08x25 - The Silver Spooner

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...

Steve g.: We need to connect

the cobble path in the swamp

to this path that
leads to the money pit.

- That may be our "x" on the ground.
- Yes.

Narrator: It's the
historic season finale.

- Gary: Oh, my gosh.
- Steve g.: Wow.

- That's old. This is off a ship.
- It's off a ship.

Jack: That might actually be
the thing that solves the mystery.

- Rick: Oh, oh, oh.
- Charles: What do you got?

- What is that?
- I've never seen anything like that before.

- Aaron: It's incredible.
- This is the first direct evidence

- of real treasure. - (laughter)

narrator: There is an
island in the north atlantic

where people have been
looking for an incredible treasure

for more than years.

So far,
they have found a stone slab

with strange
symbols carved into it,

mysterious fragments
of human bone,

and a lead cross whose
origin may stretch back

to the days of the
knights templar.

To date, six men have d*ed

trying to solve the mystery.

And, according to legend,

one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

ian: There is every
reason to believe,

down in those holes,
that there is

something close by
that contains a very large

amount of silver.

Doug: I guess I'm still
trying to get a mental picture

of how much silver it would
take to give these levels.

Like,
is it a handful of silver or is it

- a gerhardt dump truck load of silver?
- It's a gerhardt dump truck.

- Marty: Aw, baby.
- Jack: Oh, no way!

Narrator: In the w*r room,
geoscientist dr. Ian spooner

has just shared a report

of the water sampling tests
conducted earlier this week

in a number of boreholes
across the money pit area,

including borehole c- ,

with brothers rick
and marty lagina,

their partner craig tester,

and members of their team.

The empirical scientific
data may confirm

what people have been
trying to prove for years:

That a vast treasure really
does lie buried on oak island.

I'm trying to refrain
from getting too excited,

but-but I'm starting
to. How rare is this?

- That's what I'm trying... yeah.
- Ian: Well, it's rare.

I don't think it's a common
thing that I've ever seen

in water samples in nova scotia.

Marty: C- is uncontaminated.

I mean, I can't see how c-
would have contamination in it.

And it was in that hole
that the shiny gold thing

was found that
we're still looking for

to this day. If that was

-a golden alloy of such,
you know, -ian: Mm-hmm.

Maybe that was one piece
of what we're looking for.

- Yup. - Ian: Yeah.

There's something down there.

If you took a huge... a
room like this full of silver,

put it down there,
you would have

a similar signature that
you have here in the water.

Doug: Wow.

Narrator: Ever since oak island
historian charles barkhouse

first recommended that rick,
marty and craig

drill the borehole known as c-

five years ago,
it has continued to leave them

wondering if it
might be connected

to the original money
pit treasure shaft.

Right there. What
the hell is that?

Narrator: After the
original six-inch borehole

encountered a
ten-foot-high void,

or chamber, some feet deep,
containing a mysterious

shiny gold object
embedded in the wall...

Rick: It's your gold color.

Charles: Yeah,
there's another piece of it there, too.

Yeah, another piece.

(machine whirring)

narrator: The team
expanded the hole

to a four-foot diameter,

allowing numerous
dive operations

in the subsequent years,

attempting to verify just
what was down there.

What's this? Is
this another one?

I can see gold.

Narrator: These investigations,

although non-definitive so far,
have led to the discovery

of a possible
tunnel leading away

from the mysterious chamber,

as well as at least three
more gold-colored objects

embedded in the wall.

Marty: To me,
the results of the water study, thus far,

are the most significant
thing that has occurred

in and around the money pit.

Rick: Now we have evidence

that there's a high
concentration of treasure

connected to c- . It's
more than significant.

It's an aha moment.

To me,
this is the first direct evidence,

direct indication,
of treasure that we've had.

- Yup.
- Everything else we've run has been inferential, right?

We look for cavities,
and we look for things

that might be associated.

- This is a direct measurement.
- Right.

So,
would you go back to the same locations

and take sediment samples?

Yeah, I would like to look
in the sediments because,

especially in c- ,

any metals available in the
water should attach to that.

- Well, we can get you that.
- I can just core it with my corer.

- That'd be great. - Yeah.

If this were June,
I think we might try

to marshal forces to
exploit this discovery.

