The Curse Of Oak Island Find That Has Fans At The End Of Their Ropes

Rick and Marty Lagina have led excavation after excavation on the legendary Oak Island in the hopes of finding one of its supposed lost treasures. Through more than 100 episodes of the History Channel's "The Curse of Oak Island," the brothers have made some notable discoveries, but they have yet to find their desired hidden treasure or solve one of Canada's most infamous mysteries.

The island itself has absorbed numerous legends over the years and attracted treasure hunters seeking everything from a supposed hidden fortune left behind by the legendary Captain Kidd to other dubious riches like lost William Shakespeare manuscripts and jewels belonging to Marie Antoinette. Although the excavations have not yet fulfilled the promise of finding whatever hidden riches are on the island, that has not stopped the Lagina brothers, who sometimes even look at their failures as reasons to keep going in their years-long search.

Some discoveries, however, have not sat as well with viewers committed to the show, and one recent "find" has many at the end of their ropes.

In the Season 9 episode "Eyes and Boot in the Ground," the crew is digging in the island's infamous money pit when an odd item is found: a rubber boot, one that is quickly connected to late American President Franklin D. Roosevelt (via YouTube). At 27, Roosevelt helped finance the Old Gold Salvage and Wrecking Company, which led an excavation in the same area but only walked away with gold shavings. The connection is made through a marking on the rubber boot reading Kaufman, which was a Canadian rubber company producing such boots in the early 1900s, timing it with Roosevelt's excavation.

"Curse of Oak Island" fans on Reddit have been pushed to the end of their ropes with the latest "discovery," eliciting sympathy for the gold-seeking brothers. "The rubber boot was like a punch to the gut for me. I really felt for the boys. Seeing their dreams crushed in an instant by an old piece of footwear was tough," u/Ok-Sheepherder8987 wrote. "I'm going to be very disappointed if they don't make a field trip to the FDR Presidential Library down in New York with that stupid boot," said u/Abdul-Ahmadinejad.

The boot, however, did not deter the Lagina brothers, who see it as a reason to keep going. "It's a clue. ... It's a reason to keep going and to stay vigilant and hopeful," Rick Lagina told cameras after the discovery.