Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt
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Submitted by Joe Medallion on Thu, 12/20/2012 - 12:54
In 1952, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch newspapers (at the time one produced the morning edition and the other produced the afternoon edition) devised a contest to go along with the annual Saint Paul Winter Carnival: a treasure hunt. For the first few years, An actual treasure chest was hidden on public property and clues appeared in each edition of the newspaper until the treasure was found. The finders of those chests were allowed to keep them.
For 30 years of hunts, 1958-1987, the treasure was a medallion, a coin per se. In later years, technology came to the aid of hunters, through tools such as metal detectors (and of course there were hunters throwing metal slugs out in parks to try and thwart the metal detectors). In 1988, the Pioneer Press threw a monkeywrench into the works, by making the medallion out of "Laser Beams and 3M Magic", a round chunk of plastic. Metal detectors did no good.
As the hunt has progressed, so has the dollar value of the prize, from a potential $1100 prize in 1952, to $10,000 today, if the finder has a registered winter carnival button and clippings of the clues.
| Year | General Location | Pinpointed Location | Concealer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Highland Park | Leland & W. 7th Street | Treasure Chest in a clump of weeds |
| 1953 | Cherokee Park | Near the tennis courts at Delaware St. and Cherokee Ave. | Snow and dried leaves |
| 1953 | Minnesota State Fairgrounds | Near the Poultry Building | Near the base of a tree |
| 1954 | Hidden Falls Park | Inside the park entrance by the Ford Plant | Inside the base of a dead, hollow tree |
| 1955 | Downtown Saint Paul | Underneath a mailbox at 7th and Robert Streets | Magnetized under the mailbox |
| 1956 | Como Park | Near the Old Stone Fireplace | Inside a Hollow Log |
| 1957 | Battle Creek Park | Near the county workhouse farm | Above ground in a clump of roots |
| 1958 | Keller Park | Under the Highway 61 bridge between Phalen and Keller Parks | In a gallon of milk frozen around the medallion |
| 1959 | Warner Road | Near the railroad signal structures | Between leaves in a tree |
| 1960 | Harriet Island Park | In the woods in the west end of the park | In the heel of a rubber boot |
| 1961 | Highland Park | Near the ballfields at Montreal and Edgecumbe in the fire pit | A clump of grass and weeds |
| 1962 | Mississippi Street Freeway | Near a survey marker for the soon-to-be Interstate 35E, near the intersection of Mississippi St. and Lawson Avenue | Hard-packed snow |
| 1963 | Bounded by Farrington and Louis Sts. and Rondo and Carroll Aves. | On the ground near a hollow stump | Loosely tossed in the snow |
| 1964 | Beaver Lake Park | Near the intersection of Edgewater Blvd. and Geranium Avenue | A gold colored brick |
| 1965 | Como Park | 100 paces east of the Larry Ho plaque | A block of printer's lead |
| 1966 | Harriet Island Park | Between the baseball diamonds | An old-fashioned clothes iron |
| 1967 | Minnesota State Fairgrounds | Between the Judging Arena and the KTCA booth | A horseshoe |
| 1968 | Highland Park | Near three oak trees up the hill from the intersection of Lexington Pkwy, Montreal Ave., and W. 7th St. | A piece of plasterboard |
| 1969 | Interstate 35E at Victoria Street | On the bridge of the then-future highway intersection | Frozen rocks |
| 1970 | Battle Creek Park | On the 50-yard line of the football field on Upper Afton Rd. | A cast iron vise |
| 1971 | Wakefield Park | Near the Southwest edge of the lake | A baby buggy wheel |
| 1972 | Marydale Park | South of the westernmost manhole cover | Attached to a gold-painted gooseneck water trap |
| 1973 | Phalen Park | Near Light Pole # 13 on the Pavilion Parking Lot | Cemented into a closet rod bracket |
| 1974 | Cherokee Park | Between a large oak tree, and a grove of pine trees and large rock directly in line with Winona St. | Inside a Coca Cola can concealed within a White paper bag |
| 1975 | Mears Park | Near the intersection of Sibley and 5th Sts. | In a Bull Durham tobacco sack wedged in a picnic bench |
| 1976 | Keller Park | Underneath the roots of the first tree south of the bridge to the island | In a "Y" shaped tree branch |
| 1977 | Irvine Park | On the ground amid eight trees | Inside a cigar box |
| 1978 | Harriet Island Park | Midway between the road and the pavilion building | Frozen in a ball of milk and ice |
| 1979 | Marthaler Park | Near the tennis courts. | Attached to a piece of tree bark |
| 1980 | Como Park | Near the Schiller Statue | Covered in plaster, made to look like a stone |
| 1981 | Acorn Park | Across the walking path from the skating rink | Stuck between a pair of leaves |
| 1982 | Wakefield Park | Near the sledding hill on Prosperity Ave. | Wrapped in a newspaper |
| 1983 | Phalen Park | Near the picnic pavilion | In a bag of Oreo's; it replaced the filling in one of the cookies |
| 1984 | Newell Park | Near the southeast corner of the park | Attached to a piece of a broken Elvis Presley 45rpm record |