But, as it is,
time is closing in,

weather is closing in.

There's just not enough
assets to enable that to happen.

But we can follow
up on this testing

and really put our minds
to trying to come up with

the options that this
discovery presents.

Marty: Excellent. Excellent data and,
honestly, really exciting.

You know, first direct
indication of the metals we seek

- and the story they might tell.
- Mm-hmm.

So, thanks,
and I think it's time to get back to work.

- Yup. - Marty: Thanks.

Rick: Thanks, guys.

- Alex: Gonna core c- ?
- Ian: Yup.

Narrator: The
following morning...

I'll let you lower it down.

Narrator: While dr. Spooner
and alex lagina prepare

to collect sediment
samples from borehole c- ,

in the uplands near
the northeastern border

of the man-made,
triangle-shaped swamp...

Charles: There's all stones under here,
rick.

Look. Stone, stone, stone.

Narrator: Rick lagina
and charles barkhouse

continue working
with archeologists

dr. Aaron taylor
and miriam amirault,

heavy equipment
operator billy gerhardt,

and metal detection
expert gary drayton

to uncover more sections
of the cobblestone pathway.

- Ooh. Look.
- Charles: What you got?

- Oh, that's definitely a piece of pottery.
- Oh, that's a...

- Yeah. Yeah.
- Charles: That's, like, the bottom of a plate or something.

Narrator: Now,
with just a few days left

before the first snowfall
is expected on oak island

and the end of
major search activities

that they will be able
to conduct this year,

it is their hope to determine
just where the pathway leads

and if any valuable objects
can be found hidden within it.

Hey, guys.

Hey, aaron.

How's it going?

Rick: Well, you tell us.

- Here's what we've come up with.
- Aaron: Holy cow.

Rick: That just came out of...

- I dug that out of right there.
- Okay.

So we have the annular ware,

british ceramic, comes in .

Then we have the creamware,

which comes in , ' .

See,
you have such a different variety.

Rick: The question was raised:

Will this road lead us
to x? Possible treasure?

Sure. It's a possibility,

but the hope is that
we'll find some artifacts

which can be tested to create

a proper timeline
and an understanding

of why that feature was built.

But this certainly is
a very unique feature,

and we have to
follow it to the end.

Aaron: All right,
this is great, you guys.

I'll go get a bag for you.

But, in the meantime,
you can just keep putting your artifacts

- in this little dustpan.
- Rick: Okay.

Aaron: And just keep going,
and I will

- be back shortly.
- Okay. - Okay.

(sighs)

(knocking on wood)

♪ ♪

- definitely seems to be more rock back here.
- Yeah.

♪ ♪

- rick: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
- What do you got?

What do you got?

That is something
different there.

Round. Look at that.

See that?

Charles: What is
that? Metal? What is it?

Oh, I can see it's round, yeah.

What is that?

Rick: That is like nothing
I've ever seen before.

Heavy, too.

It's defninitely
different. Look at that.

Narrator: In the uplands
near the northeastern border

of the swamp,
rick lagina has just made

a peculiar discovery along
the cobblestone pathway.

Charles: That's cool.

Rick: The coloration
on it is strange.

There's some markings on the end,
too.

- Is there? - Look at it.

See that right there?

Charles: Yeah.

Some kind of a number, isn't it?

- Is that " "? - I see a five.

Do you think it's some kind
of a weight or something?

Narrator: A possible
metal weight?

Found along the stone
pathway bordering the swamp?

What might have
been its purpose?

Could it be a tool of some kind?

Like the possible
stonemason's t-square

discovered two weeks
ago near this area

and which was carbon-dated
to as early as ?

That, without question,
is the strangest thing

I've seen come
out of the ground.

It does look like a number
on that side right there.

Rick: That is a prime
candidate for xrf.

Oh, yeah. For sure.

Narrator: X-ray
fluorescence analysis,

or xrf,

is a process which employs
non-destructive radiation

in order to determine an
object's chemical composition.

It will also identify whether
or not the metal used

to make the artifact
is of a precious nature.

This is a significantly
interesting area.

Anyway,
let's see what else we can find.

Charles: Okay.

Narrator: As rick and
charles look for more clues

along the stone
pathway in the uplands...

Gary: Smell that, steve?

