Joe Miller came within 15 feet of finding the Defeat of Jesse James Days Horseshoe in 2012.
Copyright 2013 Northfield News.
The Northfielder turned the tables in 2013, finding the coveted horseshoe at 7:12 a.m. Friday morning with scads of people all around him searching within that same 15-foot radius.
Miller and his daughter Sarah, a junior at Northfield High School, could have found the horseshoe minutes earlier, but when Joe saw a laminated tag sticking out of the tall grass (attached to the horseshoe), he just figured it was trash. But his conscience got the better of him and when he returned to pick up the trash, he saw the words “You Won” on the tag.
“I really thought it was trash,” said Miller, who was in the tall grass behind the thin fence on the back pond in Spring Creek Park. “I ignored it at first because I was looking for a horseshoe. I went back a minute later and saw the tag again, but only this time I saw the words.”
When her father yelled out “I FOUND IT,” Sarah didn’t quite believe him, noting that the night before in complete darkness he thought he had found it. When the two shined their flashlights on what he thought was the horseshoe and got a better look, it turned out to be a rock.
But when he held up the horseshoe on Friday morning, Sarah saw he’d actually located the shoe and she was elated. At the same time, the two could hear a collective “moan” as the 20-30 people searching in the area knew this wouldn’t be their year.
“After the letdown, people started giving us high fives,” Joe said. “They were genuinely happy for us.”
It was only by fate and Joe’s curiosity that the Millers even took part in the 2013 hunt. After seeing the first few clues and not having any inkling of even the general area in which it was hidden, the family decided not to get involved.
But on Thursday night, Sarah and her father “happened” to read the clues and knew the horseshoe had to be in Spring Creek Park. That’s when they grabbed flashlights and hunted until 10 p.m. They decided they would get down to Spring Creek early on Friday and wait with the others who had arrived for the last clue.
“We waited to hear the clue on the radio, and as they read it, people were already getting out of their cars and running out into the park,” Sarah said. “There had to be 20-30 people who ran to the south end of the park.”
Because the Miller’s DJJD button was registered, they will receive the $900 prize. Joe said that a good chunk of the prize would be donated to the Pregnancy Crisis Center in Northfield, while the rest will be used for “other things.”
“We’ll definitely use some of it to eat out locally as a family,” Joe said. “This is a fun family event, and a lot of fun whether you find it or not. OK, it’s more fun when you find it.”
Reach Managing Editor Jerry Smith at 645-1136, or follow him on Twitter.com
