February 28, 2017 ▸ Myth & Folklore, Places

Episode 175: Oak Island: Treasure, Curse, and Mystery

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On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we dig deep to find the truth of the Mystery of Oak Island. This small island off the coast of Nova Scotia has been the single most expensive and longest-running treasure hunt in history. In 1795, Daniel McGinnis discovered a depression under an oak tree, and fueled by rumors that the notorious pirate Captain Kidd hid his treasure somewhere in the area, McGinnis and his friends started to dig. After reaching thirty feet, they gave up but returned years later with funding and equipment.

This group dug deeper and discovered strange things. Some say they found an anchor down there. Others say they found a few gold coins. What is not disputed is that they found regular layers of fibers that turned out to be coconut fibers, something entirely foreign to the cold climate of Nova Scotia. Oak Island’s famous Money Pit became an obsession for many treasure hunters, especially once they discovered so-called booby traps that would fill the tunnel digs with seawater due to man-made tunnels dug to the sea.

For the next two hundred years, over a dozen massive treasure digs have happened on Oak Island. Most met with failure due to dwindling funds; some met with death and tragedy. Everyone from John Wayne to President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Trudeau have been involved in funding these digs.

Is it just a hoax? Were the uncovered stones that were allegedly covered in mysterious runes real? What do Marie Antoinette, Sir Francis Bacon, William Shakespeare, the Freemasons, the Vikings, and the Knights Templar have to do with the strange and seemingly man-made shafts and tunnels? Listen, laugh, learn.

Here is a link to the Reader’s Digest article that started the modern-day popularity of Oak Island:

http://www.readersdigest.ca/features/heart/treasure-hunt/