    • It loses elevation, hence "canyon down"
  3. NF,BTFTW
    • Get to Castle Gardens Petroglyphs by car, like everyone else
  4. PIBTHOB
    • Latitude of Castle Gardens Petroglyphs is lower than latitude of Fort Washakie
      • Hence, "below" Fort Washakie
    • Fort Washakie used to be called Fort Brown
      • The fort was established in 1869 and named Camp Augur after General Christopher C. Augur
      • In 1870 the camp was renamed Camp Brown in honor of Captain Frederick H. Brown who was killed in the Fetterman Massacre in 1866
      • It was renamed again in 1878 after Chief Washakie of the Shoshone tribe
  5. FTINPFTM
    • Get out of your car and look around (or stay in your car and be "meek")
  6. TEIEDN
    • The middle leg of Fraser Draw passes just under the farthest-east wooden-footbridge
      • Use topozone.com and click on WY after you scroll down to the map of the United States
      • Zoom in to Castle Gardens Petroglyphs
      • Toggle back and forth between Satellite and Topographic to better understand
  7. TBNPUYC/JHLAWH
    • Metaphor of "up a creek without a paddle" when in "white-water rapids" difficulty
      • It's win or lose time, a very hard problem to puzzle-out, maybe your only chance at this site, so get it together!
  8. IYBWAFTB/LQD,YQTC
    • BOTG required
    • Probably at or near ground level
    • Maybe cleverly hidden in some desert brush
    • Maybe half buried to barely expose it
    • Possibly a petroglyph faces it, and it is on the perimeter of the site
    • Maybe 200 feet to the right of the farthest-east wooden foot-bridge, at Fraser Draw terminus (as seen on the Topographic map)
      • That would place it 500 feet from the closest of the five fenced-off petroglyph enclosures, too
  9. BTSWMG/JTTCAGIP
    • Get out of Dodge
      • Don't whoop it up
      • Don't tell anyone until you've thought long and hard how next to proceed
  10. SHMAALG/YEWBWTC/IYABAITW/IGYTTTG
    • TToTC will reel you in and take your soul
    • The hardships and hope-against-all-hope experiences you endure will reward you for the rest of your life
    • If you find the treasure, it's yours to keep!

Found this "alien" blaze nearby to WWWH. Just copy it into Google Maps, and go to Satellite view. A very cool kitty-cat?

:cat:

42.822044, -107.481417
 

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"How do we know it's not a fake? It looks like a fake."

"Well, one thing we know, you're no fake. You're a genuine idiot."

"Thank you."
 

One more thing…

Let's say it really is a fake… the treasure chest. And all the gold coins in it, they're really chocolate "coin candy."

But let's say Forrest really did hide it somewhere nonetheless, and the clues really do work.

It's just that at the last minute, whoever opens the fake box, with the fake contents, it will be a big joke.

Still, Forrest put that 22 turquoise bead bracelet in there, probably the cheapest item in there, he said. (He won it in a pool game.)

That's your only guarantee that you found the original Fenn treasure chest.

Start putting ideas in people's heads that everything is fake, and "real" fake treasure chests will start to be found all over the Rockies.

But the only real Fenn treasure chest will have that bracelet.

And then you will know that you found the genuine article.

If I went out looking for it, and I found it, I would never sell it off a little here, a little there. It would all stay together as one. So, no monetary gain. Just satisfaction.

And you can be sure Forrest thought of forgery-treasure chests eventually showing up. So that turquoise bracelet, it has been photographed by Forrest in meticulous detail, like the edges of a masterpiece painting, never seen by a forger unless he had been in the presence of the original.

Remember, it is the thrill of the chase. It's a treasure hunt. Solving a treasure hunt is one of the most satisfying pastimes you'll ever experience. Making a treasure hunt is even more satisfying.

That's why I know there is a treasure chest, somewhere. It has been so much fun for Forrest to pursue the making of it, especially as something to do after he sold his gallery.

I think we all can believe he wrote and published The Thrill of the Chase. Or is the book I have just a "pigment of my imagination," and all of our combined copies of the book, it's all mass hysteria, we don't have books at all, we've just been duped into thinking our copies exist. And besides, once we die, reality doesn't exist, so, "what difference does it really make."

Btw, I'm just an Artificial Intelligence Bot. (You didn't know that?) :hello:
 

Hello, new to the Fenn Treasure hunt, I have been using google mostly, where is the best place to exchange information about this treasure hunt? Here?
 

