Amazed Farm Owner Finds Story Of Buried Treasure Is True

It was one of those old wives tales that no one really believed – until it came true for one incredulous man on his farm in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

Dan Deming had heard for years that someone buried a small treasure during the Great Depression on the land he now owned, but he never really knew if the stories were true. He made a few less than impressive attempts to locate the hidden loot, and heightened his efforts a few years ago when someone gave him a metal detector as a birthday gift.

He finally gave up, realizing that even if the ancient tale was real, he’d likely never actually be able to find the right spot.

And then the 34-year-old farm owner decided to tear down a 100-year-old shed on his property that was simply an eyesore. As the pieces of the old structure fell to the ground leaving nothing but the foundation, a rusted old box became visible and popped open at his feet.

As Deming stared in disbelief, some old newspaper clippings, a worn out piece of paper and a large number of bills dated between 1928 and 1934 became visible, lying in big wads on the ground.

At first, he was speechless. “I don’t know what I thought, if I thought it was really there or not,” he recalls.

And then he started making a lot of noise. “I couldn’t believe it. I started running to the house with it. My wife thought I broke my arm because I was just hooting and hollering.”

Deming has been following the story for over 40 years but never thought it would have such an improbable ending. “I heard from my grandfather that a man who lived here during the ’30s and ’40s was eccentric and might have stashed money,” he remembers.

At first, he thought the bills were fake but took a closer look and discovered they were the real thing. He thought about selling them to a collector, but realized they were in too bad a shape after so many years in their hidden tomb. So instead, he turned the moolah over to the U.S. Treasury Department, which replaces old or mutilated bills for cash value.

So just how much does he think he’s getting? “I’m hoping it’ll be for $1,700 because that’s what the paper said,” he reveals. “It’s hard to say, though. It’s really difficult to tell what was in there.”

But he’s not finished just yet.

There’s a rickety old barn on his property that also needs to be taken down. He doesn’t expect to find much there, but after this enriching experience, he’s taking nothing for granted.

“I’m hoping maybe there’s something there – but I doubt it,” he admits. “I mean, $1,700 during the Depression was probably this guy’s life savings.”

The find appears to update the old adage that if you can’t take it with you, at least leave it behind for somebody else.

File photo