That's the smell of treasure.

Narrator: On lot ,

near the southwestern
border of the swamp,

metal detection
expert gary drayton,

surveyor steve guptill,

and heavy equipment
operator billy gerhardt,

are hoping to make
more important discoveries

of their own.

It was near this area that,
just one week ago,

gary found a lead bag seal

bearing a mysterious
cross-like symbol

and which might date back
to as early as the th century.

Gary: Now we're
in the deeper layers.

Now we stand a chance.

♪ ♪

there's something there.

Let's have a look. Oh!

Yeah, you're right, billy.

Look at that.

- And it came from very deep.
- Gary: Look at that, steve.

That is definitely...
That's old.

- Steve g.: That looks old.
- Look at that. That's an old piece of wood.

It's got that nice,
crude round hole.

Wouldn't be too small
to be part of a wharf.

- Yeah, I know.
- Gary: I would imagine this is off a ship.

- Billy: It's off a ship.
- Yeah. Wow.

Narrator: Could gary be correct?

That they have
unearthed a piece of wood

that came from a ship?

If so,
might it be connected to the pieces

of possible ship's railing
found in the southern portion

of the swamp one month ago?

Or perhaps the massive
-foot-long ship-shaped anomaly

detected in the swamp by
seismic scanning in ?

Gary: This is nice, mate.

It kind of reminds
me of a latch.

- Like to close a door.
- Billy: Yeah.

- On a door or a hold, right? - Gary: Yeah.
- Steve g.: This is really close

to the ship's railing
that we found right there.

And this lines up
with our ship anomaly.

So, I mean,
if we're going to find parts of a ship,

- this is where we're going to find it.
- Yeah. Yeah.

I'd be very surprised if
that weren't off a ship.

- That's a really cool find, mate.
- Yeah.

- Steve g.: That's a great find.
- Gary: Yeah, it is great.

- Steve g.: Good eye, billy.
- Billy: Yup.

Narrator: The
following morning...

- Rick: Hey, guys. - Alex: Hey.

So,
guess what we're going to talk about.

- Swamp! - Rick: There ya go!

Narrator: Rick lagina
and members of the team

have arranged to meet
via videoconference

with marty and craig,

who have returned to michigan

for important business.

I sent you on some
pictures about this item

that I found,
and it's... It's very strange.

I showed it to doug and scott.

We put it on the microscope
last night and doug

- thought he saw something.
- Doug: Yeah.

It had milled edges on it.

- Hmm. - The ends are indented,

and there seems to be
some markings inside them.

The closest
comparisons we can find

- are trade weights. - Wow.

Narrator: A possible
trade weight?

Recovered along the
cobblestone pathway in the swamp?

Dating back to the middle ages,

as europe became the
center of world trade,

merchants used trade
weights as the standard method

for weighing different
kinds of goods.

Now the question is:

Just exactly what type of goods

was this trade weight
being used to measure?

And the xrf says
that it's mostly copper.

It weighs grams.

That's just about as
close as you can get

to one-tenth of a pound.

- Yeah. - Mm-hmm.
- Aaron: And, doug, tell them

the interesting part
about what it might mean.

We were just trying to
see if the grams matched

an ounce measure in
any culture or time period.

And the only thing that
seems to line up right now

is a troy ounce, which,
of course, a troy ounce

is used to measure
precious metals.

Hmm.

Narrator: A troy ounce?

Believed to have
originated as far back

as the early th century in troyes,
France,

the so-called troy ounce

was a unit of measurement
equal to approximately grams

and was specifically employed
for weighing precious metals

such as silver or gold coins.

Is it possible that
this trade weight

may be connected
to the other potentially

telling discoveries made
on oak island this year?

Such as the th-century
pieces of wood cargo barrels,

also found along
the stone pathway,

or perhaps the massive
amounts of silver

that have just been detected
deep in the money pit area.

I don't think the average farmer

would have a set
of trade weights.

But these things were in use for a long,
long time.

And they were used by,
generally speaking,

whoever was handling the money.

Somebody with means,
somebody with metals to divide up.

It suggests to me a
level of sophistication

on whatever it is we're chasing.

Honestly,
it does look very like a balance weight

for trading something
that would be valuable

- down to the tenth of a pound.
- Alex: Mm-hmm.

