Here's a different take on the Oak Island mystery.

[Info warrior]

Unraveling the Mystery of Oak Island: The Salt Marshes of Smith's Cove and the Money Pit

At the heart of Oak Island's enduring mystery lies a fascinating interplay between its natural resources and the innovative practices of its early inhabitants. Central to this narrative is Smith's Cove, a crucial area characterized by its salt marshes. These marshes were not only abundant in salt but also played a vital role in the potential salt production operations that may have taken place on the island.

The flat expanse of Smith's Cove, resembling a classic salt marsh, would have been an ideal location for evaporating seawater to harvest salt. The tides push water into this cove, creating an environment where salt could easily crystallize and be collected. The Rochefoucauld family, who began salt production in Nova Scotia around the late 18th century, likely recognized the value of this natural resource. By establishing saltworks in Smith's Cove, they could capitalize on the high demand for salt, particularly in the booming fishing industry of the time.

Salt was essential for preserving fish, particularly cod, which was a staple in the diets of many communities and a significant commodity for trade. With British fishermen facing high tariffs on imported salt, the ability to produce it locally would have provided a significant economic advantage. The Rochefoucauld family's operations at Smith's Cove may have positioned them favorably in this competitive market.

However, the resourcefulness of the Rochefoucauld family likely extended beyond salt harvesting at Smith's Cove. The Money Pit, often romanticized as a treasure site, may have served a distinct but complementary purpose: acting as an intricate system designed to separate seawater and produce freshwater.

Water enters the Money Pit through a cave that connects directly to the ocean, flowing down a steep tunnel to the bottom. This shaft, often described by treasure hunters as booby-trapped flood tunnels, is thought to have been engineered to deter those seeking treasure. As the seawater descends, it moves upward through a series of layered materials, including coconut fibers, sand, logs, and carbon, each contributing to the filtration process. The presence of a blocking tackle suggests that the structure resembles a well, further indicating its potential function as a freshwater source.

In this way, the innovative design of the Money Pit facilitated both the separation of salt and the production of freshwater. This remarkable system would have enabled the Rochefoucauld family to harvest salt while securing a vital resource for their everyday needs, creating mysteries for future treasure hunters who do not understand its true function.

In conclusion, the narrative surrounding Oak Island can be enriched by considering the synergistic relationship between Smith's Cove and the Money Pit. Together, these features reflect the Rochefoucauld family’s resourceful approach to utilizing the island's natural resources for salt production and freshwater extraction. In this light, the story of Oak Island becomes a testament to human ingenuity and the complex interplay between people and their environment, revealing that the island's allure extends far beyond the pursuit of lost treasures.

 

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[dowser]

The story says they dug down 90 ft, hit some flood tunnels connected to the ocean, and it flooded to 30', basically, to sea level. The island is 36 ft above sea level, and were they dig, its glacial till.
I live above glacial till, and it's not possible to dig below the water table here. How did they originally get past water level 36 ft. to 90 ft.? It's sand and rocks and some clay, not all clay, nor any bedrock!
I haven't watched it in years, never got upset they didn't find it, never will! But that was fishy to me..

 

[dowser]

The story says they dug down 90 ft, hit some flood tunnels connected to the ocean, and it flooded to 30', basically, to sea level. The island is 36 ft above sea level, and were they dig, its glacial till.
I live above glacial till, and it's not possible to dig below the water table here. How did they originally get past water level 36 ft. to 90 ft.? It's sand and rocks and some clay, not all clay, nor any bedrock!
I haven't watched it in years, never got upset they didn't find it, never will! But that was fishy to me..

Nobody in their right mind would bury the Ark of the Covenant, below sea level, in sand!

 

[SSR]

Unraveling the Mystery of Oak Island: The Salt Marshes of Smith's Cove and the Money Pit

At the heart of Oak Island's enduring mystery lies a fascinating interplay between its natural resources and the innovative practices of its early inhabitants. Central to this narrative is Smith's Cove, a crucial area characterized by its salt marshes. These marshes were not only abundant in salt but also played a vital role in the potential salt production operations that may have taken place on the island.

