After decades of rivalry between Dan Blankenship and fellow treasure hunter Fred Nolan, Rick and Marty Lagina broker a historic agreement to work together. Rick first obtains Dan's blessing, which Dan gives with mixed emotions, acknowledging that the infighting has accomplished nothing. Fred Nolan, now 87, arrives at the War Room and agrees to cooperate. Nolan reveals his theory about the treasure's origin: during the American Revolution, King George III ordered British generals to gather gold, silver, and jewels from the colonies and ship them to Halifax for safekeeping. According to Nolan, a group of officers conspired to hide a large portion on Oak Island as both compensation and insurance against an uncertain future. After decades of secrecy, Nolan declares he no longer wants to be an obstacle and is ready to share his research.
Nolan brings his detailed survey maps to the War Room, representing over 50 years and 104 maps of meticulous fieldwork. Unlike most treasure hunters who focused on the Money Pit, Nolan spent his career documenting the numerous mysterious stone markers, carvings, and surface features across the entire island. His maps mark the locations of dozens of boulder formations and carved stones that he believes form a deliberate pattern. He identifies a specific drilling site on his property that he considers a high-priority target based on his long study of these markers.
The team conducts its first joint drilling operation on Nolan's property near the center of the island. The site sits on the western half of Oak Island, which is composed of compacted slate bedrock rather than the anhydrite limestone found on the eastern side near the Money Pit. Craig Tester notes that a cavity in slate cannot form naturally, meaning any void they hit would almost certainly be man-made. Well driller Jordan Rogers begins drilling and strikes metal at approximately 11 feet. A high-definition camera lowered into the hole confirms the presence of a metal object. Jordan attempts to bypass the obstruction by drilling further into the slate, reaching 30 feet without encountering the cavity that Nolan expected. The result is disappointing but the metal contact at 11 feet remains unexplained.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the January 1965 Reader's Digest article that first inspired Rick and Marty, and the 220th year of the Oak Island treasure hunt, the team creates a time capsule using a piece of drill casing fabricated by Dave Blankenship. Each member contributes a personal item: Marty includes a sealed letter with predictions about the future and ten Canadian dollars for postage, Rick inserts a copy of the original Reader's Digest issue, and others add mementos. Rick reads an emotional letter addressed to future searchers, thanking his brother, Dan Blankenship, and Dave, and concluding that taking care of one another is the real treasure in life. Dave welds the capsule shut and the team buries it at the Bicentennial Memorial near the causeway.
With the Nolan partnership now in place, virtually every acre of Oak Island is available for exploration for the first time. The team has inherited not only 220 years of treasure hunting history but also Fred Nolan's irreplaceable five decades of survey data, stone marker documentation, and drilling records. Rick and Marty leave the week more determined than ever, with new sites to investigate on Nolan's property, the swamp, and the Money Pit area.
