How the Lagina Brothers Finally Unearthed a 220+ Year-Old Treasure and Closed the Mystery of Oak Island

Oak Island is a small island off the coast of Canada that looks fairly unassuming. However, this island is home to a treasure hunt that has been going on for more than 2 centuries! The Lagina brothers claim to have cracked the code to the mystery and treasure. Read on to see how they unlock the mystery. 

Since that moment, Marty and Rick Lagina have dedicated their lives to solving enigmas, and Oak Island has been their biggest project yet. Uncovering its hidden secrets will, they hope, lead them to a treasure that will mark the end of their journey.

The young men deduced that something must have been buried beneath the nearby tree after discovering a five-meter pit beneath it. They embarked on a decade-long search that was ultimately fruitless.

These included an axe, a fluke anchor, and a pick. These ancient tools led him to believe that someone else had tried to find the treasure many years before him. However, his funding ran out before he was able to find much more. From there, industrialists took over the hunt.

He discerned that the axe that Chappel had found was at least 250 years old and the fact that all the tools had been found buried in the same place meant the people who had used those tools knew what was hidden beneath the surface. The pit in which they were digging became known as “The Money Pit”.

The Oak Island Association was tasked with draining the Money Pit. However, their efforts were in vain, and Oak Island claimed its first life as a result.

Unfortunately, an unusually high tide was created by this intense storm and it demolished all of their hard work. The Truro Company was in way too deep because the project depleted them of their money. They had to abandon their hope since they didn’t have the means necessary to rebuild another dam.

According to one purported expert, some of the writing means “Forty feet below, two million pounds lay buried.” Understandably, many people have interpreted this as confirmation that a treasure is hidden beneath. For years before this revelation, however, the symbols went unsolved.

Whether you put any stock in these wild theories or not, they reveal just how much Oak Island has captured our collective imagination. It has, after all, been a mystery for more than a century. Only after the arrival of the Lagina brothers did we start to get any real answers.

However, their most recent endeavors to solve the Island’s secrets appear to have yielded results. This is why A&E chose to film a documentary special called The Curse of Oak Island to highlight their efforts and groundbreaking discoveries. When it comes to Oak Island, any treasure hunter worth their salt will tell you that the place is cursed.

Fortunately, their participation in a TV documentary on the island piqued the interest of other investors. The battles that occurred around the time the island was initially discovered are one of the most compelling reasons why investors were convinced to shell out money and fund the treasure hunt. 

When the Lagina brothers uncovered some fascinating antiques, they drained a massive pit to see if they could unearth more. One of their finds included what looks like a Roman sword. If authenticated, this discovery could prove that the Romans landed on American soil thousands of years ago. In turn, this might mean that the treasure of Oak Island could be far older – and far more valuable – than anyone imagined.

Halpern recounted his theory regarding the presence of 12th-century Templars on the island. He offered evidence in the form of a meticulously made replica of a 1647 French map. The terms “hatch,” “valve,” and “anchor” were printed on this chart. He also argued that the vast treasure hidden on the little Canadian island may have come from Africa.

It was a mystery, but Rick believed it was vital to the island’s enigma. “If that really is parchment,” Rick Lagina argued, “it can only mean that there’s some form of manuscript or record at tremendous depths in the Money Pit.”

Blair and Chappell were late-nineteenth-century treasure hunters from Canada who believed that a parchment they had discovered was extremely valuable because it indicated the location of the treasure.

Since Oak Island was. along way from the conflicts going on in Europe, it was the perfect remote spot to hide ones’ wealth.

In 1965, after working on the site for a few years, they dug a shaft down to a depth of 27 feet. Robert Restall was overcome by hydrogen sulfide flames while he was exploring the shaft alone. His son followed him in and also lost consciousness. Tragically, they both perished, as well as the other working hands who tried to save them.

The Triton team recovered some interesting artifacts, such as a 300-year-old pair of wrought-iron scissors. Much to their disappointment, their extensive search didn’t do much at all. But, the ultra-determined and relentless crew of hard workers refused to give up and back down. 

Their idea was to sink a Borehole 10-x steel tube into the ground. The purpose of this was to lower a camera into the pit to see what was down there. They were amazed at what was waiting to be discovered. Indeed, it was a huge reward for the Triton Alliance. 

The members of the Triton Alliance were even more excited when their eyes came across three chests that looked a lot like what people buried treasures in. It was all too overwhelming, especially with finding the human remains. 

Thus, the divers were essentially blind and unable to pinpoint the items. They gave up right as things got even worse. As if this all wasn’t enough of a nightmare. 

As passionate as they were about uncovering the fascinating items they saw in the camera images, they tried to dig up the shaft again. However, just like the many others who had attempted this endeavor before, their financial backing ran out. 

With all of the fascinating stories and unbelievable discoveries, as well as the many attempts to solve the mystery, Oak Island was becoming popular. People from everywhere were curious about the mysterious treasure and the legends that helped the island’s name become known. 

Nolan was subsequently sued for damages that largely affected Triton Alliance’s tourist business. Therefore, his company appealed in 1989 but lost for the second time. During the legal battles, Oak Island remained silent from 1990 to 2005. Then, the Lagina Brothers stepped in. 

Due to Drake’s pirate status, he would also have had good reason to hide the treasure in a place that wouldn’t be found. Over the years, Drake had been a hoarder of loot. Although some of it was taxed and went to the royal treasuries, it wouldn’t be far from the truth to think that he hid his personal stash somewhere. 