Marty: And, aaron, you have to
give it context, right? If it's found

next to a bunch of other
stuff that are quite old,

- it's really hard for it to be modern, right?
- Aaron: Yeah, you know,

that's what we can
associate it with.

- Yeah.
- Rick: You know, I just think

that some very strange
items are coming out

- of the road and the path.
- Aaron: Yeah.

We've started to
leapfrog up the hill,

and we're finding
evidence of a road.

- Yup. - Aaron: And, eventually,

hopefully, we'll end up figuring
out where this road is going to.

Yeah. Hopefully before
the weather and time

closes us out,
we'll find more things.

- Yup. - Get after it.

We'll get back
out there. See ya!

Marty: Bravo tango.
Here we come.

- Ian: Hey, aaron. Hi, miriam.
- Hey, guys.

Hi, miriam. Hi, aaron.

So we've got a little something

to show you guys.

Narrator: One day
after discovering

a possible treasure
trade weight,

rick lagina and
geoscientist dr. Ian spooner

return to the uplands near
the northeastern border

of the swamp.

Aaron: We're trying to
see if this cobble is a path

and if it's continuing,

so we came down on these stones.

Narrator: They are
eager to receive an update

from archeologists
miriam amirault

and dr. Aaron taylor
on their investigation

of the cobblestone
pathway feature.

We're coming down
on a burn layer.

- We've got concentration of charcoal.
- Rick: Right.

You've got stones
looking sort of circular.

Something might've happened here

that displaced the stone,
but now there seems

there's a hearth in
the middle of the road.

We don't have an
explanation for that.

Well, we've got coal

on the, uh,
cobble pathway and on the stone road.

We've got slag.

So we've got the sense
of perhaps a forge.

Narrator: A forge or
blacksmith's furnace

found along the pathway?

If so, could it be more evidence

of major human activity
centuries before the discovery

of the money pit in ?

And might it be
another important clue

connected to an
effort to hide something

of great value on oak island?

Rick: One would
have thought that,

when we uncovered
the stone road,

that it would have been
an easy understanding

of where that stone road led.

But we don't at this point.

It's frustrating because

we have these
tantalizing clues...

The slag, the coal,
an early date for the road.

We're close,
but we're not there.

So, my next question is,
of course,

where do you go next?

So, I think we go back up
to where you're standing,

uh, just to get a complete
look at what this is.

Miriam: Especially because we
have cobbles right in that corner,

- and we'd want to see if they keep going.
- Aaron: Yeah.

So, that's what we'll
do. We'll just keep taking

this back and,
you know, I probably

want to expand that way again.

No, look. It's a great,
great plan,

but time and weather conspire.

- So let's get after it.
- Aaron: Yeah. All right.

- Okay. Good luck! - See you soon.
- Aaron: Thank you.

Narrator: As archeologists
miriam amirault

and dr. Aaron taylor

continue their
investigation in the uplands,

later that afternoon...

- Alex: Hey, rick. - Rick: Hey.

Where did all that
dirt come from?

We keep digging and we
keep coming up with more dirt.

Narrator: Rick
lagina heads to lot ,

where archaeologists laird niven

and liz michels,
along with alex lagina and david fornetti,

are finishing up their
investigation for the year

at the th-century homestead

that once belonged
to samuel ball.

Is there another shovel?

There's a
square-headed one here.

Narrator: This year,
the team has made a number

of compelling discoveries
in their quest to find out how

the former american
sl*ve turned farmer

mysteriously became one
of the wealthiest landowners

in nova scotia by
the early th century.

Rick: As you look outward,
what is the potential

for further understanding
of samuel and his life?

What is going on here?

I think we've got a
lot more work to do

just around the cellar,
and then I think

what I'd really like to see is
more historical work done.

To get some ideas
of economic status.

This is the biggest evidence.

- The size of the home?
- Laird: Yup.

But no smoking g*ns yet.

Well,
we have that one... That one button.

Yeah, we had a nice,
neat timeline going with sam ball

until you found that button.

- And then it just...
- Alex: Yeah, exactly.

Narrator: In addition to
gaining a better understanding

of just how large a
home mr. Ball had

for a supposed
simple cabbage farmer,

the team also found a number
of compelling discoveries,

including a british
naval officer's button...

