How many times have we watched the movies and TV shows on finding treasure hunts? Movies like ‘National Treasure’, ‘Pirates Of Caribbean, ‘The Hobbit’, etc, have been loved by all. But two women won $10,000 by solving part of a nationwide treasure hunt. In real life, yes!
They won after tracking down a silver ornament made in the shape of the letter Z that’s been hidden under a bench at Eldorado Park in Las Vegas for almost 10 years.
David Steele, vice president of the treasure hunt had actually put it there on a whim while he was visiting the city to watch the World Series of Poker.
The ‘Z’- a stick-on car decoration which Steele bought from a local auto parts store — was nothing special. But it was stuck to the bottom of a bench under Eldorado Park’s gazebo.
It stayed there for almost 10 years. And whenever Steele would return to the city, he would visit the park to check whether the ornament was still there.
David Steele
What started as a whim led to a nationwide treasure hunt. The Great U.S. Treasure Hunt has four hidden items and people need to decipher the clues to find them. Those who do – they will be rewarded $10,000 each.
Clues on the location of the items are outlined in The Great U.S. Treasure Hunt ebook released by David Steele in November.
Thirty days after the book’s release, the hunt’s official Twitter account released a bonus clue to help the treasure seekers on their quest.
This was the clue needed to help Beth Hovanec, a Pittsburgh-area artist, puzzle out the answer.
She used the letters from the ‘One Hit Wonders’ listed in chapter four to spell out the message:
North Vegas, Eldorado Bench, Silver Z
Unfortunately, Hovanec lived far away. So, she asked her friend who lived a few miles away from the park, Nancy Zitko.
Using those directions, Zitko went out to the park at 7 a.m. Using the flashlight on her phone, she found the Z and peeled it off the bottom of the bench.
The duo sent a photo of the inconspicuous artifact, along with the solution they used to find it, to the hunt’s official email address.
In a conversation with news 3, Steele reports that four other teams were hot on the trail. In fact, the very same day that the Z was found, another group messaged Steele to complain that the letter wasn’t where it was supposed to be.
And keeping true to his words, Steele delivered the $10,000 prize to the winning team. According to contest rules, $9,000 will be given to Hovanec for solving the riddle, and $1,000 will be given to Zitko for finding the Z.
But you know what’s more? You can still be a part of this treasure hunt as $30,000 are still up for grabs!
And before you do, buy the book first!
Also read: Here’s Why Ancient Statues And Sculptures Have Missing Noses