Enigma enthusiasts tirelessly search for a treasure that American publisher Byron Preiss may have hidden in Montreal in 1981. To this day, the more than 40-year-old mystery has not been solved and treasure hunters are still trying, in Montreal, to decipher the clues hidden in the poems and images of the book The Secret, which Preiss published in 1982.
Luc Brunelle is convinced that one of Preiss’s chests is on Île Notre-Dame, in Parc Jean-Drapeau, in Montreal. This Laval resident began to take an interest in this mystery during the pandemic, following programs presented by the Discovery Channel and relating to the treasure hunt launched by Byron Preiss.
In 1982, Byron Preiss published a book, The Secret, featuring 12 images and 12 poems that provide puzzle-lovers with the clues needed to find the 12 boxes he buried in 12 North American cities. These plexiglass chests contain a ceramic key which can be exchanged at the publishing house for a precious stone.
Except that the puzzles are difficult and so far only three boxes have been discovered. The first was unearthed in a Chicago park in 1983, the second in a public garden in Cleveland in 2004 and the third in a Boston baseball field in 2019.
Byron Preiss died in a car accident in 2005, taking with him the secret of the treasure locations.
A treasure in Montreal?
Many treasure seekers believe that Montreal is on the list of cities chosen by Preiss. Luc Brunelle is one of them. As proof of this, table 9 of the book The Secret, which shows an enigmatic figure wearing a bonnet and a dark tunic. On her dress, you can make out the image of an animal swallowing a paw, which is reminiscent of the sculpture appearing at the base of a lamp post at the Mount Stephen Club on Drummond Street in downtown Montreal. “We agree that it is Montreal because there is no city in North America where we found this image. And it’s right in the heart of Montreal,” says Mr. Brunelle.
This does not mean that the treasure is hidden there, because Byron Preiss would not have buried his chests on private property, but rather in public places, like parks, underlines Mr. Brunelle.
Instead, treasure hunters must consider all the clues present on the painting, look at the work from all angles, because some elements only appear by rotating the image or enlarging it. And they must also combine their observations with the corresponding poem. The quest becomes more complicated, because if Luc Brunelle believes that the fifth poem of the book refers to Montreal, others consider that the eighth poem or the tenth are more appropriate.
It is in particular the checkerboard patterns appearing on the clothes worn by the character in painting 9 that lead Luc Brunelle to believe that the treasure would be buried in Parc Jean-Drapeau. “The tiles look like Formula 1 flags for motor racing,” he says. “And if we look at the character’s hat and turn the image upside down, it reminds us of the layout of the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit. The jewel that adorns this cap could be the exact place where the treasure is buried, near one of the curves of the circuit, he suggests.
He came to this conclusion by also dissecting the fifth poem. This evokes, among other things, an arc of light, granite walls, a citadel at night, a wingless bird and a white rock. So many clues to which he tried to find meaning in order to identify the corresponding elements on the site.
“I was captivated by this treasure hunt. I see it as a mental challenge. Am I going to be the fourth person to find a chest? he asks himself. “My location may not be the right one, but I am convinced that the box is on the Parc Jean-Drapeau site. »
Rébecca Verdon leans more towards Mount Royal Park, even if she believes it is plausible that Jean-Drapeau Park is the site chosen by Preiss. “In 40 years, the city has changed a lot. […] It is certain that when we look at the painting, there are elements that tend to draw our attention to Expo 67, whether it be the checkered flags, the 67 which is apparent in the flower [de l’habit du personnage] and which could refer to the Floralies. »
The character’s hat can recall the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, but also Mount Royal with its three mountains, she explains. But unlike Luc Brunelle, Rébecca Verdon is more of the opinion that the key to the enigma is found in the eighth poem and not in the fifth.
But the list of possible places does not stop there. Other treasure hunters suggest St. Joseph’s Oratory or even a site near Chateau Frontenac in Quebec.
Rediscover the city
Beyond the quest for treasure, this enigma allows you to see the city differently, believes Mme Verdon. “It’s a great opportunity to take the children around the city, to teach them a bit about the history of Montreal,” she explains. “Whether we find the treasure or we don’t, after 40 years, it doesn’t matter. It’s really the experience with the family that counts. »
Luc Brunelle also sees in this treasure hunt a way to rediscover Montreal. “I did research at the National Archives. It allowed me to learn a lot about Expo 67. I was born in 1975 and I was quite ignorant of what happened at Expo 67.”
Except that having determined what he believes to be the location of the treasure, he comes up against a major obstacle: in Montreal, it is forbidden to dig in a park. This is why, last Tuesday, Mr. Brunelle addressed the municipal council to ask the City to issue permits so that citizens can dig the ground under the supervision of municipal employees. “I would have even paid for his hours,” says Luc Brunelle. The City of San Francisco also grants this type of permit for research related to the treasure of Byron Preiss.
The person in charge of culture on the executive committee of the Plante administration, Ericka Alneus, however replied that according to the information she has collected, the treasure would rather be in Côte-Saint-Luc, and not in Montreal. This place has been mentioned by some lovers of puzzles because of similarities between painting 9 and a self-portrait of the painter Rembrandt. However, a park in Côte-Saint-Luc bears the name of the famous painter.
This hypothesis does not convince Darryl Levine, director of communications at the City of Côte-Saint-Luc, who had never heard of this North American treasure hunt. “That seems to me to be too obvious an indication which justifies that we do not take it into account”, maintains the official about the Rembrandt park. Obviously, he couldn’t help but play along. “Everyone likes a good treasure hunt,” he admits.
According to him, the “citadel in the night” evoked by the fifth poem could refer to the chalet on Mount Royal. “It’s a well-known place with city views and granite walls,” he suggests.
The mystery therefore remains intact. “What I fear the most is that we will never find the safe,” says Luc Brunelle, who does not lose hope of being able, one day, to verify his hypothesis on the ground.