| 1985 | Kellogg Park | Underneath a boulder near the Robert. St. end of the park | Tucked inside a White Castle box |
| 1986 | Highland Park | Near the old Highland Park swimming pool | Inside a pipe cap |
| 1987 | Indian Mounds Park | In the block bordered by Mounds Blvd., Mounds St., and Clemont St. | Hidden in a clump of clay and grass |
| 1988 | Tony Schmidt Park | Between the parking lot and domed shelter across the street from Lake Johanna | Embedded in a chunk of almond bark |
| 1989 | State Capitol Mall | Between the hedges south of Constitution Ave. | In a pair of earmuffs |
| 1990 | Como Park | Pointed at by the torpedo monument | In a clump of clay and grass |
| 1991 | Langford Park | Near the intersection of Knapp Pl. and Knapp St. | Inside a Hostess Sno-Ball |
| 1992 | Cherokee Park | Near the bend in Cherokee Ave. as it makes its way towards Smith Ave. | Hidden in a White Mitten |
| 1993 | Hidden Falls Park | Between the bike path and the entrance road downhill from the North entrance | Concealed in a baby diaper |
| 1994 | Highland Park | Near the Police Station | Inside a wooden box |
| 1995 | Battle Creek Park | Near the picnic shelter on Winthrop St. | Wrapped in a knit yarn pouch |
| 1996 | Harriet Island Park | Near the picnic shelter | Inside a Skoal Tobacco Container |
| 1997 | Como Park | Across Estabrook Drive from the frog pond, in a stand of 27 trees | Wrapped in a bandana stuffed in a Curad bandage box |
| 1998 | Cherokee Park | Near the woods at the south end of the park | Inside an "Old Navy" brand sock |
| 1999 | Conway Rec. Center | Across the street from 459 Ruth St. in the Northwest corner of the park | Inside a crocheted pouch |
| 2000 | Newell Park | Between the bench swing and baseball diamond | Inside a box of Ace brand playing cards |
| 2001 | Como Park | Downhill from the park's West Picnic Grounds. | Inside an "Iron Man" sock, stuffed into a "Dove" soap box |
| 2002 | Merriam Park | On the ground in the middle of a baseball diamond | Stuck to a tortilla chip can liner |
| 2003 | Como Park | In a wooded area north of the old fireplace | Frozen in ice |
| 2004 | Phalen Park | In a wooded area, in the area between Phalen and Round Lakes, not unlike the 2003 location | Loose in the snow in a green-iced donut |
| 2005 | Crosby Farm Park | Under a fallen tree branch | Attached to the bark of a tree |
| 2005 | Indian Mounds Park | Under a tree in the Eastern end of the park | |
| 2006 | Battle Creek Park | Amidst some tall grass near a stand of pine trees on the sledding hill behind the recreation center | Inside a Nut Goodie Wrapper, wrapped in a red and black garter and frozen in ice |
| 2007 | Hidden Falls Park | Along a line straight South of Cleveland Avenue | Encased in ice, with the UAW Local 879 and Ford Logos under some logs |
| 2007 | Central Park - Roseville | Near the base of a tree, close to a footbridge to the playground | Nothing |
| 2008 | Indian Mounds Park | Underneath a fallen tree | Plastic-covered packaging from 3M Highland brand invisible tape |
| 2009 | Swede Hollow Park | Near a tree at the end of the spring whose water crosses the eastern walking path. | The Pioneer Press Hunt logo with red lipstick on the bulldog was affixed to the medallion |
| 2010 | Lilydale Park | Tucked in a footprint in the snow near an uprooted tree, across the river from grain silos and a circular piling in the river. | Plastic bag, with a depiction of the Pioneer Press's two Pulitzer Prizes. |
| 2011 | Battle Creek Park | Near the remnants of the former ski jump site | Clear Newspaper Wrapping |
| 2012 | Tony Schmidt Park | Near a stand of pine trees just off the Elmer Andersen Trail underneath the overhead power lines | A diamond brand nut bag wrapped up in a blue hair binder |
| 2013 | Cherokee Park | Near Annapolis Street, by a tree that had grown into a chain link fence. | Ice |
| 2014 | Como Park | To the aft of the USS Swordfish memorial, near Lexington and Estabrook | Inside a pocket from a pair of jeans. |
| 2015 | Snail Lake Park | Next to a tree near sledding hill above volleyball court | Wrapped in cloth frozen in a block of ice |
| 2016 | Bald Eagle Lake Park | In the woods near the boat ramp on Bald Eagle Lake | Cigar leaves and a wet nap, wrapped in a plastic bag |
| 2017 | Keller Park | In the woods between Keller Parkway and Spoon Lake | A chunk of ice, stepped on by a boot |
| 2018 | Harriet Island Regional Park | In west parking lot in a snowbank | Inside a football fashioned from a cup koozie |
| 2019 | Long Lake regional Park | 10 paces off the path between the beach and boat launch west of Devine | Frozen in leaves |
| 2020 | Highland Park | Near the Edgcumbe Road Bridge over the ravine | A pile of sticks |
| 2021 | West Park, White Bear Lake | About 40 feet north of the park sign, 6 feet in from the street | A mini face mask |
| 2022 | Silverwood Park | In the overflow parking lot/field | Frozen in ice inside a COVID at-home test kit box |
| 2023 | Phalen Park | On the Hill Between the Park Entrance and the Beach House | A Can of Corn |
| 2024 | Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary | Up a small hill from the closest trail to the railroad tracks in line with Cherry Street | A sawdust covered acrylic cube |
