U.S.

Classmates Can't Find 38-Year-Old Time Capsule

Minnesota classmates came together to unearth a 38-year-old time capsule, but they had a tough time locating it and eventually gave up on the search.

Classmates Can't Find 38-Year-Old Time Capsule
KARE
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Classmates in Minnesota are trying to dig up a time capsule they buried outside their elementary school 38 years ago. But the task is apparently easier said than done. 

KARE"We really thought we would find it within a few minutes."

"We do know it's here, though, because that's the science room, and it was right out here."

The group told the school's current principal they were only going to dig a small hole. But after digging, digging and more digging, they decided to call it quits. 

KARE: "I think it's time we decided to refill the hole."

The classmates seem lighthearted about it all and were pleased to catch up with one another. But what happened to their time capsule? 

KARE shared the story to its Facebook page, and viewers had plenty of advice about what they should've done decades ago like mark where it was buried or plant a tree there. To find the capsule, commenters suggested using a metal detector.

And there was speculation, of course:

ROBIN MEADE VIA HLN: "So in all of that time, did they have, I don't know, new landscaping put in or something, and did somebody unearth it first?"

Which might sound hard to believe, but it happens. 

A 2001 article from The Wall Street Journal explains many capsules are stolen before they're scheduled to be dug up. 

Oglethorpe University has a list of the most sought-after time capsules from the International Time Capsule Society. No. 1? The Bicentennial Wagon Train Time Capsule, which held the signatures of 22 million Americans. The capsule disappeared before its burial, and it's still missing today. 

We can't imagine the classmates' capsule is as sought-after, but it's still unclear where exactly it is.