Eric Ashby died near where I go metal detecting and have a mining claim. This area of Colorado is beautiful, but it is dangerous. There are rock slides, fast waters, and extreme terrain. In the river valley there is no cell phone coverage. If you get bit by a rattlesnake, you better have a plan. Going in or near the river without a flotation device is suicidal. I live here and am afraid of this environment. It is no day at the beach. It will kill you. Personally, I think the treasure is near Browns Wildlife Refuge. Probably along Coldwater Springs Creek. That is the northwest Colorado area. Does this make sense to anybody?
 

Be careful of bears. I was reading about a guy the other day somewhere north of Yellowstone Park came upon a mother bear and two cubs. He barely got his pepper spray off when the bear came through the cloud and just ran him over then started chewing on him. Then the bear stopped and looked up, then snorted and left. He thought he was safe and was just slowly walking away when the bear came charging back more angry than before. He didn't have time to get out his spray or his gun. If this happens to you, GTH out of there! Run for your life or get up a tree, keep the pepper spray in your hand.
 

Forrest Fenn Searcher Eric Ashby Still Missing, Human Remains Found | Westword

since the deaths,forest has said,and still says
Screenshot 2017-08-01 at 1.39.01 AM.png
 

I've never been down the Colorado but have done many technical river courses. Chatooga (where Deliverance was filmed!) in GA, Gauley River in VA, and Russell Forks KY were the three where I feared for my life. Both have many Class V sections and deadly sucks and if you don't have a life jacket it will be a while before you're ever seen again. Russell Forks is probably the most similar to Colorado River we have here in the southeast, it's wide, very fast and steep with loads of boulders and undercut ledges that'll trap and smash you.
 

Here's a thought. If you've been 'wise' and found the blaze. In the 2nd national treasure movie, Nick Cages character and team were looking for a marking/blaze. The marking was etched into a huge boulder and the marking/blaze could only be seen on a 'cloudless, rainy day' due to the nature of the rock. Fenn said something about people possibly looking for the treasure hundreds of years from now and a blaze like that would stand the test of time. Plus you would have to be wise to know to look for the blaze when the rocks are wet. In the movie they were pouring bottled water all over rocks since there was no rain. Your effort will be worth the cold. When it rains in the rockies its typically cold I would guess. You would also have to be wise not to search when it's covered in snow. I think a possibility is the treasure was placed in a nook in between some boulders and nearby branches, leaves, small rocks, etc was placed over the chest or simply near the marked boulder.
 

Look at the box people. Fenn said the box was perfect. On it is a pueblo and a guy climbing a ladder up it. This is the big clue. In the second book he talks about his San Lazaro Pueblo in the Galisteo Basin south of Santa Fe and about digging up artifacts there. This is what it is about, the history and artifacts in the south west. You guys are looking in the wrong area. The "gold" is the pueblos. I wouldn't be surprised if he buried it at his San Lazaro Pueblo for his family to find and is sending everyone to the wrong area looking for it while the value inflates due to demand.
 

Fenn says he is the real Indiana Jones. Well, Indiana Jones traveled the world chasing artifacts illegally and he started as a kid in the southwest with the cross of Coronado. It's about looting artifacts in the southwest illegally, specifically the 4 corners monument. There are clues and references to the 4 corners sites all throughout the books starting with the reference to Richard Wetherill in the first book (who was known as an amateur archaeologist who explored the 4 corners region), to the last book that talks about Pompeii, excavating at his San Lazaro Pueblo, etc and ends with a monument (federal monuments exist to protect areas of historical significance). The four corners area is the most artifact dense region in the country and this region is why Fenn was being investigated by the feds (Google it for more info). Personally I think some areas there should be open to hobby archaeology and other areas should be preserved but sadly that is not the law. The feds are very serious about prosecuting people who excavate artifacts on federal lands so seriously don't look for it or artifacts there.

Here is a link to his blog related to Indiana Jones:
The Mother of Indiana Jones | Blog | Old Santa Fe Trading Co
 

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Here are some of the news articles and excerpts from them. I don't know why the feds want to criminalize all forms of hobby archaeology but that's the current situation. It sure would be a lot of fun to be able to do this stuff legally.

---

Stealing the Past

Using an undercover source, agents from the FBI and the US Bureau of Land Management had spent since November 2006 infiltrating a tight-knit community of looters in the Four Corners area who dig up graves and pillage archaeological sites on public lands, then sell the items they find to dealers and collectors.

But it wasn’t until early June of this year that agents announced their take: Thus far, a total of 24 people have been indicted, 23 arrested and 12 homes searched—including four in Santa Fe.

