# Oak Island **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259 "2018-03-08T20:24:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/1 "2018-03-08T20:24:07Z")
Damn, I wish they had found more this year. A few intriguing things were dug up the best of which was the bone fragments from the 1700s from two different people. And supposedly they were below the searcher’s depth in that location, but I think that is speculation. But the thing I have a factual question about is shown in the teaser for next week’s “Digging Deeper” (I think, maybe it is just for next year). They exposed a previous shaft that had been buried, and decided not to feature it on the show this season since it was outside the areas they were exploring. Quite a large shaft, 10’ x 6’ or thereabouts. Very nicely preserved including a ladder still sticking out the top. There are numerous photos online taken over the years and it conforms to those structures. I think from the detailed maps that previous people have made that they can identify who dug the shaft. It might be this shaft: [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/1f/b0/3f1fb072bc5b78bf1761299d9ae0b8e5.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/1f/b0/3f1fb072bc5b78bf1761299d9ae0b8e5.jpg) But back to that ladder. They claimed in was from the 1800s. It seem to be constructed the same way that modern wooden ladders are made: round rungs inserted into bored holes on the side rails. Where they making ladders that way that long ago? Seems more likely they would have been just slats nailed on the front of the rails. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/2 "2018-03-08T20:39:46Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > But back to that ladder. They claimed in was from the 1800s. It seem to be constructed the same way that modern wooden ladders are made: round rungs inserted into bored holes on the side rails. > > Where they making ladders that way that long ago? Seems more likely they would have been just slats nailed on the front of the rails. > Dennis I imagine that rungs into holes is more safe than nails, and the ladder stays together longer. Nails would have been flat and triangular in the 1800s, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/3 "2018-03-08T20:45:32Z")
This picture from a fifteenth century book clearly shows a ladder with round rungs penetrating holes bored in the rails: [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder#/media/File:Hausbuch_Wolfegg_53v_53v1_Drehbank_Waage_Steigger%C3%A4te.jpg) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladder#/media/File:Hausbuch_Wolfegg_53v_53v1_Drehbank_Waage_Steigger%C3%A4te.jpg) The ladder also has an interesting extension mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/4 "2018-03-08T20:46:58Z")
IANA woodworker, but a mortise and tenon joint? Those are probably thousands of years old. Nailing slats might be cheaper and less labor intensive, but you don’t need metal to make them. As for the unasked question, Oak Island has very little signal in a lot of noise. Whatever truths are well hidden in urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/5 "2018-03-08T20:49:53Z")
I have a drill that my Daddy got from his Father. It has been in the family along with an old planer, for a very long time. We had it appraised. It’s not worth much but they told us it’s probably from the early 1800s. So they definately could make holes. I wonder though. Presumably these early visitors to Oak Island would’ve been seaman. Why wouldn’t they use rope ladders? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/6 "2018-03-08T20:58:35Z")
The Perfect Master’s 1986 column on Oak Island: [What’s the scoop on the mysterious buried treasure at Oak Island? - The Straight Dope](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/614/whats-the-scoop-on-the-mysterious-buried-treasure-at-oak-island/) Some previous threads: > **[The Curse of Oak Island](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=714598)** > > Am I the only one following this on History channel? Having read a couple books on the subject, I am really enjoying this, even if they keep running it at weird times. (and I know, but I’m too lazy to set up me DVR.) > **[oak island treasure](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=1717)** > > The march april issue of skeptical inquirer has a detailed article by joe nickell, whose analysis of spontaneous human combustion is featured in an update on that topic. nickell shows evidence that the pit is a natural sinkhole with natural limestone... > **[Oak Island "money pit" solved](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=31860)** > > Noticed a column on the oak island “money pit” that apparently was old enough to not include the following: http://www.csicop.org/si/2000-03/i-files.html Gives a pretty convincing argument that the whole thing is pretty much a misinterpreted... > **[Skeptical Inquirer on The Oak Island Treasure](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=23683)** > > It appears that the board still doesn’t accept posts from the Opera browser, so here goes with IE. I hope the thread doesn’t get posted twice. Relevant Straight Dope article: What’s the scoop on the mysterious buried treasure at Oak Island? The... > **[Oak Island "Treasure"-Was There Ever Any Evidence of Buried Treasure](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=586840)** > > I have read Cecil’s account of the 200 years of digging at Oak Island, NS. It seems that millions of dolars have been spent, digging holes, and looking for the treasure. As Cecil notes, virtually nothing of significance has ever been found... I’ll spell it oakisland here to help with future searches, since “oak” is too short a search word. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/7 "2018-03-08T21:15:23Z")
