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The Owl's Eye and,
The Thrill of the Curse!
A Rocky Mountain adventure chasing the Forrest Fenn treasure up the Wood River near Kirwin, Wyoming.
by Michael Showalter jfblaze@tutanota.com
The first time I read the Forrest Fenn treasure poem, my impression was that the poem was about using one's imagination to follow an unknown watershed, from its source in the Rocky Mountains, down a canyon, and to a specific spot along a watershed; your creek. In 2016 the poem took me to Kirwin, WY, and from there I went boots on the ground up the Wood River, and into the draw of Dollar Creek. In 2017 I saw the white man-made markings hidden within the void of the owl rock above Dollar Creek. I saw the markings from an adjacent rock outcrop, but I never returned to take a look in there. I call my experience with this treasure hunt "The Thrill of the Curse." No regrets, thanks Forrest Fenn.
The Forrest Fenn Treasure
Forrest Fenn's million dollar treasure was hidden in the Rocky Mountains, but found ten years later. Forrest Fenn said it was found in Wyoming, but the exact location was never revealed, and then Forrest Fenn died.
Forrest Fenn's Treasure Poem
Forrest Fenn wrote a poem of clues that he said pointed the way to his special place in the Rocky Mountains. If followed correctly the clues would lead someone to the exact spot where his chest full of gold treasures was hidden. Forrest Fenn said, "I would advise new searchers to look for the clues in my poem and try to marry them to a place on a map." So I added the poem to Google Earth as a tool to help find the secret place. I added topo, watersheds, and more, and the final map is huge. A basic version is available for download.
My Interpretation of the Treasure Poem
The clues leading to your destination (your creek,) are dynamic in my interpretation of the poem. Each line of the poem seems important, and open to multiple meanings. I made it a rule to believe whatever Forrest Fenn said.
"Begin it where warm waters halt"
There are many places in the Rockies where watersheds start. Where warm waters halt is the place where cold waters start; the headwaters of a watershed; cold glaciers and snowfields. Forrest Fenn said this is the first clue. Use your imagination and begin the chase here.
"And take it in the canyon down,"
Another dynamic clue, "it" is also a watershed, and it flows down a canyon.
Use your imagination to follow it down to your destination. Actually starting on or near a mountain summit would be too far to walk. Forrest Fenn said he made two trips in one afternoon to hide his treasure.
"Put in below the home of Brown"
Another dynamic clue, like a pilot, go to a spot right below the elevation of 10,200 feet along the watershed. Famous during Forrest Fenn's time, Molly Brown once lived in Leadville Colorado, at an elevation of 10,200 feet. Forrest once corrected himself after saying below 10,000 by accident. To me this slip implied that the 10,200 foot altitude was an important clue.
"The end is ever drawing nigh;"
No more dynamic clues, but a description of the correct spot below 10,200 feet. The omega (the end) is nearby about 200 feet up the draw of Dollar Creek to the left of the spot. The creek forms an omega as it flows around one side of an island. Forrest Fenn said, "Many are giving serious thought to the clues in my poem, but only a few are in tight focus with a word that is key. The treasure may be discovered sooner than I anticipated." It is not the end of the chase, but I believe "omega" was the key word that Forrest Fenn hinted about. ΩΩ
"The end is ever drawing nigh;"
More on this clue. The draw of Dollar Creek is a geological feature, and the creek forms a perfect draw down the face of the mountain. Also, the creek flows all year round. It is a very beautiful and wild place.
"There'll be no paddle up your creek,"
The poem says you will have a creek. Dollar Creek is your creek, and no paddle is needed to follow this creek.
"If you've been wise and found the blaze."
Based on an old expression "Wise as an owl." There is an outcrop that looks a bit like a great horned owl above your creek. There is a void within this owl rock that one can sit and look out through the owl's eye. To be wise is to be inside the hidden void of the owl rock, while looking out of the window of the owl rock. There are white man-made markings of the letters F and J on the rock face below the window. Graffiti by Forrest and June Fenn? From this position looking quickly down is to look straight down, the fastest way down; below the Owl's Eye. The void of the owl rock is right on the elevation line at 10,200 feet, and it appears that the treasure could have been placed about 10,199 feet; what I would expect Forrest Fenn would do.
"If you are brave and in the wood"
An old cowboy expression "in the wood" also means in the saddle. The path on the saddle is visibly worn when seen with Google Earth, but was not that obvious when I was there. Forrest Fenn said "Nobody is going to accidentally stumble on that treasure chest."
Seen from the ridge, the path across the saddle and out to the owl rock looks rugged. An old Mysterious Writings post removed years ago Forrest Fenn said "so with my final breaths I would crawl to and collapse on the chest." This is no place for the meek. One would have to be brave to intentionally navigate across the saddle, and go boldy into the void of the owl rock.
"If you are brave and in the wood"
More on this clue. One should expect the poem to somehow name a geographic location to get one close to the correct location. Dollar Creek is a tributary to the Wood River of Wyoming, and getting there requires multiple water crossings in the Wood River.
The Owl Rock
In 2016 I hiked up Dollar Creek to explore the spot that the poem took me. I returned two more times before seeing the blaze within the owl rock in 2017. I did not get the treasure, but that is another story. Thanks again to Forrest Fenn for sending me on an amazing adventure.
The Draw of Dollar Creek
What makes this place special? The area of Dollar Creek and Dollar Mountain is unique, and very beautiful. According to the thesis "High Altitude Occupation and Raw Material Procurement" by William Reitze, Dollar Mountain is a source of chert used to make bifaces (arrowheads,) and those found there date 8 to 12 thousand years old. The article mentions an old camp on the ridge leading to the saddle, and it is dated around 1943; a favorite time during Forrest's life. The glass jar dated 1943 was still there, I got to hold it, and left as I found it. Forrest's father would take the family to remote places in the Rockies such as this, to search for artifacts. Could Forrest have found an ancient cache hidden in the spirit rock above Dollar Creek?
RIP Forrest Fenn 1930 - 2020
A blessing from God, now flying with Angels
The Thrill of the Curse
What? I heard voices, chased illusions, suffered injuries, and more. The chase ended, no closure, no answers, just crazy stories...
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