THE FOLLOWING MAY HAVE SOME HISTORICAL VALUE, BUT I FINALLY REACHED AND POSTED THE FULL SOLUTION IN MAY 2023 AS A PDF DOCUMENT:

The Contest

This contest ran from 1984 to May 1989. It involved a Gold Horse buried somewhere in the continental United States, and a prize of $500,000 for the person finding the treasure before the deadline. Unfortunately, no one found it, and the treasure was given to a charity.

Clues to the location of the treasure were given in three formats, each format providing a full set of clues:

1. An 81-page book.
2. A movie on videotape (VHS and BETA)
3. A movie on laser videodisc

The three formats tell the same story (presented as a fairy tale), but are not identical, including a few important difference between the two versions of the same movie.

I spent several years working on this contest, including going back to it from time to time since 1989. Although the treasure was given to a known charity, the organizers did not reveal the solution to the puzzle, or even its location.

The location became known (acknowledged by the organizers) when, a little while after the deadline, a couple of treasure hunters found the remnants of the buried treasure at Tennessee Pass, in Colorado. They published the main elements of their solution, which as become the « accepted solution ». Several people, myself included, are not fully satisfied with this solution, for reasons that I will present later.

The present publication is an effort to present a different approach. It is primarily based on the book version, although from time to time I may refer to the movie. Follow the menu in order to complete your Journey.