After Decade Long Search, Treasure Chest Worth $1 Million Found

Multi-millionaire art dealer and author Forrest Fenn inspired a decade long search for a treasure chest that he hid somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. And now that search is over. According to USA Today, Fenn hid the chest, which contained jewelry, gold, and other valuables, and gave out clues throughout the years to where it was located.

The search galvanized hundreds of thousands of people to head to the beautiful mountain range in search of the fortune, and it even prompted the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office in Bozeman, Montana to post on their Facebook page that people who were looking for it were getting hurt. (see below). And a Colorado pastor even died looking for the infamous loot.

The 89-year-old Fenn announced the exciting news on his website Sunday but has declined to say who actually found the chest. Evidently a photograph confirmed the find, and Fenn claimed the man was from "back East" and did not want to be identified. And who could blame him? The search has been the subject of wild speculation over the years, and Fenn provided clues in his writings and even made reference to it in his 2010 autobiography called "The Thrill of the Chase".  The treasure was said to be located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

He said the fortune was found exactly where he left it 10 years ago, and he congratulated  "the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries." Check out the video from the TODAY show on the story below.