As well as the
remains of a massive

-foot-long wharf
bordering his property.

Is it possible that samuel
ball's personal story

may be more connected
to the oak island mystery

than anyone ever knew?

I marvel at the man,
but at the end of the day,

yea or nay: Do you think

he has any association
with the treasure?

Liz: Well,
I think there may be some credibility

to a version of the story.

You know,
it's not totally out of the question

that he found something.

Alex: We know he
was enterprising.

I mean, if you look at what he achieved,
it's a lot.

- Yup.
- I think, I'm gonna go back to the button.

I think the biggest thing that
we found here that might tie him

to the treasure story is
that button and the wharf.

- Wow. - Alex: Not necessarily

that he found anything but
now he is connected with a group

that could have pulled this off.

See, that all just changes

everything we
think of samuel ball.

An incredible,
incredible human being.

- Exactly. - Rick: Samuel ball

is certainly part of
the story of oak island.

Whether or not there's
a direct connection

to the treasure mystery,
we don't know.

But the man's story
needs to be told.

This really does give us
some insight into who he was,

and it's quite amazing.

Yeah.

I mean,
it just reeks of history, right?

- Good job, everybody. Thank you.
- Laird: Thanks, rick.

Narrator: Later
that afternoon...

Rick: Please tell me
you've found the road.

(laughter)

narrator: Rick lagina,
along with

his nephews, alex lagina

and david fornetti,
return to the uplands

near the oak island
swamp for an update

from archeologist
dr. Aaron taylor

on his investigation of
the cobblestone path.

I'm confident we found the road.

And what leads you to that?

Behind us here we have

what I'm fairly certain is

part of the road or pathway.

It's got definite boundaries.

It's cobblestone. It's
about nine feet in width,

which is close to what the
swamp path... road has been.

It's heading up this way and...

Towards the money pit.

Narrator: Could archaeologist
dr. Aaron taylor be correct

that the stone pathway
is indeed leading

toward the money pit area?

It is giving a sense that

it's going in that
general direction.

Narrator: If so,
could it provide rick,

marty, craig and the team

with a road map to where
massive amounts of silver,

and perhaps other
items of great value,

lie buried on oak island?

The road may be heading
towards the money pit.

Of course that's-that's...
That's important.

It's critical to try to
connect these areas

that are significant in
terms of solving the mystery.

That is the real aha moment.

All right, what I'd like to do

is we should all
rally to the w*r room

and have a discussion about what
we've learned, what we've done,

what they might
mean for the future,

- and where we go next. - Yup.

- Aaron: Great. Agreed. - Alex: Sounds good.
- David f.: Sounds good.

Rick: Doug,
if you could bring everybody up.

Hey, everybody.

- Hey. - Hey, everyone. - Hey!

Narrator: Just after the
first snow of another harsh,

north atlantic
winter has fallen,

rick lagina has gathered
members of the team for a final,

albeit bittersweet,
meeting in the w*r room

to assess what has been the
most successful year of discovery

in the entire -year-old
oak island mystery.

And by the way,
I'm looking at a bunch

of somber-looking people
on this screen right now.

What the hell's the deal here?
This has been a great year.

This is good.
This is good stuff.

Narrator: Joining the
gathering from their offices

in traverse city, michigan,
are marty lagina

and craig tester,
along with jack begley.

I am amazed
when I think about it.

The amount of work in
a covid-abbreviated year.

I never would have thought

that we would be sitting here

contemplating how much positive

work has been
accomplished this year.

It's been quite remarkable.

What I would like to do

is assess the value
of the work done,

where we are with that work,
and where do we go from there.

So I think we all agree

we made, what I believe,
was a really quite amazing discovery

in the swamp. I think I'll turn
it over to aaron and miriam,

who have done the
majority of the work.

Aaron: Sure. I
think if anyone said

they expected or
anticipated finding

a stone road running
through a swamp,

I would say they're lying.

(laughter)

it ran for feet
along the swamp.

The fact that there's
no paper trail for this,

a feat of engineering
this large,

it would have taken a
lot of men to construct it.

It's incredible.

Yeah, um, I agree.

I think for us,
the biggest thing to make us wonder,

"is this related to the
treasure?" was the fact

that there's nothing written,
really, about this.

