Maps that will lead Edmontonians on a real-life treasure hunt will officially go online at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
“I think there’s a romance about the excitement and the idea of really uncovering real-life gold and silver,” said Chris Cromwell, a spokesperson for Goldhunt.
The maps, which are only available for purchase, provide clues, poems and hints to lead treasure hunters to $100,000 worth of gold and silver buried somewhere in the city.
Cromwell said there’s also a list of what not to do.
“Don’t go just digging random holes. We’ve been very diligent in working with B.C. and Alberta One Call to make sure that the depth of the last clue is shallow enough that people can just uncover it with their hands,” he said.
Participants of @GoldHuntCA, please remember not to carry out any digging activities on city land/parkland, green spaces, sports fields & recreational areas as it poses a serious safety risk, especially when there are underground utility lines. Help keep our open space safe.
— City of Edmonton (@CityofEdmonton) May 31, 2019
Goldhunt said the response to its treasure hunt has been overwhelming but won’t disclose how many maps have actually been sold.
“The map sales are actually capped at a maximum of one percent of each city’s population, or two weeks after the treasure hunt begins, whichever comes first,” said Cromwell.
“I can tell you that it won’t be easy to just stumble into it. It’s not quite like that so we’re quite excited. This should be quite a challenge for people.”
Similar treasure hunts are also taking place in Calgary and Vancouver.
