A treasure hunt that captivated San Francisco for nearly a month has concluded after a lucky participant discovered a box containing $10,001 in cash. The chest was hidden in a cave in the Marin Headlands, not within city limits as many had assumed.
The hunt, titled 'Buried Treasure, San Francisco,' began on April 29. Organisers, who remain anonymous, had stated the box weighed over 150 pounds and was buried within 7 miles of San Francisco's city hall. This radius extended across the Golden Gate Strait into Marin County.
According to the organisers' website, the cash was found by an 'intrepid problem-solver' who deciphered the clues. The hunt generated significant public interest but also caused widespread damage to public parks, with participants digging holes, damaging plants, and severing water lines.
The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department launched an investigation after damage was reported at Ina Coolbrith Park, Francisco Park, and Washington Square Park. Park officials pleaded with the organisers to call off the diggers, reporting destroyed plants and shattered water lines.
The organisers later posted the solution to the riddle, directing people to the Marin Headlands cave, along with a photo of a team member burying the box. They confirmed this would be their last self-funded hunt, calling it 'a questionable financial decision the first time and downright idiotic the second.'
