1965
- January 20
- M.R. Chappell and Robert Restall sign new contract, agreeing to pay Restall 30 percent of net amount of treasure. [1.216]
- July 15
- Geologist Robert Dunfield signs a contract with Robert Restall, investing $5000 with an option for another $5000. [1.222]
- July 16
- Robert Restall begins a second shaft between the Cave-in Pit and the Money Pit to intercept the water tunnel. [1.223]
- August 17
- Robert Restall falls in the new shaft while looking down from top at progress on the work below. Son Bobby Restall runs to his aid, but also falls in. Karl Graeser starts down the ladder, but loses consciousness and falls in. Cyril Hiltz also falls from the ladder. Andrew Demont also falls in. Leonard Kaizer falls in as well. Visiting New York firefighter Edward White is able to get a rope around Kaizer, and others pull him up. White is also able to get Demont out. Either a foul odor from the water below, or carbon monoxide from the gas pump had overcome the four others, and they drowned in the water. The shaft is 10 x 30 feet, 27 feet deep, with 3-4 feet of water at bottom. [1.225] [4.131]
- (month unknown)
- Robert Dunfield is put in charge of continuing operations for the remainder of the Restall Contract to the end of the year. He proposes using a 70 ton digging crane with 90 foot boom and large excavating bucket, capable of digging a hole 100 feet in diameter down to 200 feet, and also using a 110,000 gallon per hour water pump. [1.230] [4.136]
- Two large bulldozers remove a layer of soil 12 feet deep from the area of the Money Pit, exposing old shafts and timbers. [4.136]
- Tons of clay are pushed over the beach of Smith's Cove to attempt to block the flood tunnel. [4.136]
- October 7
- Dunfield builds a causeway between the mainland and the west end of the island for heavy equipment to be driven over.
- October 16
- The causeway to the mainland is complete. 15,000 cubic yards of fill was used to construct the 600-foot long causeway. [4.137]
- October
- Robert Dunfield brings a 70-ton digging crane to the island. Along the south shore, he has a 200-foot long trench dug 20 feet deep, looking for flood tunnels. He finds a re-filled 8-foot diameter shaft with no cribbing, assumed to be pre-1795 as there is no record of it being dug by treasure hunters. The shaft is dig to 45 feet, but no flood tunnel is found. This shaft is 25 feet of the stone triangle. [4.139]
- The Atlantic Advocate publishes an article on Oak Island, suggesting the Money Pit is simply a sinkhole over a limestone formation, or a fault line that gradually filled in with fallen trees and debris. [4.150]
- November
- Robert Dunfield starts work excavating the Money Pit. Digging gets to 140 feet deep, with a width of 100 feet. Heavy rain during excavation cause sides of pit to often cave-in. The screened soil truns up pieces of porcelain dishware possibly made in 1700s. [4.139]
- November 29
- Robert Dunfield issues a status report for investors. A contract extension was obtained to the end of August 1966, but funds to continue work are running low. Since taking over, $60,000 has been spent. Four major investors add $27,000 more. Operations soon end for Winter. [1.230]
1966
- (month unknown)
- After about two months work on the Money Pit, Robert Dunfield refills the pit to provide a solid platform for drilling. [4.139]
- Robert Dunfield drills 6-inch diameter holes in the Money Pit area down to almost 190 feet. At 140 feet, a 2-foot layer of limestone is struck. After that, the drill drops through a 40-foot void to bedrock. [4.139]
- After drilling the Money Pit, Robert Dunfield concentrates work on the Cave-in Pit. The pit is excavated to 108 feet. Again, heavy rain cause the sides to cave in, and work is halted. [4.140]
- Frederick Nolan purchases land at Crandall's Point abutting the entrance to the causeway, then barricades it, in retaliation for Dunfield denying him use of the causeway. [4.156]
- April
- Robert Dunfield abandons the project, returning to California. [4.140]
- May 3
- Robert Dunfield issues a status report and geological sketches. No more work is done. An estimated $131,000 was spent since August. [1.230] [4.140]
- August
- Robert Dunfield's lease with Mel Chappell terminates. [4.140]
- (month unknown)
- Daniel Blankenship and David Tobias deepen the south shore shaft. At 60 feet they uncover an ancient hand-wrought nail, and something resembling a metal nut or washer. At 90 feet down, find layer of round granite stones about six inches in diameter, laying in a pool of stagnant water. [4.161]
1967
- (month unknown)
- Frederick Nolan builds a museum on Crandall's Point, where he displays artifacts he find. [4.159]
- David Tobias and Daniel Blankenship drill about 60 holes in the area of the Money Pit over the year. They learn of caverns or tunnels in the bedrock, with ceilings of wood planks or logs. The bedrock starts 160-170 feet below the surface, with wood found about 40 feet below bedrock. [4.161]
- Daniel Blankenship digs up part of Smith's Cove beach, finding coconut fiber, the remains of the old drainage system, and a pair of wrought iron scissors. The fiber is confirmed authentic by botanists. The scissors are said by former curator of Smithsonian's Historical Archaeology division to be of a 300-year old pattern. Also found are a chiseled heart-shaped stone, and a metal set-square dated to pre-1780. [4.162]
1968
- (month unknown)
- David Tobias makes a six month agreement with Frederick Nolan, paying $1000 for right to cross Crandall's Point land. [4.156]
1969
