2018 Mesabi Daily News Medallion Hunt

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Hunt information
Dates:
First Clue:Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Found on:Friday, December 7, 2018
Finders:
NameHometown
Kelsey Mattson Biwabik
Joe Pugleasa Biwabik
Prize:
Maximum Prize:$500 gift card
Awarded Prize:$500 gift card
Location:
General Location:Vermilion Trail Park, Biwabik
Exact Location:Along the pathway
Concealer:Inside one of the large rocks along the path
Clues
Published on Tuesday, November 27, 2018
The medallion hunt, now in the seventh year
Is sure to lead to prosperous cheer
Follow the path these clues provide
And the Midas touch may be yours, while seeking what Santa took time to hide
Explanation:
While the first clue is generally rather ambiguous, there are hints hidden in Clue One. “Prosperous” refers to the gold prospectors who tread the Old Vermilion Trail. The marker up the “path”way (line three) from where the medallion was hidden reads, in part: “On this spot stood the gold prospectors on their way to Lake Vermilion in 1865…”

“Midas touch” is a reference to gold, as in gold prospectors. And “took time” — the trail is part of history, from a long time ago.
 
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Published on Wednesday, November 28, 2018
The first of its kind in more than one way
Its neighbor’s identity was not one to stay
The value here, however, never disappears
Just a change, you might say, a shifting of gears
Explanation:
Biwabik was “the first of its kind — in more than one way.” It was the first Iron Range town to be incorporated as a village. It was also the first to be served by two railroads and it had the first large iron ore mine, which was the first to use a steam shovel. “One way” is also a reference to the “One Way” sign not far from where the medallion was hidden.

“Its neighbor’s identity” that was “not one to stay” refers to the once adjacent town of Merritt, which overlooked Embarrass Lake and was named after the pioneering Merritt brothers. Merritt’s inhabitants eventually moved to Biwabik.

The Ojibwe word, “Biwabik,” means “valuable” (line three). While originally a mining town, the value of the area has never disappeared. Giants Ridge was built nearby, etc., providing a recreational and tourist hub. There was a “shifting of gears,” which, as stated in the story, refers to the paved Mesabi Trail, used often by cyclists.
 
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Published on Thursday, November 29, 2018
Farther north is Santa’s home, but he likes it here, too
Especially because there is so much to do
A diamond in the rough it may have begun
But all arrows now point to loads of fun
Explanation:
Santa enjoys Biwabik. After all, he stops by each year during Weihnachtsfest, where all around there is so much to do. Like skiing or boarding at the nearby Giants Ridge, which is almost due “north” of the medallion’s hiding spot.

“Diamond,” as in “black diamond,” is a skiing term designating a run’s difficulty. And, Giant’s Ridge began as a “diamond in the rough,” founded by a group of local families who wanted a place to ski other than the rugged and rocky mine dumps. In 1956 they “went to work with axes, ropes, and borrowed equipment to blaze a ski run out of the woods,” according to the Giants Ridge website.

And, as Mattson pointed out, the Black Diamond Sports Bar is located in Biwabik.

In the clue’s last line, “all arrows,” is a reference to the arrows on a compass. Every direction from the hiding spot points to fun — Giants Ridge and its golf courses, Embarrass Lake and its beach, the Vermilion Trail Campground and the city of Biwabik. “Arrows” is also a Native American reference; the Old Vermilion Trail marker talks about the history of the trail and the Native Americans who followed its path.

And “loads” is a mining or railroad reference.
 
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Published on Friday, November 30, 2018
A famed explorer arrived here, a long time ago;
Twofold footprints left in the snow
One of many who tread these parts; this tale often retold
With the names of townsfolk to never grow old
Explanation:
While the medallion winners thought this clue was a reference to the Merritt brothers, who are mentioned on the marker (and that’s partially true, as in “famed explorer”), the clue is more about the town’s famous Honk the Moose, a real critter who explored Biwabik in 1915, leaving a set of “four” tracks as he tread in the snow.

Honk was one of many explorers in these parts, and his story became the inspiration for a children’s book, written by author Phil Stong, who was a Biwabik school teacher in the 1920s.

The book documented the real-life “names of townsfolk.”

Additionally, the historical marker talks of the “moccasins” (“footprints”) of the Native Americans who tread the trail.
 
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Published on Saturday, December 1, 2018
Santa is smiling, for it’s finally December First
The kiddies are happy and he’s nearly ready to burst
With excitement for the big day ahead
When dressed in scarlet he’ll ride through the sky aboard his deer-drawn sled
Explanation:
As mentioned in the story, this clue points to Weihnachtsfest, held this year on Dec. 1. The winter festival is famous for its fireworks display (“ready to burst” and “through the sky”). And this year, there was the addition of a Kinderfest for children (“kiddies” in line two).

Santa is dressed in “scarlet,” another way to say the color, “vermilion,” as in Old Vermilion Trail. His “deer-drawn” sled is an additional reference to Honk, who, as a moose, was a member of the deer family. Not to mention, horse-“drawn” wagon rides are part of Weihnachtsfest.
 