Aaron: When you
start looking at it,

it might be heading
to the money pit.

Narrator: Although some
have speculated in the past

that the triangle-shaped swamp
may have been artificially made,

this year the oak
island team proved it.

It began with the discovery
of a massive stone road,

or possible ship's wharf,

running along the southeastern
border of the brackish bog

giving credence to
the long-held theory

by fred nolan that the
swamp was once open ocean.

This, of course,
was followed by the discovery

of the cobblestone pathway

running along the entire
eastern border of the swamp

where the team made
incredible discoveries

such as iron ringbolts,

as well as pieces of
th-century keg barrels,

offering evidence
of an operation

to unload heavy cargo from
a ship and onto oak island.

The question that
lingered all year,

and which may now
have been answered,

was just where it was leading?

I just think that the
labor-intensive work

of a swamp road, we'll call it,
and the money pit were...

I think they were
done at different times,

and I think the earliest
construct was the road

because you have
to cover that problem

of logistics before
you can develop

an agenda such as what
was done in the money pit.

Some of the survey stakes

give dates going
back to the s.

And I agree,
and we've talked about that,

that possibly being two,
three and maybe even

- four periods occurring.
- Yeah.

Marty: This is a massive
thing that's hidden.

And it explains why there's no paperwork,
right?

I mean,
you don't create paperwork

if you want to keep
something hidden.

I mean, how significant is this?

Ian: This was not built

by fishermen or farmers,
in my opinion,

because it speaks to
some other purpose.

I'm glad you said that, mate,
'cause there is a purpose

to all these artifacts
on this table.

Which,
if there's a treasure operation,

someone depositing treasure
on this island for centuries,

this is what you expect to see.

Coal, you've got the ox shoes,

oxes, beasts of heavy burden,

which would have been
moving treasure inland.

And that fantastic ringbolt.

That would have been
used for guiding the oxes

along the trails.

All of these
artifacts were before

the story of the money pit.

These artifacts must
surely lead us to treasure.

Rick: Steve is going to bring up

the mapping that he
did of the artifact finds,

and I think it will
be very informative.

So, I'm going to share
my screen with everybody.

So, as you can see,
there's a substantial amount

of work done by
everybody this year.

That's without the artifacts

and the metal detecting finds,
so I'm gonna turn those on now,

and you guys are, I would think,
are gonna be quite impressed

of how busy the
island actually gets.

- Ian: Geez. - Doug: Wow.
- Rick: Wow.

Steve g.: Did you guys see how
the island filled in rather quickly?

We found objects this year.

It's twice as much as last year.

Marty: When I see all those finds,
it's gratifying.

There is concrete evidence
of substantial works

prior to and a lot of them.

A lot went on on that island.

None of it documented.

We started looking for patterns.

And it started
with the ox shoes.

Well, the ox shoes this year
started to tell its own story

and it had to do with traveled areas,
and it goes

to the cobble path.

I think it's one of
many. I referred to it

earlier in the year,
the cobble path,

as the oak island interstate

because I don't
think there's one path.

I think there's multiple paths.

Narrator: In the
oak island w*r room,

surveyor steve guptill

is presenting a
map he has created

based on the
hundreds of discoveries

the team made this year.

He believes it offers evidence

that numerous hidden
ancient pathways may exist

beyond the one they unearthed

along the eastern
border of the swamp.

Steve g.: I'm going to show
you guys one of these paths.

So earlier in the year,
after the stone road was uncovered,

rick wanted us to
project that road north

through lot .

So, gary and I, and jack,

we staked this road and,
as you can see,

throughout the year,
gary made multiple finds on that.

Yup.

- (detector beeping) - ooh,
look at that!

- Michael j.: What's that?
- A little baby ox shoe.

Narrator: Over the
course of this year,

while metal detecting on lot

between the swamp
and the money pit area,

gary drayton and
members of the team

made a number
of compelling finds

offering evidence of
extensive human activity

including a number of ox shoes,
a* heads,

and even a chinese cash coin

that dates back as
much as ten centuries.

Is it possible,
as steve guptill believes,

that gary also discovered
another pathway

leading away from the swamp?

If so, then where does it end?

Perhaps at the
original money pit?

Or at another location

where something of
great value lies hidden?

