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BOUNTIFUL — A treasure hunt that culminated over the weekend promised the finders $20,000.
One group that went out in search of the treasure chest, however, found something else entirely — and those who were reunited with it Monday found it well worth the wait.
Kevin Richard and Troy Thompson said they were hunting for the treasure on Francis Peak above Bountiful when they uncovered a large, black PVC pipe and a story.
It was a time capsule placed there on July 18, 1987, by the members of Varsity Boy Scout Team 6210 as something they labeled "Operation 'On Target' 1987." Inside were letters, a picture, coins, pop culture memorabilia from the time and a music cassette tape.
"I don't know any of these people, but I would like to meet them, get to know the story, get to know the story behind the troop," Richard told KSL-TV in an interview on Saturday.
By Monday evening, Richard had tracked down members of the troop, and they gathered in a small office in Bountiful to go over the findings and reflect.
"You know how excited we are to see that box there," troop member Patrick Packer — now an insurance agent — said to Richard and Thompson as they walked in the door.
They looked over their old notes with varying degrees of recollection.
"This coin is now five years old, but maybe it will bring its finder some good fortune," Troy Orton read from one of the notes. The capsule left him feeling particularly nostalgic.
"It brought me back to our very first Scoutmaster, who was my dad," he said. "Our friend Mike ... said, 'That's the story right there,' and I completely agree."
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Finders keepers: Utah family finds $20K treasure. Here's where it was
The search for the $20,000 treasure chest ended in just over a week.Richard couldn't help but think about the serendipitous nature of the discovery.
"How did we interpret a poem's clues to still find buried treasure?" Richard asked. "To me, this is a big deal!"
He said the find was worth the effort and members of the troop who were present agreed.
"To us, it felt like more than the $20,000," Richard said. "I can't take $20,000 and give you your memories back!"
