Why this place?

[Armchair detective]

Open for wild speculation. Any idea can spark another idea.

There is no wrong answer.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

No reason.

 

[releventchair]

 

[DizzyDigger]

Because it is remote, and they could build all the elements of the story around it.

 

[GravelTeeth]

My answer will make the following assumptions which may or may not be historically true:

The money pit was constructed by man designedly.
The island was uninhabited when the money pit was dug.
The designers and builders of the works valued secrecy for their project.

First, why Nova Scotia? It's remote, and frozen several months of the year, yet not that far off the path of historical shipping lanes. It's probably not an accident that an island on the seaward side of the peninsula was chosen.

The thick forest allowed much of the works to be constructed relatively unseen by the mainland or neighboring isles. At the same time, it's just a rowboat away from where further supplies could be got when necessary. The island itself could supply a decent amount of raw timber and rock, and oak is a preferred wood for certain uses.

If at some point there was a natural sheltered harbor, protected from the sea on two sides (as some have speculated the swamp used to be), that might be another selling point for someone planning this kind of project.

--GT

 

[Armchair detective]

All generally true.

I was thinking maybe the selection of the place could give a clue as to Who.

More in terms of, say..
1. Island is on the 45th parallel, a straight
across direction fom France. Navigation
was extremely primitive in those early days,
the stars were considered on a ceiling that
changed because you moved under it, except
one. "Put guiding star on right, sail on 'til
morning" suggests a French starting point.
or 2. Ice sheet stops sailing access to Halifax
in winter. Revolutionary British forces
retreating to Halifax in the winter of 1782
may have been stopped and needed to
cache their cannons and grapeshot ammo.
or 3. A known water stop OFF the mainland.
NS history tells why this was extremely
desirable, and you would need lots of
fresh water to support any digging effort.

This all begs the general question - Did they know where they were going before they got there?

 

[mdog]

This might be a shot in the dark, but what the heck.

It is assumed that Oak Island was visited by sailors, who left something of value, there.

Sailors would know about celestial navigation. Oak Island is at latitude 44deg 30' N. The bright star Capella is a circumpolar star that is visible all night and all year, above the latitude 44deg N.

Here is some information about Capella, from AI.

For an observer located at a latitude of 44 degrees 30' N (44.5° N), the bright star Capella is circumpolar. This means that the star never sets below the northern horizon and is visible in the night sky every night of the year.

Observational Details at 44°30' N Latitude

• Circumpolar Status: Capella is circumpolar for any location north of approximately 44° N latitude. At 44°30' N, it continuously circles the North Celestial Pole without dipping below the horizon.
• Visibility: Observers at this latitude can see Capella any time of the year, provided local conditions (weather, light pollution) allow.
• Position:
  • On June evenings, the star will appear low near the northern horizon.
  • During winter months, it is prominently placed high in the northern sky.
• Appearance: While high in the sky, Capella appears to glow a steady golden-yellow. When it is low on the horizon, atmospheric turbulence can cause it to flicker and flash with various colors, such as red, green, and blue.

You can see Capella all night (meaning it's circumpolar, never setting) if you are north of latitude 44° North; the farther north you go, the wider its all-night circle becomes, with it being visible all night from most of Canada, the northern U.S., and the UK/Scandinavia.
Key Points:

• Circumpolar Zone: North of 44°N latitude, Capella is always above the horizon during winter nights.
• Location Matters: From slightly south of 44°N (like the southern Adirondacks), it might dip below the horizon for a short time, but from locations like most of Canada, Scandinavia, and the northern U.S., it's visible all night.
• Winter Visibility: It's most prominent in the northern winter sky, high overhead, but is visible year-round from these northern latitudes.

The brightest truly circumpolar star (always visible in northern latitudes) is Polaris, the North Star, but it's not very bright (mag 2) and is famous for its position, not brilliance; however, among the brightest stars that appear circumpolar at mid-northern latitudes (like the US, Europe), Arcturus, though technically setting for some, is often the most prominent bright star visible in the north, while Capella (Auriga) and Vega (Lyra) are also exceptionally bright circumpolar/near-circumpolar stars in the north.
Key Distinction:

• Polaris (North Star): The closest bright star to the North Celestial Pole, making it the defining circumpolar marker, but only magnitude ~2 (faint).
• Bright Circumpolar Stars: Stars that are bright and stay above the horizon for most northern observers (e.g., Ursa Major/Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, Cepheus).

Brightest Circumpolar/Near-Circumpolar Stars (Mid-to-High Northern Latitudes):

• Arcturus (Boötes): Often cited as the brightest star in the northern sky for many, but it dips below the horizon at lower latitudes (like Florida/Mexico).