So, we need to connect

the cobble path in the swamp

to this path of gary finds
that leads to the money pit.

That may be our x on the ground.

- It could very well be.
- Marty: Okay, well,

my next question, laird,
I've asked you before.

When you look at that speckled
elephant in front of you there,

if we went to ten different
islands in mahone bay

and searched it as closely
as we've searched this,

- would we find all this stuff?
- I honestly don't think so.

- This is unique?
- That's one word for it.

(laughter)

rick: There you go.

What this tells me
is it's imperative

that we find out
where the road goes,

and where it ultimately
ends up. That's gonna provide

real narrative,
real understanding,

and maybe, maybe help us

in terms of where we go

- in the money pit. - Yes.

So let's start at the money
pit and then proceed.

It was doug and
steve and charles

who spent the majority
of the time at the drill table.

And terry, of course, so...

Doug, if you want to sum up

- that work...
- Doug: Well, we did start with the money pit.

C- , at the start of the year,
charles, the indications that

- there was more than one shiny gold thing there.
- I know, yeah.

And now with dr. Spooner

and, uh, dr. Lukeman's work,

c- is now of
high interest to us.

So, I mean,
there are a lot of mysteries

in the money pit
still to be solved.

Speaking of that,
I know you just got

the results back from c- .

- What were they? - Ian: Yeah.

Alex and I went and took
some sediment samples

from the bottom of c- .

And the idea being that maybe

that sediment is
telling us a little bit

about where the high copper
and zinc and trace silver

are coming from.

But the sediment is very
low in those elements.

So,
what that's telling me right now

is that something's
happening in that water

as it moves around,
where it's picking up metals.

Because if it's not
coming from the sediments,

it can only be coming
from one other thing.

Gary: Treasure.

- Ian: Well, you said it.
- Yeah.

Yeah, so that's pretty exciting.

Marty: There have
been several times

in the last several years

where I kind of wanted to quit.

Then the island
gives you something.

I mean, something is leeching

metals into that water.

Uh,
and one of those metals is silver.

And by the way,
gold won't show up

because it's just not soluble.

But silver is often
associated with gold.

Narrator: Could marty's
speculation be correct

that the great
quantity of silver

detected in the water in c-

may also suggest
a strong likelihood

that there are other objects
made of precious metals

somewhere down there as well?

If so,
could the gold-colored objects

the team has seen embedded
in the walls of the cavern

feet below ground

offer more tantalizing evidence

that marty's notion is true?

Marty: I think it's the most
exciting thing that's happened

in the last ten years
and the last years.

- Yup.
- Marty: My final word on this

is that, honestly,
before this direct indication of metals,

I was very,
very lukewarm on the big dig.

Now I think the big dig
is right back on the table.

Ultimately,
we always knew that the only way, really,

to answer the
questions on oak island,

vis-à-vis the money pit,

certainly, was some sort of dig.

So, I agree, in concept.

But, is a big dig...

Well, billy would go feet

and, you know,
or . Is it ?

Or is it large cans?

I mean, the whole discussion

rounds to one simple fact,
and that is that

there's more work
to do in the money pit.

Yes.

Rick: I think we need
to look at the data

before we make any sort of
commitments in the money pit.

Can we use the
tools at our disposal

to get it down to a
very specific location?

- And that would be the hope.
- Marty: So...

We let the scientists
run with it a little bit,

and we keep the big
dig as a possibility.

- Does that sound good, rick?
- I agree.

What I... What I propose

at this point is
somewhat of a ritual.

I think it's appropriate,
especially this year,

when we achieved far more than

we had hoped for,
given the covid situation.

So what I would ask is:
Where do we go from here?

I think it's been
a fantastic year.

You think about it,
we've been to places searching where

we probably wouldn't have
bothered searching before.

And I'm really looking forward

to going back to the swamp,

and I can't wait
to get stuck in.

(laughter)

david f.: You know, to me,

I feel like we were
on the right path,

and as long as we
keep going down

and using the science to
make informed decisions,

we, you know,
we... I don't want to say we can't lose,

but, um, you know, I hope that

we can get closer,
if not find what we're looking for.

Jack: Yeah. If we
keep up at this pace,

you know, I think we're gonna
find this sucker eventually.

