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Oak Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oak Island
Black-and-white aerial photograph of a partly wooded island with a small wharf on its shore
Island and Wharf, 1931
Map showing the location of Oak Island on the south shore of Nova Scotia
Geography
LocationNova Scotia, Canada
Coordinates44°30′49″N 64°17′38″W / 44.5135°N 64.2939°W / 44.5135; -64.2939
Total islands1
Administration
Canada
ProvinceNova Scotia
Demographics
PopulationSeasonal[a]

Oak Island is a privately owned island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The tree-covered island is one of several islands in Mahone Bay, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The nearest community is the rural community of Western Shore which faces the island, while the nearest village is Chester.

The island is best known for theories about buried treasure and historical artifacts, and for the many attempts to find them. Treasure hunters have searched the island since the late 18th century, and accounts of its "Money Pit" have been published since 1857. Repeated excavations and investigations have not resolved the mystery, which has become part of North American folklore.

Geography

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Climate

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The majority of Nova Scotia is a humid continental climate with hot and humid summers, and cold or frigid winters. While there is no weather station on the island or along Mahone Bay, there is one towards the west in the town of Bridgewater. The average annual temperature at Bridgewater is 7.1 °C (44.8 °F), with annual precipitation of 1,535.7 millimetres (60.46 in).[3] The island and surrounding coasts can be hidden in fog for as many as 90 days a year.[4] These coasts are also vulnerable to powerful storms which include nor'easters and hurricanes.

Ecology

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Oak Island is made up of a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, known regionally as the New England/Acadian forests. Wildlife in the Mahone Bay area includes great blue herons, black guillemots, osprey, Leach's storm petrels, and razorbills, as well as eagles and puffins.[5] The roseate tern is an endangered species in Canada, and a recovery project running from 2003 to 2013 sought to re-establish a secure nesting colony for the birds on an island in Mahone Bay.[6]

Geology

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The geology of Oak Island was first mapped in 1924 by J. W. Goldthwait of the Geological Survey of Canada, who interpreted the island as a composite of four drumlins.[7] These drumlins are "elongated hills" which consist of multiple layers of till resting on bedrock and are from different phases of glacial advance that span the past 75,000 years.[8] The layers on top of the bedrock are mainly made up of "Lawrencetown" and slate till. The former of these two is considered a type of clay till which is made up of 50% sand, 30% silt, and 20% clay.[8] In the main area that has been searched for treasure along with the till lie bits of anhydrite which become more competent deeper down. Researchers Les MacPhie, and John Wonnacott concluded that the deep deposits at the east end of the Island make up the drumlin formations.[8]

There are two types of bedrock that lie under Oak Island; the southeastern portion consists of "Mississippian Windsor Group limestone" and gypsum, and the northwestern part is Cambro-Ordovician Halifax Formation slate.[7] Oak Island and the area that is now Mahone Bay was once a lagoon 8,000 years BP, before the sea level rose with the melting glaciers.[8] Dr. Ian Spooner of Acadia University has stated that the current triangular swamp on Oak Island was once a cove. Analysis done of core samples taken from the swamp show that a "significant saltwater intrusion" occurred as recently as the late 1300s or early 1400s. While Spooner said that this was likely from "human manipulation", he did not rule out the possibility of an enormous storm.[9]

Human history

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The first known indigenous people in Nova Scotia are the Mi'kmaq, who have lived in present-day Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for several thousand years.[10] The area that encompasses Oak Island was once known as the "Segepenegatig" region. While it is unknown when Europeans first encountered Oak Island, the earliest confirmed European residents date back to the 1750s when French fishermen built a few houses on the future site of the nearby village of Chester.[11] Following the Expulsion of the Acadians during the Seven Years' War, the British authorities encouraged British colonists from New England to settle in Nova Scotia.[11] Land was made available to settlers in 1759 through the Shorham grant, and Chester was officially founded that same year.[11]

The first major group of settlers arrived in the Chester area from Massachusetts in 1761, and Oak Island was officially surveyed and divided into 32 four-acre lots in the following year. A large part of the island was owned at the time by the Monro, Lynch, Seacombe, and Young families who had been granted the land in 1759. In the early days of British settlement, the island was known locally as "Smith's Island", after an early settler of the area named Edward Smith. Cartographer Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres renamed the island "Gloucester Isle" in 1778. Shortly thereafter, the locally used name "Oak Island" was officially adopted for the Island. Early residents included Edward Smith in the 1760s and Anthony Vaughn Sr. in the early 1770s. In 1784, the government made additional land grants, this time to former soldiers, which included parts of Oak Island.[11] It was not until July 6, 1818, that the original lot owners' names were mapped for the Nova Scotia Crown Lands office.[12] Oak Island has been intermittently owned by treasure hunters ever since old legends were first published in 1857.[13] The treasure hunt became so extensive that in 1965 a causeway was built from the western end of the island to Crandall's Point on the mainland, two hundred metres away in order to bring heavy machinery onto the island.[14]

The most recent owners include a treasure hunter named Dan Blankenship, who initially partnered with "Oak Island Tours Inc.," run by David Tobias. Oak Island Tours eventually dissolved, and in February 2019 it was announced that a new partnership had been formed with a company called the "Michigan Group".[15] This group consisted of brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, and Alan Kostrzewa who had been purchasing lots from Tobias.[16][15][17] Blankenship owned the island with the Michigan Group until his death on March 17, 2019, at the age of 95.[18]

Oak Island is populated on a seasonal basis with two permanent homes and two cottages being occupied part-time.[15][19] While the island remains private property, public access is granted to those who schedule tours ahead of time.[20]

