Many of us dream of finding hidden treasure. Well, the search for treasure on Oak Island off the coast of Nova Scotia has been going on since 1795.
BEING OBSERVANT PAYS
Although there are variations on how the pit was discovered, the basic story is as follows. One night in 1795, 16-year-old Daniel McGinnis saw lights coming from Oak Island, which is mostly covered in dense forest. His curiosity was sparked. He thought he’d explore and find out what activity might have been going on in such an unpopulated place. During his exploration, McGinnis found a circular depression in the ground that was 13 feet in diameter. On a tree branch overhanging the depression, McGinnis noticed that it had been cut in such a way to hold a pulley and tackle—as if something could be hoisted out of the ground or lowered into the ground.
McGinnis had heard tales of pirates in this area, so he decided to bring two of his friends back to the site to dig a little deeper and maybe uncover a pirate’s chest of jewels and money. So McGinnis, along with his pals Anthony Vaughan and John Smith, returned to site and started to dig. Just two feet down, they were surprised when they hit a layer of flagstones, which are used for building. After removing about eight feet of these stones, the teenagers hit a new layer—oak logs that spanned the pit.
The trio were now very excited—it seemed certain to them that something must be hidden below. They dug beyond the logs, through dirt and then at about 20 feet, they hit another layer of logs. Down they went, and at 30 feet, they hit yet another layer of logs.
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT
The boys couldn’t go any further without help, so they vowed to come back. They kept their discovery a secret for eight years. Now in their twenties, they formed the Onslow Company to continue the dig. They discovered a layer of oak logs that every ten feet down. But they also found other layers as they descended deep into the ground. At 40 feet, they hit charcoal. At 50, it was putty. At 60, they found coconut fibers. Then at 90 feet a dramatic discovery was uncovered. The excavators found a mysterious stone, inscribed with mysterious symbols. With the help of a professor from Halifax, the trio decoded the message, which supposedly said: “Forty feet below here two million pounds are buried.”
“The Alex P. Keaton,” a London, Ontario, pub, honors Michael J. Fox’s character on Family Ties.
MATERIAL CONCERNS
But soon as they removed the stone, water started filling the hole and kept rising all the way back to the 33 foot level. They tried pumping the water out, but back in it came. The Onslow Company then decided to dig down parallel to the original hole. This may have been a bigger mistake. Digging the new hole made matters worse. The new digging unplugged a tunnel that fed into nearby Smith Cove and the ocean water rushed in. Again, they tried pumping out the water, but the sea refilled the hole immediately. The Onslow Company abandoned their search for the treasure.
In 1849, the Truro Company returned to the project. After encountering flooding like the Onslow Company, the new team decided to drill core samples beyond the water. The drill hit oak at 98 feet, and then almost two feet of metal pieces. They thought they may have actually drilled through hidden chests that were storing the alleged treasure. Although one account says that three gold links from a chain were found, no treasure was brought up.
GETTING TO THE SOURCE
The Truro Company still needed to get down deep to see what was actually there. They made the discovery that the channel feeding water into the pit was man-made, and if they could block the channel, they would stop the water and be able to proceed down to the treasure. They started work on a dam, but a storm destroyed their work before they could finish. They made other attempts to plug the water, but they all failed. The Truro Company gave up too.
Others were to come and attempt the same but they all met similar frustrating results. In 1897, the Oak Island Treasure Company made a new discovery. At just beyond 160 feet, the team drilled and found what they guessed was a cement vault. They estimated the vault was seven feet high and seven inches thick. They drilled through the vault and into wood, metal and various other materials. When the drill was brought back up to the surface, a new clue and mystery was found. On the tip of the drill, they discovered a small piece of sheepskin parchment with two letters on it—they were either a vi, ui, or wi. They were now convinced that treasure was within grasp. They sank more shaft to retrieve the vault, but these efforts all failed. The Oak Island Treasure Company gave up.
Native legend: Kitchi-Kiwana fell holding a mountain. It shattered into the Thirty Thousand Islands.
SEEKERS COME AND GO
Other treasure-seekers came and went, but in 1936, a team did unbury a new piece to the puzzle. Gilbert Hadden and Fred Blair were cleaning out some of the shafts that were already constructed when they found a stone fragment bearing a similar inscription as the original stone. Still, no treasure was found.
More came, more dug, more gave up.
In 1959, Bob Restall and his family had a go at it. He found a rock with 1704 inscribed on it, although some think it may have been placed as a joke. His attempt ended in tragedy when in 1965 he passed out and fell into a shaft with water in the bottom. His son, Bobbie and two workers tried to save him but they were apparently overcome by some gas that must have also knocked out Bob. All four drowned.
MYSTERY ENDURES
In 1965, Daniel Blankenship took over the quest. He formed the Triton Alliance in 1970 to keep the dig going. He and his team have found some artifacts along the way, including iron-wrought scissors that were about 300 years old and probably Spanish. They also found several logs that were up to 65 feet long and had Roman numerals carved into them at four-foot intervals.
In 1976, Triton sunk a steel tube about 230 feet into the earth near the pit. They lowered a camera to a bedrock cavity at the bottom and saw some amazing images. They were shocked to see a severed hand floating in the water. Three chests and various tools were then spied and finally, a human body was seen. They attempted to send divers down to investigate, but the strong current and poor visibility stopped them. Soon the hole collapsed and has not been reopened since.
Still the riches that may be securely hidden far underground have not yet been found. Many have speculated on what the riches may be—a pirate’s loot from the likes of Captain Kidd or Black-beard, French naval treasure, Marie Antoinette’s stolen jewels, or even a lost Freemason vault. Curious to find out? Head over to Oak Island . . . bring your shovel.
The loon is related to the penguin.