• Capella (Auriga): A very bright, yellowish star that stays high in the north for most northern observers.
• Vega (Lyra): Extremely bright and a key summer circumpolar star for northern viewers.
• Dubhe & Merak (Ursa Major/Big Dipper): The "pointer stars" of the Big Dipper, which is itself circumpolar for most of the US/Europe.

So, while Polaris defines the location, stars like Arcturus, Capella, and Vega are the brightest you'll see circling the North Star in the northern night sky.

Yes, stars like Capella (part of Auriga, a circumpolar constellation in higher northern latitudes) were important for medieval European mariners, not as a primary guide like Polaris, but as part of a system using prominent, consistently visible stars (circumpolar) to gauge height/latitude with instruments like the astrolabe or quadrant, helping them stay oriented and track their position (latitude) by observing their angle above the horizon, especially when Polaris was obscured or for general celestial awareness.
How Capella (and other stars) Helped:

1. Latitude Determination: Medieval navigators used instruments (astrolabe, quadrant, cross-staff) to measure the altitude (angle) of stars above the horizon. For northern mariners, stars like Capella, visible year-round, helped establish latitude because their height above the horizon changed predictably with latitude.
2. Circumpolar Reference: Capella is a circumpolar star for much of Europe, meaning it never sets, circling the North Celestial Pole. This made it a reliable marker, unlike stars that rise and set.
3. Constellation Knowledge: Knowing constellations like Auriga (containing Capella) helped sailors orient themselves and estimate direction, even if not as precisely as Polaris.
   1. Complementary to Polaris: While Polaris (North Star) was the primary latitude guide (its altitude equals latitude), it could be hard to see in clouds or at lower northern latitudes. Other bright circumpolar stars like Capella provided backup and confirmation.
   2. Direction Finding: By noting the position of prominent stars relative to the horizon and their movement, sailors could maintain a general east-west or north-south heading.
4. In Summary: Capella wasn't the main star (that was Polaris), but its consistent presence in the northern sky made it a valuable tool for medieval sailors to confirm latitude and maintain course using their instruments.

 

[Armchair detective]

Wow, that is a lot ot information.

For practical purposes, sailing west at night I would pick a star due west and line the nose of my boat up with it. As the earth rotates away from it, it would disappear and you would pick another one.

So you could hold a reasonably accurate course if you were heading due west, which would mean that you started due east of OI.

So we get to the coast of France near Bordeaux.
Where does the trail lead from there?
(Bordeaux itself is a very good sheltered harbor,
perhaps there are some historical records there.)

 

[TruthbeTold]

So if I understand correctly, since there were 1000’s of ships with thousands of sailors navigating the oceans a few hundred years ago, one certainly had to bury fantastical treasure on oak island, right?

That’s as good as any fiction promoted on the tv show.

 

[OldWest]

All generally true.

I was thinking maybe the selection of the place could give a clue as to Who.

More in terms of, say..
1. Island is on the 45th parallel, a straight
across direction fom France. Navigation
was extremely primitive in those early days,
the stars were considered on a ceiling that
changed because you moved under it, except
one. "Put guiding star on right, sail on 'til
morning" suggests a French starting point.
or 2. Ice sheet stops sailing access to Halifax
in winter. Revolutionary British forces
retreating to Halifax in the winter of 1782
may have been stopped and needed to
cache their cannons and grapeshot ammo.
or 3. A known water stop OFF the mainland.
NS history tells why this was extremely
desirable, and you would need lots of
fresh water to support any digging effort.

This all begs the general question - Did they know where they were going before they got there?

Sometimes I think about the sacking of Havana and the stolen fortune in gold. Ships supposed to come back with the booty. Maybe one or two went north to drop off something they didn't want others to have. Wasn't there a story about a storm and a lost ship? Sounds like an easy way to disappear. Timeline looks good. I'm just speculating.

 

[BuzzMarshall]

I don't think there's anything really specific other then it was just a natural progression of going down the coast as people came across from northern europe... the Vikings were in NA long before White Europeans and some archeological remants all over the Eastern Seaboard seem to point to non-indigenous presences going back a lot farther then the oak island story... Who knows was in the bay as it was probably a bunch of different groups over time... The Acadians have in the area before the British and Americans but there were people before that and Indigenous stories talk about people in their oral histories long before the Oak Island thing as well... As far as the original tale getting started it may have just a ploy to attract settlers into the bay area trying to promote a expanding town/s... Kinda like the old west as small groups of settlers congregated and creatively tried to attract more business's and people to grow... the bay is a natural harbour not hard to find for anyone going up or down the coast... Really if you think about it... that single story had a lot to do with dragging money and business into a area trying to develop competing with other settlements popping up from Newfoundland down to the Carolinas and maybe even Florida as Indigenous peoples all up and down the eastern side of NA talk about strangers... Obviously at some point in time some groups of people were actually on the island doing a variety of things... whatever it was must not have been a big secret at that time though because of the people in the bay so if someone was building something secret it would have been spotted by others long before it was ever completed which makes one wonder where they mining for something or trying to process something... Stories talk of big oak trees which is why the island got its name which are long gone making for a argument that ships at some point must have spotted the island for mast's... So was that what came 1st or did the bay develop 1st and then someone put the island to use? Over the years I've come to the conclusion that many different groups have been in the area and the story itself was a way of drawing in speculators and people in the whole developing bay area... just my 2 cents...

