Oak Island - Mystery of the Money Pit

[bakerhillpins]

So by trade I am an engineer which makes me a bit of an inquisitive individual. Nothing like a good problem to solve or a cool story to occupy the imagination. I always have a set of problems running around in the back of my mind which in most cases is energizing except for the nights they keep me up.    So Back in the day when I was a young lad I used to watch a program called In Search Of, hosted by Leonard Nimoy, as it presented stories about the unexplained. Wild and exaggerated stories to occupy a young mind.  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of..._%28TV_series%29

Anyhow, One story they presented grabbed my imagination and has stuck with me ever since. It's the story of "The Money Pit" on Oak Island (Nova Scotia).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ7PmnxCqdc

Everything a good story needs, Treasure, Pirates, Mystery, Death, Curses, 200 yrs of failed attempts to recover the treasure. Anyhow, over the years I have killed hours just drudging through google searches and sites of info on the Story. Always fascinated by it's story and it's apparent complexity. Which would lead one to believe that their must be something BIG there. Why not eh?  

While stumbling through TV the other week I noticed that there is a 5 part series on the Mystery of Oak Island playing on the History Channel. So far I have seen the first 3 episodes and it is still as intriguing as it always was. Wish I was independently wealthy and could spend some time treasure hunting.  
http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island

The basic jist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island

Funny that this site which I used to visit quite frequently just to refresh myself is now posting bandwidth exceeded errors, most likely due to the TV series. On a side note I was wondering why some of their info seems to have recently been removed. Probably also due to the show.
http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/

If you are still with me at this point, give the show/story a shot and see if it sparks your imagination like it does mine.  

[Mytur Binsdirti]

So by trade I am an engineer

Cool. What kind of train do you drive; passenger or freight?

[bakerhillpins]

Keyboard.      (Electrical, specializing in embedded software systems)

[polywideblock]

always fascinated me when I was a kid   , that was way before cable or the internet . even back then they were having trouble telling what was actual "pit "and what was treasure hunters tunnelling they dug so many side pits that they "lost " the original  

[mrsskip68]

So by trade I am an engineer

Cool. What kind of train do you drive; passenger or freight?

Keyboard.      (Electrical, specializing in embedded software systems)

Lol, that was cute!  But on topic, Skip and our son have been watching it. They seem quite intrigued! But then again, they both love to hunt anything worth $$$$!!!   I would like to see the first episode to get a feeler. Lisa

[stripedelete]

I always wondered why they didn't open mine it - like a strip mine or a quarry.  

[dyslexic teddybear]

I always wondered why they didn't open mine it - like a strip mine or a quarry.  

My thought too.

Read about it years ago, watched a little......just can't seem to get into it. But I find it hard to watch any TV. The fake drama that's on so much just turns me off. Maybe I'll try to again.

[polywideblock]

one word water

[stripedelete]

you have that anyway

[ws23rt]

I too like these stories. It is fun and makes for adventure thinking.

The reality is that many have passed this way before and the reason we are hearing about it is it has been a bust.

I would like to see someone invest whatever they may to find the pot of gold and would cheer if they found something.  I prefer mutual funds.

[JB400]

It's kinda neat that there are still unexplained and unsolved mysteries in this day and age.  Goes to show how little we actually know.  This money pit could actually be the ancients version of a joke.

[bakerhillpins]

It's kinda neat that there are still unexplained and unsolved mysteries in this day and age.  Goes to show how little we actually know.  This money pit could actually be the ancients version of a joke.

That is one theory that is floating around.

[Back N Black]

Oak Island is about 3 hours drive from me, very interesting. Maybe i will visit in the summer.

[draftingmonkey]

They mentioned in the last episode, I believe, that the January 1965 Readers Digest article is what originally got them interested. I remember reading the article myself and being intrigued. Link to the Readers Digest article:  http://www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk/archive/readersdigest/readersdigest.pdf
Fascinating story and have been watching the show from the first episode. Been quite interesting. BTW I too remember watching "In Search Of". Was a fun show to watch.

[Indygenerallee]

Could be it was just a bunch of drunk pirates, "Arrrr, wish me could be around to see the looks on their faces when they find all our empty rum barrels!" put a rock over it with 1704 on it!! Arrrr!!

[bakerhillpins]

Oak Island is about 3 hours drive from me, very interesting. Maybe i will visit in the summer.

It's like 8hrs from me, 12 if I don't take a ferry.  Been trying to come up with a way to get over there on my motorcycle for years. Just not high enough on the priority list at the moment.

Sounds like your in my "neighborhood" and Ill have to try to catch up with you for a drink if I ever make it up that way. 

Could be it was just a bunch of drunk pirates, "Arrrr, wish me could be around to see the looks on their faces when they find all our empty rum barrels!" put a rock over it with 1704 on it!! Arrrr!!

  yes it could.

[RallyeMike]

Usually if it's to fantastical to be true, it actually is. My belief is that this is all tall tales and natural phenomenon.

If someone were actually serious about it they would employ ground penetrating radar or geological exploration means to really investigate. Construction equipment used to build bridge piers and other structures can excavate down a hundred feet in a few days installing telescoping steel "cans" with pump systems to look anywhere, and as deep as anyone would like.  

In 200 years and they have found basically nothing. If anyone seriously thought there was something to find they could pull the trigger to really look with modern equipment and effort. But that would ruin the mystique.

[Mike DC]

Yeah, I agree.  It makes an interesting story but I would bet money there was never anything really buried there in the first place. 

Who voluntarily buries something 100+ feet down just to hide it?  Maybe if there was an existing mineshaft or it was nuclear waste or something.  But I don't see anyone (especially not in the 1700s) pushing down that kind of distance just to keep anyone else from stumbling upon it. 

[Lord Warlock]

I don't know, there has been some sneaky church leaders in the past building extensive structures.  I have trouble believing that this was Pirate oriented since very few pirates would take the time to design such an elaborate stash box and then never go back and get their booty later.  I've been watching the series on TV, but have little hope that they'll actually discover anything, too much reality tv lately has a huge buildup, lots of drama, plenty of investigation, then alot of repeating what they just showed you, and then end up at the end of the series with nothing discovered,  or that they run out of money or time and have to come back at a later date to finish the story.  Kind of like hunting for bigfoot, they have 3 or 4 bigfoot shows on tv now and they still have not found any proof of anything. 

I blame Geraldo Rivera for starting this trend of a huge buildup and a huge let down with his secret Capone Vault series a decade or more ago.  Ruined future tv for those of us looking to resolve mysteries.  It'd be great if they actually find something,  but you know damn sure if they get to the bottom and find the holy grail or the Ark of the Covenant that they'd never tell the world what they found, the government would move in and take it just to keep the Vatican from taking it. 

[charger Downunder]

I remember watching that show.

[69rtse4spd]

I remember watching that show.

Same here.

[ACUDANUT]

Who really cares.