On June 12, federal agents searched the homes of collectors Forrest Fenn, Thomas Cavaliere, Bill Schenck and Christopher Selser, seeking artifacts their undercover source had learned about during the course of the investigation. Although agents seized certain items—as well as computers, business records and photographs—they have yet to file charges against the four Santa Fe residents (most of the arrestees live in Blanding, Utah).

While recent daily newspaper coverage has focused on those particular raids, Santa Fe figures heavily into the story of archaeological looting for reasons that go beyond the handful of local dealers whose homes were searched.

According to Phil Young, an archaeologist and retired National Park Service special agent, Santa Fe is the “hub of the wheel of the black-market trade” when it comes to illegal artifacts.

Young should know: He has been tracking looters since the early 1990s and has seen their methods and networks evolve and expand.

Of late, looters have become increasingly sophisticated, Young says, using GPS units and Google Earth to locate archaeological sites, and employing front-end loaders and backhoes to unearth remains. Such focused efforts in some ways reflect another important factor when it comes to archaeological looting.

---

Looting of Indian artifacts targeted

Agents also raided the home of New Mexico author Forrest Fenn, who founded a Santa Fe gallery and has written books on Indian culture and artifacts. According to affidavits, the decorated fighter pilot began exploring Arizona ruins while stationed at Williams Air Force Base during the 1960s.

Fenn was recorded last October explaining to the Source that he flew over remote Arizona canyons while in the military, searching for ruins. "And then on the weekends we'd go in there. . . . We found so many caves that, evidently, nobody had been in since the Indians," he said.
 

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Like it or not, here are some of the laws:

Archaeological Ethics & Law - Crow Canyon Archaeological Center

Antiquities Act of 1906. This is the "grand-daddy" of federal laws related to archaeology and historic preservation. Its main provisions are as follows:

It is illegal to excavate, collect from, or damage archaeological sites on federal land without a permit. The penalty for violations includes a fine and/or imprisonment.

Permits are to be given only to "reputable museums, universities, colleges, or other recognized scientific or educational institutions" for the purpose of increasing knowledge.

Collections made under such permits are to be preserved in public museums.

The President may designate certain areas of the federal lands as national monuments. Monuments are to be established to protect "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest."

----

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. This act applies to a variety of historic properties, including archaeological sites, historic buildings, historic battlefields, etc. There are several provisions that are especially important for archaeology.

Section 106 of the Act requires federal agencies to plan their undertakings so as to take into account the possible effects on archaeological and historic sites. "Undertakings" are defined broadly to include all forms of federal assistance, licensing and permitting, as well as projects directly funded by the federal government. Agencies are required to do surveys to find out whether significant archaeological or historic sites will be affected by an undertaking. They also are encouraged to find ways to avoid or minimize impacts on such sites if feasible.

Section 101 deals with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. This council oversees agencies’ Section 106 compliance efforts. Much of the archaeology in the U.S. today is done to comply with Section 106, and regulations published by the Advisory Council guide these efforts.
Section 101 also establishes a National Register of Historic Places. The staff of the Register maintains a list of properties determined to be of significance in American history, at the local, state, or national levels. Sites do not have to be formally nominated to the Register to be considered in federal agency planning under Section 106. For planning purposes, National Register criteria can be used to determine whether a site is eligible for the Register and thus worthy of attention in agency planning.

In addition, Section 101 requires each state to have a State Historic Preservation Office funded by both the state and federal governments (a list of state offices is provided by the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers). The State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) develops programs to promote historic preservation in his or her state. Federal agencies are required to consult with the SHPO as they carry out their Section 106 responsibilities. On Indian lands, Tribal Historic Preservation offices can be established to take over many of the responsibilities otherwise carried out by the SHPO. Local governments can also be certified to take over some of the duties of the SHPO.
Section 110 sets forth proactive responsibilities for federal agencies. It requires them to establish historic preservation programs, inventory and nominate properties to the National Register, manage properties so their historic qualities are not lost, and comply with Section 106. It also requires that they designate an agency Historic Preservation Officer to coordinate and facilitate these efforts.

---

Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA). This law was passed to strengthen protection of archaeological sites and to better regulate excavations on federal or Indian land. The act states the following:

Permits can be issued by the appropriate land-managing agency to qualified archaeologists for projects that "further archaeological knowledge in the public interest."

Unauthorized excavation of archaeological sites on federal lands is a crime and is a felony if the damage is determined to be more than $500.00. Civil penalties can also be assessed.

Buying or selling artifacts taken illegally from federal or Indian land is a federal crime.

Materials collected under an ARPA permit and the associated records must be curated permanently in a museum or other approved repository.