The flat expanse of Smith's Cove, resembling a classic salt marsh, would have been an ideal location for evaporating seawater to harvest salt. The tides push water into this cove, creating an environment where salt could easily crystallize and be collected. The Rochefoucauld family, who began salt production in Nova Scotia around the late 18th century, likely recognized the value of this natural resource. By establishing saltworks in Smith's Cove, they could capitalize on the high demand for salt, particularly in the booming fishing industry of the time.

Salt was essential for preserving fish, particularly cod, which was a staple in the diets of many communities and a significant commodity for trade. With British fishermen facing high tariffs on imported salt, the ability to produce it locally would have provided a significant economic advantage. The Rochefoucauld family's operations at Smith's Cove may have positioned them favorably in this competitive market.

However, the resourcefulness of the Rochefoucauld family likely extended beyond salt harvesting at Smith's Cove. The Money Pit, often romanticized as a treasure site, may have served a distinct but complementary purpose: acting as an intricate system designed to separate seawater and produce freshwater.

Water enters the Money Pit through a cave that connects directly to the ocean, flowing down a steep tunnel to the bottom. This shaft, often described by treasure hunters as booby-trapped flood tunnels, is thought to have been engineered to deter those seeking treasure. As the seawater descends, it moves upward through a series of layered materials, including coconut fibers, sand, logs, and carbon, each contributing to the filtration process. The presence of a blocking tackle suggests that the structure resembles a well, further indicating its potential function as a freshwater source.

In this way, the innovative design of the Money Pit facilitated both the separation of salt and the production of freshwater. This remarkable system would have enabled the Rochefoucauld family to harvest salt while securing a vital resource for their everyday needs, creating mysteries for future treasure hunters who do not understand its true function.

In conclusion, the narrative surrounding Oak Island can be enriched by considering the synergistic relationship between Smith's Cove and the Money Pit. Together, these features reflect the Rochefoucauld family’s resourceful approach to utilizing the island's natural resources for salt production and freshwater extraction. In this light, the story of Oak Island becomes a testament to human ingenuity and the complex interplay between people and their environment, revealing that the island's allure extends far beyond the pursuit of lost treasures.

Prior to the planning and the surveying of OI in 1762, Smith's cove was the base of operations for Gifford and Smith's (NY merchants with a 3 island grant in Mahone bay) small fishing and salting operations. They were already done by 1758, the height of the terror period when the local native population were raiding/slaughtering the colonists. The timbers dated in the box structure of Smith's cove are from the early 1760s. It had simply become too dangerous to do anything anymore outside of Lunenburg by 1758. Britain solved this once and for all in 1760 with the Treaty of Peace it forced upon the natives. After this date the remaining local native population were driven onto reserves and starved to death. Casper Wollenhaupt who owned lot 18 prior to selling it to John Smith had a government contract to supply potatoes/foodstuffs to the said native population in 1795.

When Morris charted Mahone bay near OI in 1751 he noted nothing there but a few Acadians who lived at Mirligueche (the village that had been there since the mid 1600s). The goal of the British authorities would soon become to evict the French and to grant the seized land to British colonials. In the area of OI that importation occurred with German loyalists in 1752 and with New England Planter settlers in 1763.

For the previous 120 years the area had been occupied by the French colonials (after Razilliy's landing) in 1632. The abandoned French fort a Saint-Marie-de-Grace (mouth of the La Have river) was noted by Morris during his charting. The British Navy had no detailed charts of Mahone Bay prior to Morris' survey of 1751. This followed the establishment of Halifax in 1749.

Casper Wollenhaupt owned the business end of OI (Smith's cove) in the early colonial period. He was a textile merchant. The only time there was a significant salting operation there was between 1753 and 1758. The cove is a mud flat as opposed to a salt marsh. A salt marsh is found on the intertidal zone above mudflats. Problem is that's rocky/hilly terrain on OI. The "swamp" is party salt marsh.