Origin of The Secret Treasure Hunt

• 💡 The Secret, a 1982 fantasy book by Byron Price, launched a real-world treasure hunt for 12 precious gems hidden across North America.
• 🔑 Inspired by the book "Masquerade," Price collaborated with artists to create 12 intricate paintings and 12 verses containing the clues.
• 📚 The book's lore centers on "fair people" (fairies, goblins, elves) who immigrated to the New World and hid 12 "wonder stones" (gems) representing birth month stones.

Unraveling the Clues

• 🧩 Solvers must combine specific paintings with verses to identify cities and precise locations where the treasures are buried.
• 🗺️ Once a location is pinpointed, a ceramic key in a plexiglass container is buried about three feet deep, which cannot be detected by metal detectors.
• ✅ Finding a key allows the solver to claim a gemstone from Price's family, who continue to honor the hunt after his passing.

Found Treasures: Chicago, Cleveland, Boston

• 🏆 The first key was found in Chicago's Grant Park in 1983 by 19-year-old students, using visual clues and verse lines referencing local landmarks like the Bowman statue.
• 🧠 The second key was discovered in Cleveland Cultural Gardens in 2004, with a unique challenge: a clue hidden in the painting indicated the verse needed to be read backwards.
• 🚧 The third key was found in Boston's Langone Park in 2019 by Jason Crouppet, whose discovery was controversial but later confirmed as authentic by the sculptor.

Challenges and Controversies

• ⚠️ The discovery of the Boston key sparked debate among online communities due to the finder's lack of prior involvement and the televised nature of the find.
• 🏗️ Many undiscovered keys face challenges from extensive construction or new regulations that restrict digging in parks and historic sites.
• 🚫 Some locations, like New Orleans and Houston, may be unrecoverable due to the demolition of reference buildings or the key being buried under modern infrastructure.

Remaining Mysteries and Locations

• 🌍 Nine keys are still hidden in theorized locations across North America, including San Francisco, Roanoke, New Orleans, Montreal, Charleston, St. Augustine, Houston, Milwaukee, and New York City.
• 🔍 Online communities like r/12keys and 12treasures.com actively collaborate, analyzing clues and proposing solutions for the remaining treasures.
• 🌱 The hunt continues to attract new solvers, with Price's daughter confirming that the gems are still available for those who find the keys. The author's daughter also revealed that for the New York cask, all clues in the painting are visible from the dig spot, aiding the search in that vast city.