(laughter)

I think it's progress
on all fronts.

There's evidence of significant
work done in the swamp, uh,

which-which could be
the infrastructure used

in the deposition.

An optimistic new spot in
the money pit to investigate.

We've discovered and
know a lot more about

the features
surrounding the money pit

than we've known in the past.

Like I said,
progress on all fronts.

I'd say he's all in.
What would you say?

(laughter)

- craig? - Well, I think

we had an amazing year.

And, I guess,
time to take a break.

We have a tremendous
amount of data

that we all need to go through.

So my hope for next year is,
uh, that-that covid

is, uh, either a thing of the
past or very manageable,

so I can get out there a
lot more and help you guys.

- Marty?
- Marty: Well, most of what

needs to be said has been said,
rick.

So, I'll just say very succinctly,
um...

Silver in the water.

Silver in the water.

So, we continue to dig both
figuratively for information

and literally for this treasure.

And that's what we do.

Uh, I will say this,
I'd like to say this,

that tom and rick were correct.

There are answers
in that swamp for sure.

And, again,
something that's indisputable

is that if this had
all been left to me,

none of this would
have been found.

So,
what does this really speak to?

Uh, I think it really speaks

to rick lagina's persistence,
leadership.

You know,
he has been single-handedly

leading us into this,
and-and look what we have.

So, I think... I think everybody

should be proud of what we did.

And, um,
I know everybody is thinking this,

and I just want to say it.

We are truly impressed
and honored to be led

by you in this endeavor.

- Amen. - Hear, hear! - Yes.

Okay, well,
now I'm not gonna be able to talk anymore

because now I'm emotional,
so now it's all on...

Now it's all on you guys.

It's all true. It's all true.

- I appreciate it, certainly.
- Others: Yes.

For me,
I think I can sum up how I feel.

Two words: Humble and grateful.

Humble because...

For the kind words

that my brother articulated.

I really,
really appreciate that.

♪ ♪

and humbled by the fact that we've been,
um,

lucky enough to
participate in this.

It's a wonderful story.

It always will be.

It belongs to each
and every one of us

because we have labored so...

Mightily to try and solve it.

And not only us but...

Tom's father, dan, david,

the people that we have lost

and the people that have
come before us long ago

who we owe a
debt of gratitude to.

And grateful for all of you.

Because marty said,
you know, about leading,

but you can't lead if
people don't follow.

And, uh...

I appreciate...

And respect all of you.

We'll follow you anywhere, mate.

Others: Yes.

That's why we're here.

I appreciate it.
More than you know.

Okay. Let's get it done!

- Gary: Yup. - Marty: Amen.

Good season! Well done,
everyone!

- Yes! - Gary: Stay safe.

- See ya, guys. - See ya, guys.

Charles: Safe travels.

Marty: This year went incredibly well,
given the obstacles.

Rick did a phenomenal
job of pulling it together,

and really making
significant discoveries

when, at the start of this year,

we thought we weren't
gonna get on the island at all.

- Ian: See you soon.
- Gary: All right, mate.

- David f.: Until next time?
- Charles: Yeah, until next time. - Gary: Yup.

Marty: It's gratifying
to see that team

having produced
what it produced.

And with this "metals
in the water" analysis,

we've got to be closing in on
the treasure. We've got to be!

It just can't hide forever
if it's still there. It can't.

We're gonna get it.

- Rick: See you, guys! - See ya.

Rick: I've said
it before. I think

the story of what happened
here is the real treasure.

And I think we've made
significant progress.

Are we closer to finding
an actual physical treasure?

I think the clues are adding up that,
ultimately,

we'll get either ourselves
there or someone there.

Narrator: For more
than two centuries,

determined people have
tirelessly worked to solve

the oak island mystery.

Most operated on a fervent faith

that their efforts
were worth it.

Six men even gave their lives.

Since he was just a young boy,

rick lagina has also
embodied a deeply held faith

that something of incredible
value lays buried on oak island.

But now he and
his brother marty,

along with their faithful team,

have the scientific evidence.

And as they move forward,

might they also prove
something much more profound?

That solving the
oak island mystery

is their destiny.

Rick: Oak island, at some point,
will be understood

in its entirety, and, uh,

I look forward to that day,

and I hope it's us.