The Oak Island Money Pit

Since 1795, treasure hunters have been digging on Oak Island, Nova Scotia, seeking a legendary treasure allegedly buried in an elaborate underground vault. The search has killed seven people, bankrupted numerous expeditions, and found no definitive treasure.

The Discovery

In 1795, three boys discovered a circular depression and began digging. Every ten feet, they found a platform of oak logs. At thirty feet, they gave up. The discovery sparked centuries of speculation.

The Pit

Subsequent expeditions discovered more platforms, layers of charcoal, putty, and coconut fiber. At approximately 90 feet, water flooded the shaft. Attempts to pump it out failed; it appeared connected to the ocean via flood tunnels.

The Theories

Proposed treasures include Captain Kidd’s pirate loot, the lost jewels of Marie Antoinette, Shakespeare’s manuscripts, the Ark of the Covenant, and Templar treasure. Each theory has its advocates and its problems.

The Deaths

Seven people have died in the search, fulfilling a local prophecy that the treasure will not be found until seven have died and all the oak trees on the island are gone. The last oaks died in the 1990s.

Assessment

Oak Island has consumed countless fortunes and claimed lives. Whether an elaborate hoax, a natural geological formation, or a genuine engineered vault, the Money Pit remains one of history’s greatest unsolved mysteries.