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Published on Sunday, December 2, 2018
We have reached the halfway point on this medallion expedition
Trading ideas with companions is allowed on this mission
As you hunt for the prize you may need some nutrition
Luckily nearby is a family tradition
Explanation:
There are references in this clue based on the Old Vermilion Trail historical marker, which talks about the expedition of those who used its path to “hunt” and to “trade.” The location of the medallion is also part-way along the trail.

The last two lines refer to Vi’s Pizza, Biwabik’s “family tradition.”
 
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Published on Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Open your eyes and look all around
This time of year there is not as much sound
Where one will go to shoot down the slides
Is within range and a number of strides
Explanation:
The historical marker implores visitors to “close your eyes” to imagine the pioneers who discovered the area. If you open them and look all around, you will come across the playground (which contains two “slides”) within view of the medallion’s location. There is also a basketball hoop (“shoot”) nearby.

They are all within a number of steps, or “strides,” from the hiding spot.

Also, there is “not as much sound” at the playground and beach area during the winter as during the summer.
 
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Published on Wednesday, December 5, 2018
While you may be getting warmer on this quest to be the first to discover
What the elf for the ages has left to uncover
Still, bundle up, as rosy cheeks are aglow
When the thermometer dips to an all-time low
Explanation:
“Getting warmer,” “bundle up” and “aglow” are references in this clue to the nearby Vermilion Trail Campground, which has more than 40 campsites and sells firewood for campfires.

Santa is an elf “for the ages” — he has endured for a very long time, as has the history of the trail.

The last two lines are references to “Embarrass.” If you are embarrassed, your cheeks may become rosy. Rosy (red) ties back to the color vermilion, as well.

“The thermometer dips low,” as the winners surmised, essentially alludes to Embarrass, which boasts itself as the state’s “Cold Spot.” While Tower officially holds the record at 60 degrees below zero in 1996, Embarrass’ thermometer had malfunctioned that day, and it unofficially reported a temperature of 64-below.

However, in this clue, Embarrass stands for Embarrass Lake in Biwabik.
 
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Published on Thursday, December 6, 2018
By foot and by wheel, passage here it is told
Has never been stunted; it’s name now fourfold
It’s counterpart runs nearby, it will point you toward the prize
Looking for the right place to take a load off would be rather wise
Explanation:
This clue references both the Vermilion Trail and the Mesabi Trail. Both have been traveled “by foot and by wheel.” According to the historical marker, George Riley Stuntz (“stunted”) constructed the road along the Vermilion Trail from Duluth in 1869 (now County Highway 4).

The road, when looking at a map, has at least “four” names as it extends from Biwabik to Duluth: Vermilion Trail, Highway 4, Rudy Perpich Memorial Drive, and Rice Lake Road.

A small portion of its “counterpart” trail, the Mesabi Trail, runs from near the historical maker toward the medallion’s location.

The last line is an attempt to get medallion hunters who are standing on the path looking at the rock were it is hidden to notice that a bench (“take a load off”) is just off to the “right.”
 
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Published on Friday, December 7, 2018
It’s natural in this vicinity to feel a sense of history
Much of the original people who rove here remains much a mystery
Oui, it is true, later many more would roam
Their stories passed on; never to be completely unknown
Explanation:
The historical marker reads in part: “If you feel a sense of history as you stand on this spot, it is natural that you should.” It goes on to state: “The history of the Vermilion Trail, from Lake Vermilion (near the present day Tower) to Lake Superior (at Duluth) can be traced to the original peoples of the Laurel Culture of a thousand years ago.” Much of that culture “remains much a mystery.”

“Oui” (“yes” in French) it’s true that, as the maker says, “later would come the French Voyageurs trading with the Ojibwa for furs to ship to Europe.”

Their stories are a part of history, not “completely unknown.” And, if you recall, Iron Range native Bob Dylan sang the song, “Like a Rolling Stone.” Remember the line, “like a complete unknown?”

The medallion is located among the “stones.”
 
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Did you honk on your way through the themed little village
By now, surely you know the loot is not in the downtown to pillage
The marker ahead will get you much closer, once there just continue down the way
One on each side and many more lined up, all of them gray
Explanation:
Did you “honk” (as in Honk the Moose, who is honored with a fiberglass statue in the city park), as you drove through town? You would have passed by him if going through Biwabik, a Bavarian-“themed” village.

The “marker” is the Old Vermilion Trail historical marker. Down the trail is the medallion, hidden inside one of the many “lined-up gray” rocks, which are similar to the two boulders you will first encounter “on each side” of the pathway.
 
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A stone’s throw from where you go to fish and to swim
So many to choose from; difficult to pick just one on a whim
From the pole, Santa will arrive on the twenty-fifth day
Search around a group of five and you will bring home the pay
Explanation:
The medallion is located tucked inside a “stone” not far (“stone’s throw”) from Embarrass Lake, where people fish and swim.

There are many rocks to “choose from,” but the correct one to explore is near a “pole,” and about the “25th” rock when facing the lake and counting from left to right. It is also part of a group of five boulders.
 
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