The Curse of Oak Island - Season 8: Same Old Same Old

 

Yes, I have been sucked into the new season of The Curse of Oak Island. But I saw nothing new in it other than the Lagina brothers had to quarantine for two weeks before they were allowed to roam free in Canada. During that time others on Oak Island continued to march in the same direction that we have watched for the last several years.

Oak Island

Yeah, the guys working with metal detectors managed to find more coins on the surface of the island. Yeah, they found an old ax head that had been lost centuries ago. Yeah, they put a butterfingers diver into one of the many bore holes they have dug over the years. He found one of the gold “things” that we’ve heard about, but then dropped it so that it is now buried in the sand and dirt some 200 feet down. They may never retrieve it.

They have found evidence, substantial evidence, that there was some sort of occupation on Oak Island centuries ago. They have found structures that success some sort of port or repair facility, most likely built by the English in decades past. The coins and other material lead to that conclusion. The latest find, which might be a Chinese coin just suggests that the British traveled the world and as they did so, picked up coins and souvenirs in exotic locations.

What struck me as interesting was the find of what they thought might have been the entrance to a tunnel system that could lead to that mythical money pit.

Joy Steele

Archaeological examination showed that it was some sort of tar pit which would have been used to repair ships adding to the idea that Oak Island had served as a repair facility until better ports were built to the south.

And this takes us back to Joy Steele. You might remember her. She suggested that she had solved the mystery of Oak Island because some of the evidence reminded her of the tar kilns found all over the east coast of North America. You can read my assessment of her theory here:

http://kevinrandle.blogspot.com/2019/03/curse-of-oak-island-nearing-solution.html

http://kevinrandle.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-mystery-of-oak-island-solved-by-joy.html

You can listen to the interview I conducted with her on the A Different Perspective radio show here:

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/12059035

The real point here is that everything found by all the digging, metal detecting and historical research is explained by the simple fact that the English had created a facility on the island and they used it for decades. And, if there was such a facility, then the idea of pirate treasure is, well, scuttled. How would pirates sneak onto the island to create the elaborate money pit? That doesn’t even consider that a pirate wouldn’t have had the technical expertise to create the money pit.

I will note, apropos of nothing at all, that an English garrison on the island would probably have had that expertise. Given that their occupation probably lasted decades, they would have had the time to build the money pit… No, I don’t think they did, I’m just saying that the Royal Navy could have done it. Can’t think of a good reason for it, but they could have done it.

Anyway, I expect more of the same this season. Exciting finds of old coins, maybe some more jewelry and other artifacts but we have to remember the island has been occupied for centuries. Nothing found led to a treason because, frankly, there is no treasure and never was. I wish there was. I wanted there to be a treasure but sometimes reality just slaps you in the face.