- (month unknown)
- Frederick Nolan drains the swamp on his land, finding numerous markers and objects possibly from pre-1795: rocks with holes bored or chiseled, some with metal inserted into surface, piece of wood with iron hinges, beach stones, old wood, and metal. Most interesting is a piece of sandstone of square cross-section, cut by man, standing erect, may have been used as a surveryor's monument. [4.156]
- April
- David Tobias forms Triton Alliance Limited. President is Tobias, field operation director Daniel Blankenship. Shareholders include Charles Brown, George Jennison, Bill Sobey, Bill Parkins, Gordon Coles, Mel Chappell. [4.156]
1970
- (month unknown)
- A 400-foot long cofferdam is built around the perimeter of Smith's Cove, 50 feet further out than earlier dams. After it is built, a large U-shaped wooden structure is uncovered below low tide. It is made of several 2-foot thick logs, 30-65 feet long, notched at 4-foot intervals, with Roman numerals carved beside each notch. The notches had been bored and some contain 2-inch thick wooden dowels. Experts conclude this was an ancient wharf or remains of workings in construction of original cofferdam. [4.162]
1971
- (month unknown)
- Frederick Nolan is granted a treaure trove license, and starts digging holes on his land. [4.156]
- November
- Frederick Nolan and Triton Alliance sign agreement to share treasure searching information, that Triton would receive 40 percent of any treasure recovered on Nolan's land, and allows both access across each other's land. [4.159]
1972
- (month unknown)
- A meeting is held of the Canadian Institute of Surveying and Mapping, held at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. George Bates is a guest speaker. He reviews the history of pirate activity on the Atlantic Canada coast. He suggests what was found on Oak Island in 1795 was the remains of a pirate shipyard. The artificial beach was possibly lowered to accomodate the draft of incoming ships. A hollow chamber below the island would have been used to drain Smith's Cove, then pumped out with windmill when a ship's repairs were completed. [4.142]
1973
- (month unknown)
- Frederick Nolan digs a hole 650-feet northwest of the Money Pit. He digs to 35 feet, finding nothing. [4.156]
1975
- October 28
- An engineering firm is excavating an area of the Western Shore Community on the mainland, about 3000 feet North of Oak Island. An excavator hits supposed bedrock 7 feet below ground, but then breaks through, making a 3 feet wide hole. Workers can see water 6 feet below the shell top. Measuring the depth reveals it to be 52 feet deep. A man is lowered into the hole, noting the width to be about 8 feet, extending about 30 feet forward. There could be a similar cavern below Oak Island, of limestone, causing occasional drops in earth above. [4.144]
1977
- June
- David Tobias acquires Mel Chappell's land. [4.156]
1978
- (month unknown)
- The book The Oak Island Quest is published, written by William Crooker. [4.ix]
1981
- (month unknown)
- Fred Nolan discovers five cone-topped boulders on the surface of his land laid out forming a Latin cross. The boulders are 8 feet wide, 9 feet high, all pointing up. At the intersection of the lines of the cross is an unusual stone resembling a human head. The cross is 720 feet wide, 867 feet from top to bottom. The arms and stem meet at right-angles. No other similar boulders exist on the island. [4.174]
1983
- January
- Triton Alliance launches a lawsuit versus Frederick Nolan, over the seven lots he acquired from the heirs of Sellers, and over access across Crandall's Point to the causeway. [4.156]
1985
- December
- The lawsuit trial of Triton Alliance versus Frederick Nolan. Triton loses the case with respect to Nolan's title to the seven lots. Nolan is to pay $15,000 to Triton for interfering with their tourist busines, and to remove part of the museum he built over the access road to the causeway. Triton appeals. [4.160]
1987
- November
- On appeal of the 1985 ruling, Triton Alliance loses again. In a cross-appeal, the court reduces damages to $500, but Nolan is still ordered to remove the part of his museum over the road. [4.160]
1991
- (month unknown)
- (Summer) Triton Alliance applies to Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency for $12 million in loan guarantee. They are turned down. [4.168]
- September 9
- A newspaper article (likely in Halifax) appears about Carl Mosher. Mosher says in about 1925 his grandmother showed him a wooden trunk containing about 25 heavy white canvas bags of gold. His grandmother was Lucy Vaughan, relative of Anthony Vaughan, one of the diggers of 1795. The trunk was said to have come from Oak Island. At some point, Uncle Edward Vaughan took the trunk, and disappeared, leaving his property, business, wife, and family. [4.215]
1992
- July 18
- Newspaper The Halifax Herald reports a new discovery on Oak Island, a Latin cross formed by huge boulders. [4.182]
1993
- (month unknown)
- Nimbus Publishing Company publishes the book Oak Island Gold, by William Crooker. [4]
1995
- August
- On Oak Island, a memorial service is held in honor of the men who died on the island. A monument and bronze plaque is unveiled. [1.234]
1999
- (month unknown)
- Formac Publishing Company publishes the book Oak Island and its Lost Treasure, written by Graham Harris and Les MacPhie. [3]
2006
- (month unknown)
- The book Oak Island Obsession - The Restall Story is published, written by Lee Lamb, daughter of Robert Restall. [1]
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