OAK ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA — In January 1965, a five-page article quietly appeared in Reader’s Digest, a publication found in millions of homes across North America. Penned by staff writer David MacDonald, the piece was titled simply: “Oak Island’s Mysterious Money Pit.” Yet its impact was anything but simple—it ignited imaginations, revived a legendary mystery, and ultimately changed lives.
One of those lives was a young boy named Rick Lagina.
“I was 11 years old and in Catholic school,” Rick recalled. “That article gripped me, and I was hooked.” His younger brother Marty, just nine at the time, was equally enthralled. “It had everything—treasure, mystery, booby traps, adventure,” said Marty. “And your big brother’s excited too. That’s powerful.”
Decades later, the Lagina brothers turned that childhood fascination into reality. In the early 2000s, they traveled to Oak Island uninvited, driven by the same wonder they’d felt as boys. At the end of the causeway, they met treasure-hunting legend Dan Blankenship.
“He saw us carrying wine and flowers and said, ‘Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.’ I told him, ‘We’re Italians.’ He replied, ‘Worse yet!’” Marty laughed.
That chance meeting led to a partnership. In 2006, the Laginas, along with Michigan-based partners Craig Tester and Alan Kostrzewa, joined Blankenship’s company, Oak Island Tours Inc. Together, they reignited the search for the legendary treasure said to be buried deep beneath the island’s infamous Money Pit.
Digging Deeper
From the outset, the Laginas brought a fresh approach. They explored overlooked areas like the island’s triangle-shaped swamp and soon made their first major find: a Spanish 8 Reales coin dated 1652.
“That’s the first thing I’ve held in my hands since I got here almost 48 years ago,” Dan said emotionally. For the veteran treasure hunter, it was a powerful moment of validation.
In 2016, the team discovered a cache of artifacts—including coins and musket parts—dating to the mid-1700s. The clues kept mounting, and the list of possible culprits grew: the British, French military, Freemasons, even the Knights Templar.
Tragedy struck in 2019 when Dan Blankenship passed away. “What we really wanted was to give Dan his breakthrough,” Rick said solemnly. “We’ll keep trying.”
Modern Science Meets Ancient Mystery
In the years since, the Laginas have leaned heavily on science. Archaeologists, geologists, and metallurgists now work alongside them. In 2023, when flooding hit the Garden Shaft, tests showed the water had a high salinity—strong evidence of a centuries-old flood tunnel system, long suspected to protect a hidden vault.
But as Rick often says, “You have to prove it. You have to find something.”
Full Circle
In 2015—exactly 50 years after the original Reader’s Digest article—a special guest joined the team in the Oak Island war room: David MacDonald himself.
“You’re the one that caused all this trouble,” Marty joked. Rick added, “You didn’t change the history of the world, David, but you certainly changed ours.”
MacDonald smiled. “I guess I did.”
The moment marked a powerful full-circle moment—not just for the Laginas, but for the legend of Oak Island itself.
From five pages to five decades, a magazine story planted the seed. The treasure has yet to be confirmed, but the real gold may be the unwavering belief that it’s still out there, waiting.