Naturally, this piqued the interest of the Lagina Brothers without hesitation. Was it possible that the pit-flooded tunnel was the same one brought up in the maritime logs? 

Marty confirms this proof. He says, “The evidence suggests that something quite odd did occur on this island prior to 1795. Something happened here prior to 1795 and apparently much earlier, at least 100 years.” So, what secrets exactly is the island covering up? Buried gold? Or, something even more meaningful than that? 

Interest in the Money Pit remained high, thanks to discoveries such as those made by Erwin Hamilton, who claimed to have found rocks and wood that were not native to the area, confirming that something had been buried beneath.

They have certainly put together a brave team with the know-how and experience to take the Oak Island search to the next level. After nearly two centuries of excavations, it appears that the Lagina Brothers and their team have made the most progress of all the treasure hunters and explorers who have come before them.

Of course, celebrating is well-deserved, and even more so when the hard work pays off. The Lagina Brothers and their hard-working team are pictured in the photo above looking back at their new findings with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. 

He spent the better part of a century drilling, digging, and uncovering Oak Island’s mysteries. David, his son, learned his skills and expertise from him. Though David was in a catastrophic car accident over three decades ago, he is alive and well and dedicated to their mission.

Craig and the Lagina team had an idea: they would freeze the money pit. Excavation would then be far easier. Craig explained that when faced with a problem that endlessly repeats itself, you must take a fresh approach rather than trying the same old tactics. 

Half of the company was owned by Dan Blankenship, a member of the Lagina team. Both sides recognized from the start that they needed to work together to achieve their common goal.

Despite the rumors, one thing is universally acknowledged and agreed upon by treasure seekers, and it is this belief that keeps the Lagina brothers and their crew going: there is a money pit, and it most certainly holds something. No matter how long it takes, they have committed their lives to discovering what that “something” is.

These early explorers provided the foundation for many of the subsequent breakthroughs. However, they never made it far. Since beginning their modern-day journey on Oak Island, Marty and Ricky have uncovered approximately 600 historical relics.

The discovery raised more questions than answers. Marty expressed his delight at the finding and speculated on a possible connection with the Knights Templar.

He is frequently referred to by the team as having the enviable ability to find things that others cannot. And he’s made good use of his abilities for the squad. Gary uncovered something genuinely astonishing before the fifth season of The Curse of Oak Island ended.

They also discovered a mysterious stone with the Greek letters Eta and Theta on it. The design bears similarities to a Templar prison in Domme, France. The discovery would be less noteworthy if they didn’t have other evidence on hand that pointed to a Templar connection to the island.

“If proof can be established that members of the Knights Templar made their way to North America as many as seven centuries ago,” the show’s description claims, “it would transform not only the history of a small island off the coast of Nova Scotia but the history of the world.”

According to Zena Halpern, the Templars may have secretly worshiped Tanit, which is comparable to earlier assertions that the Templars were secretly occultists. This has led to speculation that the Templars revered the Phoenician goddess of fertility and health, which might turn certain historical knowledge on its head.

Because gold and lead are both rather heavy metals, precious gold wrapped in bland old lead can be smuggled without danger of being robbed by pirates or other unsavory characters. “There was gold beneath this cross, and the cross itself was wrapped in lead,” Jack Begley explained. He expressed a feeling that there may be more lead-wrapped crosses out there.

How did such a valuable, rare jewel wind up in a marshy pit in Nova Scotia? Is it possible that more riches will be discovered in the Money Pit? Rick Lagina wasn’t sure, but he was thrilled with the discovery of the rhodolite garnet. Whatever happens next, they’ve already found something precious.

Other scholars claim it held secrets that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Shakespeare’s plays were authored by Francis Bacon. Whatever treasures were imagined to be hidden beneath the surface, the island drew treasure hunters for more than 200 years. Historians, archeologists, and researchers all contributed to the investigation.

We couldn’t agree with Matty Black more and can’t wait to see what they uncover next now that the floodgates have been opened! Read on as the treasure hunt doesn’t stop here. 

If there’s one thing the crew agrees on at this point, it’s that anything discovered near the Money Pit has to be properly explored. Later, they discovered a shocking fact about the newly found stone.

The Lagina Brothers take their workers out every now and then to gaze at the abundance of riches they’ve previously discovered as a reminder to keep digging. This stone added another piece of evidence to support the previously well-documented hypotheses regarding a Viking link to the island.

The crew uncovered what seemed to be tubular rods that were out of place in the environment, implying that they were man-made. They were able to corroborate this by consulting an eminent archeologist, Laird Niven, who identified the artifacts as “tube plates.”

The latest find baffled the crew, but they collectively came to the thought that it may be the mysterious Chapel Vault, which is supposed to house the Oak Isle riches. Only time will tell whether or not this hopeful theory is correct.

One of the biggest steps to confirming whether the legend of Oak Island’s treasure is true or not came via a flood tunnel that appears to lead to the Money Pit. Sadly, they appeared to be hitting dead ends. Until the fourth quarter of 2020, that is.

Unsurprisingly, the Laginas are now wealthy with tens of millions of dollars, with Rick’s value estimated to be over $2 million and Marty’s estimated to be around $50 million. Hopefully their collection of valuable relicts and historical discoveries will only continue to grow.