The Money Pit

For 210 years, there’s been talk of buried treasure off Oak Island in north-eastern Canada. According to legend, a trio of local boys found a depression under an oak tree there. Although they failed to unearth treasure, others say they have come across links of a gold chain, tiny pieces of parchment and a stone tablet inscribed with hieroglyphics which read “12 metres below, two million pounds are buried”. In 1971, a video camera was lowered down a shaft, capturing images that resembled a severed hand and portions of a wooden trunk. At about 27 metres, the shaft floods with water, leading some to believe that elaborate tunnels have been built to keep the treasure safe. That hasn’t stopped people from looking: six have died in the process. What are they looking for? Theories include Marie Antoinette’s jewels, the secret stash of Sir Francis Drake or Captain Kidd’s treasure. The mystery lives on.