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I will still counter with: what is the deepest land buried treasure ever recovered? 20 ft? 30 ft? No one would ever bury something that they wanted back as deep as Oak Island has been scooped and raked, repeatedly, like 28 times by different groups. Time to move on.

 

[BuzzMarshall]

No One short of the original story has actually found any real treasure that i am aware of... ya over the years theres been alot of crap been found but as far as I am aware of the story was based on stuff said mostly which has Never been proven... As I said I think when that area finally got settled by white people the story was something that brought people into that bay area without actually proving anything as far as treasure goes... People have been in the area before the main settlements that are still there... The Island Itself would have been viewable by anyone migrating down the coastline as its Oak Tree's were maybe what brought people into that area... Honestly even to this Day none of them can say for sure where the original pit actually was as the area been throughly dug up over the last 100 years its actual location is lost and all any of them do is speculate based on what they think... The other thing to think about is the geology of the area as to whether anyone dug down that deep or whether because of the underground pockets all up and down that area of the coast some one was mining something no one will ever know... The actual idea of a Treasure has been twisted and altered so many times over the years I don't even know if any of the orginal story even claimed a treasure as there were lots of speculations because of the supposed stone tablets with weird markings which lead to the original idea of some secret group of people which then lead to more speculation such as Nolan's Cross and its just kept going on since then as every new explorer just kept adding their twists to their version of the story... This much is known but its not confined to Oak Island and thats there are tons of stones and markings and formations up and down America's Eastern coast that point to masonic markings which is not surprising considering the Mason's part in America's origin story but that in itself never said anything about a actual Treasure... To the best of my knowledge I have never seen anyone actually find any treasure other then the normal trinkets and garbage humans seem to leave where ever they go... who know's... I just no that the Lagina's are milking this for everything they can get which is fine with me and over the last 10 years they alone are more responsible for spreading speculation and sensational stories but thats where it ends...

 

[Armchair detective]

Thinking about Bordeaux as a waypoint on the way to OI.

It would make sense to stop there to top off fresh water stores, and as a bonus partake in the local wine industry.

Dismissed elsewhere was the possibilty that the containers (the 2 box theory) were wine barrels. If that is the way Bordeaux actually built them (with a 4" bottom and top), here is a possible trail sign.

 

[TruthbeTold]

The attempts to invent even more stories as to someone taking a fictional treasure to the island is fascinating.

Of course the laginas invented the “two treasure chest” theory on the fictional show.

 

[ISmellGold]

I will still counter with: what is the deepest land buried treasure ever recovered? 20 ft? 30 ft? No one would ever bury something that they wanted back as deep as Oak Island has been scooped and raked, repeatedly, like 28 times by different groups. Time to move on.

Its Pretty funny somebody decides to dig an unsucessful well in the middle of an island surrounded by Salt Water and tinking it would be potable. 🤣 Leaving it fallow for years allowing all types of brush and branches to gather at the bottom, finaly fills it back in and then the money pit legend happens. Hillarious.
🤣

 

[Carl-NC]

Its Pretty funny somebody decides to dig an unsucessful well in the middle of an island surrounded by Salt Water and tinking it would be potable.

A well is possible and probably people who lived on the island had wells. Saltwater is heavier than freshwater so rainwater that seeps into the ground forms a freshwater lens. If there's enough elevation and you don't dig the well too deep, you get good water.

 

[ISmellGold]

A well is possible and probably people who lived on the island had wells. Saltwater is heavier than freshwater so rainwater that seeps into the ground forms a freshwater lens. If there's enough elevation and you don't dig the well too deep, you get good water.

Doubtfull they had wells on that island, But if you didn't hit water you would keep digging. Uh Oh, Salt water, bad well. Abandoned well

 

[Armchair detective]

Almost certainly there was water of some sort on the island. Historical records of early settlers have sheep, cows, chickens there. You wouldn't be carting water daily from the mainland by boat to support them.

 

[BuzzMarshall]

Ball was farming on the island as well as others back in the day... I think it was cabbage but someplace i had read there were pigs and foul as well... so water had to be found or collected somehow... And in one show they were debating what that rock lined pit close to the shore was actually about and fresh water collection was one of the things talked about...