The year was 1971. The place: San Rafael, California, a sun-drenched town in Marin County just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Five students at San Rafael High School — Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravitch — called themselves the Waldos, a nickname earned because their preferred hangout was a wall outside the school.

That fall, the Waldos got their hands on something irresistible: a hand-drawn treasure map supposedly leading to an abandoned cannabis crop planted by a Coast Guard member near the Point Reyes Peninsula. The grower reportedly could no longer tend the plants and had passed the map along. The Waldos saw an opportunity for the score of a lifetime.

They agreed to meet after sports practice at 4:20 PM beside the Louis Pasteur statue on campus. The code phrase was simple: "4:20 Louis." They'd pile into a car, smoke on the way, and spend the evening searching for the mythical free crop among the coastal hills.

They never found it. Week after week, the Waldos drove out to Point Reyes, wandered through fog-draped trails, and came back empty-handed — but thoroughly stoned. The treasure hunt eventually faded, but the shorthand stuck. "4:20 Louis" was shortened to just "420" — a discreet code they could drop in hallways, at the dinner table, even in front of parents and teachers. It meant one thing: it's time.

The Waldos have since backed up their claim with physical evidence — postmarked letters, a 420-emblazoned flag, and personal correspondence from the early 1970s — all verified by journalists and researchers. This wasn't retroactive myth-making. The paper trail is real.

Age Verification