In 1775, Daniel McGinnis was out walking on an island in Nova Scotia when he noticed a large hole in the ground with a tackle block hanging from a tree above it. McGinnis thought this was strange, considering Oak Island was unpopulated and not much use for anything He used the evidence at hand to deduce that without question, there was treasure to be had in that there pit.
Daniel McGinnis and a friend noticed a circular depression as if a pit had been dug and then filled in again. Believing something of value may have been buried there they dug to a depth of 9.1 metres. Initially they discovered a layer of flagstones followed by traces of pickaxes on the rocks. Some stories say they found platforms of logs approximately every 3 metres. They failed to find anything of value but the story spread and was quickly linked to the missing treasure of Captain Kidd and even the notorious Blackbeard – Edward Thatch
This is probably the most excavated site that has still failed to deliver up its treasure. Oak Island is approximately 140 acres in size and located just off the southeast coast of Nova Scotia. It is one of many small islands in the area and is now linked to the mainland via a narrow causeway. The story has been embellished and distorted over the years but here are the basic facts.
Over the following centuries the pit has been excavated many times and prospectors have even included an American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. It has not been an easy task and the pit is claimed to be ‘booby trapped” and has regularly flooded.
The most tantalising clue found so far was a code inscription on a flat stone which, when translated, apparently stated: “Forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried.” The deepest excavations reached 72 metres and over the years at least six people have died trying to find whatever is buried on Oak Island.