Oak Island mystery

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Oak Island has been a subject for treasure hunters ever since the late 1700s, with rumours that Captain Kidd's treasure was buried there. While there is little evidence to support what went on during the early excavations, stories began to be published and documented as early as 1857. Since that time there have been many theories that extend beyond that of Captain Kidd which include stories of religious artifacts, manuscripts, and Marie Antoinette's jewels. The "treasure" has also been prone to criticism by those who have dismissed search areas as natural phenomena.[21]

Areas of interest on the island include a location on its east side known as the "Money Pit", the site of the original excavation. According to the often-retold story, a local youth named Daniel McInnis noticed a depression in the ground there in 1795 and began to dig with two friends; they reported finding a layer of flagstones and, about 10 feet (3.0 m) down, a tier of oak logs. The Onslow Company, which took up the search in the following decade, was said to have found oak platforms at intervals of about 10 feet (3.0 m) to a depth of about 90 feet (27 m), where the work was halted by flooding.[21]

There is also a formation of boulders known as "Nolan's Cross", named after Fred Nolan, the surveyor and treasure hunter who identified it,[22][page needed] and a triangle-shaped swamp. There has also been activity at a beach known as "Smith's Cove", where objects including non-native coconut fibre have been found.[23] More recent archaeological discoveries in the Smith's Cove area have included an allegedly pre-15th-century lead cross and various wooden earthworks.[24][25]

More than fifty books have been published recounting the island's history and exploring competing theories.[26] Several works of fiction have also been based upon the Money Pit, including The Money Pit Mystery, Riptide, The Hand of Robin Squires, and Betrayed: The Legend of Oak Island. In January 2014, the History Channel began airing a reality TV show called The Curse of Oak Island about a group of modern treasure hunters. These hunters include brothers Rick and Marty Lagina of the "Michigan Group".[27][28] The series has documented finds such as centuries-old coins, an antique brooch, and a lead cross that was allegedly made between 1200 and 1600 A.D.[29]

Notes

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  1. ↑ There were at least two recorded people living on the island until Dan Blankenship's death in March 2019.[1][2]

References

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  1. ↑ "David Blankenship". History Channel. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Dan Blankenship". www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data: Bridgewater". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe, Lee Lamb (March 4, 2014). The Unsolved Oak Island Mystery 3-Book Bundle. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-4597-2901-8. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ "The Islands Today: Overview". Mahone Islands Conservation Association. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Roseate Tern Recovery Project". Coastal Action. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Fader, Gordon B. J.; Courtney, Robert C. "Bathymetry Analysis of the Oak Island area". www.criticalenquiry.org. Archived from the original on October 10, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 MacPhie, Les; Wonnacott, John (August 12, 2006). "Review of Explorations, Archaeological Findings and Original Workings at Smith's Cove Oak Island, Nova Scotia" (PDF). www.oakislandtours.ca. pp. 7, 10, 12, 13, 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ Randall Sullivan (2018). "2020 Postscript: The Search Continues". The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-8905-9.
  10. ↑ Jeddore, John Nick (August 25, 2011). "There were no Indians here ..." TheIndependent.ca. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 DesBrisay, Mather Byles (1895). History of the County of Lunenburg. Toronto: W. Briggs. p. 619. LCCN 01022095. OCLC 04067460.
  12. ↑ DesBrisay, Mather Byles (1895). History of the County of Lunenburg (2 ed.). Toronto: William Briggs. p. 300.
  13. ↑ Forks, J.P. (August 20, 1857). "Correspondence". Liverpool Transcript. Liverpool, Nova Scotia: S. J. M. Allen. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  14. ↑ Marcy Marzuni (writer) (November 7, 2005). Decoding the Past: The Templar Code (Television documentary). The History Channel.
  15. 1 2 3 Angie Zinck (February 3, 2019). "Dan Blankenship confirms new treasure hunting partners". Oak Island Society. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Marty Lagina - Alex Lagina - Oak Island - Curse of Oak Island - Winery Traverse City". www.marivineyards.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  17. ↑ Evan Perry (January 31, 2014). "Q&A with Oak Island's Marty Lagina & Craig Tester". My North. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  18. ↑ Aly Thomson (March 26, 2019). "Famed N.S. treasure hunter brought about new era in Oak Island mystery". CBC. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Explore Oak Island Display". Chester Municipal Heritage Society. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016.
  20. ↑ "contact". OAK ISLAND - NOVA SCOTIA. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  21. 1 2 Nickell, Joe (March 2000). "The Secrets of Oak Island". Skeptical Inquirer. 24 (2). Archived from the original on November 3, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  22. ↑ Randall Sullivan (2018). The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-8905-9.
  23. ↑ Whipps, Heather (November 7, 2005). "For Sale: Island with Mysterious Money Pit". Live Science. Purch. Retrieved December 5, 2005.
  24. ↑ "The Curse of Oak Island breakthrough: Lead cross is pre-15th century and could have Knights Templar connection". Monsters and Critics. December 19, 2018. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  25. ↑ "The Curse of Oak Island recap: Team discover a second mysterious structure at Smith's Cove". Monsters and Critics. January 23, 2019. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  26. ↑ Conlin, Dan (October 16, 2009). Pirates of the Atlantic: Robbery, Murder and Mayhem off the Canadian East Coast. Halifax: Formac Publishing Company Limited. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-8878-0741-1.
  27. ↑ Kenyon, J Douglas (February 1, 2016). Missing Connections: Challenging the Consensus. Atlantis Rising. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-9906-9042-9.
  28. ↑ Blouin, Lou (June 27, 2016). "Rick and Marty Lagina: The Last Treasure Hunters". MyNorth. Prism Publications. Archived from the original on July 19, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  29. ↑ Amber Garrett (April 8, 2019). "Do They Ever Find Anything on Oak Island? Plus, How to Visit". distractify.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
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