If excavation permits are requested for Native American sites, the permitting agency must seek the views of related tribes.

---

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA). This act recognizes the rights of Native American individuals and tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations, to possess related human remains and "cultural items." These items include funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony, as defined in the law.

The act establishes a priority of ownership of human remains and cultural items. Included are lineal descendants, tribes on whose lands the items were discovered, culturally affiliated tribes, and tribes that aboriginally occupied the lands where the items were discovered.
Section 3 sets up procedures for permitted excavation or inadvertent discovery of human remains and cultural items after the law was passed in 1990. This section also addresses consultation, determination of ownership, and repatriation in these cases.

Section 4 of the act amends the U.S. Code to prohibit buying and selling Native American human remains and cultural items. It sets forth penalties for these offenses.

Sections 5 through 7 of NAGPRA establish responsibilities for organizations that maintain collections of archaeological materials made before 1990. These organizations include federal agencies and also museums, universities, and other repositories, if they receive some type of federal funding or assistance. Such institutions are required to inventory their collections of Native American and Native Hawaiian human remains and cultural items (as defined in the law). In consultation with tribal governments and Native Hawaiian organizations, they must establish the ownership of the remains and other items, if possible, and must repatriate them upon request. Many repatriations have taken place, but in some cases, they are still ongoing.

Section 8 sets up a review committee consisting of Native American traditional religious leaders, other representatives of tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations, and representatives of national museum and scientific organizations. Duties of the committee include monitoring inventory and identification activities under Sections 5 and 6, and helping resolve questions and disputes about cultural affiliation and rights to repatriation.
 

sandy1 said:
I would have put more stock in the treasure if he didn't get money by selling books for clues about it, another thing that bothers me is how will anybody know if somebody found it, assuming the finder never tells Fenn or Fenn dies by the time it is found?
Click to expand...

Yep. It's hard to trust a guy who is profiting from $75 books and acting like it's for charity when that is far from the truth. There are all sorts of charity scams out there and this is probably another one of them. I think the gold is news and convincing people to buy whatever he is selling whether it's books, artifacts, art, or whatever. At this point I think it's a rigged game and he is using this to make money first with books then his family is going to cash in the treasure chest when they want to. It started off being valued at $250,000 and now some estimates say $5 million which is absurd (according to the news he says he is going to get it when it reaches $10 million). If you look at old news articles the guy did the same thing with art, used the media to stimulate demand and inflate the price of items, marketing towards rich people then he would wine and dine them telling elaborate stories (mountain yarns). Suzanne Sommers basically says this in the beginning of one of his books. He also claims he hid bells he forged and that people have found them yet no news articles have covered anyone finding bells so that sounds like nonsense. Maybe he wants people to forge bells with his name on it and claim they found it. After all, some of his colleagues in the art world did similar stuff--wiki Eric Sloane and you'll see he was painting under someone else's name. Bottom line is that nobody but him is making money off of this treasure hunt. If his family isn't looking for it then it's because they know his secret. Secrets usually aren't good so I doubt his is. This whole thing is how he has made his money. It's not about a treasure hunt, it's about promoting and selling overpriced stuff and that's what he is still doing.
 

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Guanaca said:
Yep. It's hard to trust a guy who is profiting from $75 books and acting like it's for charity when that is far from the truth. There are all sorts of charity scams out there and this is probably another one of them. I think the gold is news and convincing people to buy whatever he is selling whether it's books, artifacts, art, or whatever. At this point I think it's a rigged game and he is using this to make money first with books then his family is going to cash in the treasure chest when they want to. It started off being valued at $250,000 and now some estimates say $5 million which is absurd (according to the news he says he is going to get it when it reaches $10 million). If you look at old news articles the guy did the same thing with art, used the media to stimulate demand and inflate the price of items, marketing towards rich people then he would wine and dine them telling elaborate stories (mountain yarns). Suzanne Sommers basically says this in the beginning of one of his books. He also claims he hid bells he forged and that people have found them yet no news articles have covered anyone finding bells so that sounds like nonsense. Maybe he wants people to forge bells with his name on it and claim they found it. After all, some of his colleagues in the art world did similar stuff--wiki Eric Sloane and you'll see he was painting under someone else's name. Bottom line is that nobody but him is making money off of this treasure hunt. If his family isn't looking for it then it's because they know his secret. Secrets usually aren't good so I doubt his is. This whole thing is how he has made his money. It's not about a treasure hunt, it's about promoting and selling overpriced stuff and that's what he is still doing.
Click to expand...
You have just said what I have been thinking all along, except I did not have all the details that you have. Good write up my friend.
elh
 

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