1954 Clues
Lies his treasure chest.
A road's nearby and if you're sly,
These clues will solve your quest.
Will you be the one to find his bounty?
And if you really want it all,
Confine your search just to St. Paul.
Ever since we went to school;
Don't risk your neck in dangerous pursuit,
For even a child could find this loot.
It's not private property the treasure's on.
But you can see a river or a lake,
And that, my friends, is the route to take.
Will lead you to the treasure load.
Add up these clues, day by day,
For a thousand dollars you may take away.
To guard it 'gainst Vulcan's thieves;
Underbrush lies here and there,
We hope you find the treasure's lair.
The father of Waters—the Mississippi.
Join in the spirit of Carnival fun,
Seek your fortune that's under the sun.
An elongated object for a clue;
And if it's clear, there can be seen,
What one could call a structure of green.
Was born in conflict, another day;
And if you need another clue,
Part of a tower's in your view
From the Pioneer Press lies the Carnival treasure.
And if you really want a clue,
The river's between a smokestack and you.
Tin cans lie nearby to reflect the sunshine.
And if you manage to find this spot,
Take care, my friend, you're really hot.
Is where we've hid King Boreas' loot.
The opening is covered with dirt and moss;
Throw it away with a mighty toss.
Telling you exactly what to do;
Go south on Mississippi Boulevard, beyond Ford's plant,
Turn right down a road that has a slant;
Again to the right at the first ingress,
Then follow the road to the treasure chest.
We've had fun, we must confess,
Good hunting from the Dispatch-Pioneer Press.
During the 1990’s, the St Paul Pioneer Press opened online discussion forums. These forums were called Water Coolers. The forums had discussion topics related to sports, politics, news, and current events. Each year, the Pioneer Planet – the online section of the Pioneer Press – opened a discussion forum as a media for hunters to discuss the clues for the Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt.
During the earlier years, one might find a few hundred posts during the hunt. As more hunters had computers, those numbers jumped. From 1997 to 1998, the number of posts increased from the hundreds to the 5-digit thousands. It was during the 1998 hunt the Cooler Crew was born.
The community spirit and teamwork displayed in the Pioneer Press Medallion Hunt thread was inspiring. The group of hunters found themselves at the end of a hunt not wanting to let go of new friendships and the camaraderie found on the Water Cooler board. The idea emerged to do what anyone would do in the middle of winter in Minnesota. A picnic in Cherokee was planned - the first Rehash Bash!
