Is The Curse of Oak Island actually real, and why are the Lagina brothers willing to risk finding out?

For as long as we know about hidden treasures, nothing was appealing to a man/woman than a hidden place where a potential treasure is buried. “X” on the ground where the loot could be is something that we all dreamed about. Just how many times have you heard the phrase “X marks the spot” and instantly thought about one-eyed and peg-legged pirate sitting on a throne made of gold coins? We, and everyone else for that matter, wrote about Lagina brothers for such a long time, but no one actually decided to figure out what got them on a chase for the treasures on the Oak Island and just why do they believe that there is something for them there.

The show is as you probably know called The Curse of Oak Island and it is a History Channel series that stars Rick and Marty Lagina, the two brothers who are trying to find the hidden treasure on the island. The location has a strange history and an even more unusual legend tied to it, and those exact things are what drew everyone from the Lagina brothers to the 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt on a real-life treasure hunt.

The island in question is located off the coast of Nova Scotia and has a lot of treasure hunts, failed investments, and even deaths tied to it. The last thing that was discovered there was the infamous “Money Pit” and it was back in 1795. It was discovered by a teenager named Daniel McGinnis, who was allegedly lured onto the island after seeing strange lights. That, of course, wasn’t enough for him, and after discovering this unusual hole in the ground got him even more interested after which he decided to return with his friends and investigate.

Now here is where the plot thickens. The Laginas found out about this over the article published in Reader’s Digest in 1965, that wrote about what those boys found after they dug deeper. According to the writing from Reader’s Digest, the crew discovered a man-made shaft, reinforced with oak platforms, coconut fiber, and ship’s putty, plus they also uncovered stone tablet with a whole bunch of odd inscriptions. McGinnis and his friends continued to dig and at around 100 ft down the hole flooded, which was strange since the ocean was approximately 500 ft from them. They tried another place to dig, but the same happened there. It was very difficult to explain that, but after some time it was discovered that the “Money Pit” is protected by a very complex man-made tunnel system.

Here is a report from the Reader’s digest that wrote about this strange phenomenon “In effect, the beach acted as a gigantic sponge to soak up tidewater and filter it into a conduit. This conduit dropped 21 meters straight down, later exploration proved, then sloped back to a point deep in the Money Pit-all of it filled with loose rock to prevent erosion. This brilliant baffle was no natural obstacle; it was the work of a genius. As diggers neared the cache at 30 meters, they had unwittingly lessened the pressure of earth that plugged the mouth of the conduit.”

Thanks to this many gold seekers were convinced that there is actually something valuable down there and that those tunnels are indeed guarding something worth checking out. The Daily Beast confirmed that as well with writing “Later, iron, cement, and clay found deep below ground were all confirmed by labs to be man-made, and a piece of sheepskin parchment was pulled from 155 feet below with two letters: “vi,” “ui,” or “wi.” Small gold chain links were said to be found as well, but they’ve since been lost.”

These fragments of “hope” were actually the starters of the entire effort to find the treasure and many have flocked since trying to be the ones that will crack the curse of the island and write their names in the history books. As we previously mentioned even FDR heavily invested into an excavation project and visited the island. The FDR project was lead by Henry Bowdoin in 1909, but according to the Daily Beast, their efforts didn’t bear fruit. FDR didn’t give up on the island and continue to follow the mystery even throughout his time from the office. If you watch The Curse Of Oak Island regularly, then you know that there was an episode that featured a letter written by the president about the ongoing hunt for treasure on the island in 1938 which wrote “I wish much I could have gone up the coast this summer and visited Oak Island and seen the work you are doing—for I shall always be interested in that romantic spot. I hope that you will let me know how you have been getting on with modern methods—ours were, I fear, somewhat antiquated when we were there more than a quarter of a century ago.”

As it turned out all of the treasure hunters, including FDR, McGinnis and his friends, eventually didn’t find anything important. They, unfortunately, all suffered from the biggest “curse” of Oak Island, and it’s the one where all of those who come seeking the treasure end up doomed to find nothing, lose their investments and some of them, sadly, their lives. When lives are spoken of, we found out that Reader’s Digest also wrote about a horrific death that happened in the “Money Pit.” Apparently, in 1965 Oak Island resident and treasure hunter Robert Restall lost consciousness in one of the shafts and fell in the water below. His son Bobbie Restall, and his crewmates Carl Graeser and Cyril Hiltz dove in to save him, but, because of carbon monoxide in the shaft that was produced by gasoline water pumps, the three rescuers lost consciousness, and eventually, all four of them drowned.

Despite all the “evidence” that this all might be a wild goose chase, a huge money loss or even a death trap, the Lagina brothers are the next two brave souls that are trying to finally break the “Curse of Oak Island” and conclusively show everyone if there is anything interesting. As you already know, these stars of the History Channel show, actually bought a portion of the island and are on a hunt to uncover the mystery of the “Money Pit” ever since 2004. First 3 Seasons haven’t been that much exciting but Season 4 brought us the discovery of a Spanish coin that aroused their imaginations even more. The Season 5 looks promising and according to what we reported before it might be the one that will finally discover what the “Money Pit” hides. Who knows maybe there is something after all, it would be weird that the entire island and the mystery around it is just one big hoax all these years. If it actually is who in God’s name is profiting from it?