DAN’S PAPERS
danshamptons.com
April 5, 2013 Page 29
Hunt Hampton: The Thrill of the Chase
DEN
There’s absolutely no reason Fenn’s concept (and my dream) needs to be relegated to New Mexico. It can surely catch on in the Hamptons. My idea never caught on here. I’m not really sure why, especially given the history of Captain Kidd’s treasure on Gardiners Island. But Fenn has taken his version of my dream and brought it to life with a $2 million treasure hunt of his own. Three years ago, the 82-year-old multi-
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Hamptons billionaires— even millionaires, actually—could learn a thing or two from New Mexico antiquities dealer and adventurer Forrest Fenn. Years ago I wrote about how it was a dream of mine that über wealthy people in the Hamptons would randomly set up fantasy “missions” in which they would “accidentally” drop a suitcase filled with clues to buried treasure. Regular folks would find the suitcases, decipher the clues and unleash their inner Indiana Joneses.
DAVID LION’S
millionaire starting piling many thrill-seekers to take his a trove of loot he’d plan seriously. collected—including gold Fenn is the owner of the Old jewelry, ancient gold coins, PreSanta Fe Trading Company, an Columbian animal figures and emporium where he showcases precious stones—into a classicartifacts ranging from Sitting looking treasure chest. When Bull’s peace pipe to Sioux war it reached about 40 pounds, he shields. Not all the items he closed the lid, locked it and shows are for sale, but all are there, as he says, because “they then went up into the mountains north of Santa Fe and hid it. He represent 60 years of loving and planned that the only people The race is not on...yet... collecting the West.” who would ever have any chance After retiring from the Air Force of finding it would be those who picked up a in 1970, he and his wife, Peggy, built a gallery in copy of his self-published memoir, The Thrill of Santa Fe, where they focused on works by great Taos painters and masters of the American West the Chase. The story goes that Fenn put nine hints such as Frederic Remington, Charlie Russell within a poem in The Thrill of the Chase that, if and Thomas Moran. He has since retired from interpreted correctly, will lead to the treasure. the art business, but as his $2 million treasure hunt proves; he clearly remains driven by a The final stanza reads: passion for rare and interesting artifacts and So hear me all and listen good/ Your effort sharing his love of antiquities and adventure will be worth the cold/ If you are brave and in with kindred spirits. the wood/ I give you title to the gold. Plenty of those spirits are out there. I’ve even considered booking a flight to Santa Fe for a Of course there have been rumblings that long weekend. But there’s absolutely no reason this is all one big marketing/PR stunt. And Fenn’s concept (and my dream) needs to be while there is no way to determine for certain relegated to New Mexico. This kind of thing can that Forrest did in fact bury $2 million worth surely catch on here in the Hamptons. All we of treasure in the mountains just because he need is for a few of our wealthy neighbors to gets a kick out of the idea, his reputation as an embrace the idea of how much more exciting eccentric millionaire—in addition to eyewitness life could be here on the East End with genuine accounts of those who claim to have seen the treasures in our midst, just waiting to be treasure before he buried it—is enough for dug up. Bigstock.com
By David lion Rattiner