More threads on the subject. > **[History Channel's "Curse of Oak Island"](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737030)** > > I hadn’t heard of this show, but I randomly found it on the Internet and ended up watching it. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, it’s about brothers Marty and Rick Lagina spending excessive amounts of money trying to solve the mystery of the Oak Island... > **[The Mystery of Oak Island](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=286)** > > I am very interested in the Oak Island mystery, and have been since I was a boy. My father introduced the story as a scary ghost story about pirates and the Holy Grail. What I am wondering is, how many people out there have the same interest in this... > **[Oak Island](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=627666)** > > Cecil’s column on Oak Island (http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/614/whats-the-scoop-on-the-mysterious-buried-treasure-at-oak-island) was posted as the daily Straight Dope column, which reminded me that I read a Skeptical Inquirer article some... > **[oak island treasure](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=2677)** > > The march april issue of skeptical inquirer has a detailed article by joe nickell, whose analysis of spontaneous human combustion is featured in an update on that topic. nickell shows evidence that the pit is a natural sinkhole with natural limestone... > **[Oak Island is for sale](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=343909)** > > Linky > **[The Money Pit (not the movie)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=21727)** > > The thread on Cryptozoology reminded me of one of my mom’s books that I read during my early teenage years. The book was your typical “unexplained mysteries” book, with sections on the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, etc… But one chapter caught my... > **[Mystery Of The OAK ISLAND MONEY PIT](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=347891)** > > I had never heard of this until Fish mentioned it in a recent thread. Here is the story and history of this supposed buried treasure. This would make one hell of an interesting documentary or Hollywood film. Am I the only person who had never... Apparently the Dope has been super into the pit for some time. 2 threads that date back to 1999. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/8 "2018-03-08T21:28:17Z")
I posted this photo in the Amelia Earhart thread (thread drifted a while ago): [![](http://prbinfraprojects.com/images/Shaft%20Sinking.jpg) ](http://prbinfraprojects.com/images/Shaft%20Sinking.jpg) That is the way I would approach it if I won the big lottery. To hell with this 4 foot hole crap. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/9 "2018-03-08T21:29:04Z")
Holy crap, Cecils words in '86, are nearly identical to some I’ve heard Rick or Marty say on the show. Except, of course the fact that it’s a lost cause. They didn’t need to spend all that money. They should’ve discussed it with Cecil first. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/10 "2018-03-08T21:32:24Z")
I don’t understand the beliefs in Oak Island. Think about it for a second. Pirates stole money and gold for the same reason modern bank robbers do - to live extravagant life styles. What would possibly be the point of going to state of the art engineering to bury some plunder that you would want to spend on mead and winches next month. It’s crazy. Back in those days you could stash your loot virtually anywhere at a depth of 2 or 3 feet and keep it undetected. Honestly, it would have cost more to bury the gold in deep pits with flooding chambers than the gold itself was worth. The whole idea is ridiculous and has always been about fleecing the gullible. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/11 "2018-03-08T21:43:47Z")
They say on the show it may be the Knights Templar treasure, the holy grail or some crap about Shakespeares lost notebooks. Historically significant if true. They have built a museum on the Island. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/12 "2018-03-08T23:13:48Z")
1. Steal or otherwise make off with rare priceless treasure. 2. Bury treasure on remote island in a way that makes recovering such treasure impossible. 3. Wait a couple hundred years. 4. Build museum. 5. Sell $10 ball caps and coffee mugs in museum gift shop. 6. Profit! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/13 "2018-03-08T23:48:55Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > bury some plunder that you would want to spend on mead and **winches** Allied Power Products makes some fine [winches](https://alliedpower.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/14 "2018-03-09T00:02:11Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I imagine that rungs into holes is more safe than nails, and the ladder stays together longer. Nails would have been flat and triangular in the 1800s, I believe. Nails would also have been quite a bit more expensive in the 1800’s. Compared to making holes in wood, which costs little. And nails would have had to have been shipped in from elsewhere, since I don’t know of any iron mines, or metal forges, on Oak island. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/15 "2018-03-09T00:02:15Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > They say on the show it may be the Knights Templar treasure, the holy grail or some crap about Shakespeares lost notebooks. Historically significant if true. I’ve got all three in my backyard. That would be significant if true. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/16 "2018-03-09T14:44:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Allied Power Products makes some fine [winches](https://alliedpower.com/). What, you don’t think pirates drove 4 wheel drives? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/17 "2018-03-09T15:31:53Z")
At this point, there really is something interesting to be found in the Oak Island Hole-in-the-Ground. But it’s not the treasure; it’s the remains of all of the other attempts to find the treasure, over the years. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/18 "2018-03-09T15:42:05Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > 1. Steal or otherwise make off with rare priceless treasure. > 2. Bury treasure on remote island in a way that makes recovering such treasure impossible. > 3. Wait a couple hundred years. > 4. Build museum. > 5. Sell $10 ball caps and coffee mugs in museum gift shop. > 6. Profit! 1. Look up ‘pirates’ in dictionary. 2. Look up ‘buried treasure’ in dictionary. 3. Spread rumours of ‘pirate’s buried treasure’ on Oak Island. 4. Build museum. 5. Sell $10 ball caps and coffee mugs in museum gift shop. 6. Profit! 7. Notice that weather balloon crashed near Roswell. 8. Look up ‘UFO’ in dictionary. 9. Spread rumours of ‘UFO’ on Roswell. 10. Build museum. 11. Sell $10 ball caps and coffee mugs in museum gift shop. 12. Profit! ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/19 "2018-03-09T15:46:32Z")
> [@glee](#): > > 1. Notice that weather balloon crashed near Roswell. > 2. Look up ‘UFO’ in dictionary. > 3. Spread rumours of ‘UFO’ on Roswell. > 4. Build museum. > 5. Sell $10 ball caps and coffee mugs in museum gift shop. > 6. Profit! But, but - Roswell was contemporary. There were eye witnesses! Army colonels! Fuzzy photos! Dennis ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259/20 "2018-03-09T16:47:29Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > But, but - Roswell was contemporary. There were eye witnesses! Army colonels! Fuzzy photos! > > Dennis Gosh - there was even an alien autopsy! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oak-island/810259.md?page=2)