Man finds message in a bottle sent in 2001

FARGO, N.D. (CNN/KVLY) - A North Dakota man found a message in a bottle sent more than a decade ago. But it's not from an island castaway.

Gary Hanson never thought he would find hidden treasures in the Sheyenne, but you might call this the Red River Valley version of hitting gold. A high tide sent a time capsule in a plastic bottle right into Hanson's backyard.

When Hanson opened the bottle, he found a note inside from a 2001 7th grade geography class studying the currents of the Sheyenne. The note asked: "Where did you find the bottle? When did you find the bottle? What shape was it in?" The class had only expected the bottle to journey in the river for a few days, not for more than 10 years.

Also inside was a self-addressed envelope, now a few cents short on stamps. Hanson plans to reply to the class. "The fact that it finally made it somewhere is pretty incredible," he said.