The 1980's
Spinnin' 45s sans Metal
The 80s saw the end of the metal medallion as well as the last time the medallion was hidden outside the city of St. Paul. Maplewood, for one, wasn't too fond of having its Wakefield Park ripped apart for the second time in a dozen years; and diggers weren't all that thrilled with the hi-tech gadgetry that some hunters surveyed the land with. But the best part about medallion history in the 1980s: White Castle found its way into hunt lore.
| Year | General Location | Pinpointed location | How it was concealed |
| 1990s | |||
| 1989 | State Capitol Mall | Between the hedges south of Constitution Ave. | In a pair of earmuffs |
| 1988 | Tony Schmidt Park | Between the parking lot and domed shelter across the street from Lake Johanna | Embedded in a chunk of almond bark |
| 1987 | Indian Mounds Park | In the block bordered by Mounds Blvd., Mounds St., and clemont St. | Hidden in a clump of clay and grass |
| 1986 | Highland Park | Near the old Highland Park swimming pool | Inside a pipe cap |
| 1985 | Kellogg Park | Underneath a boulder near the Robert. St. end of the park | Tucked inside a White Castle box |
| 1984 | Newell Park | Near the southeast corner of the park | Attached to a piece of a broken Elvis Presley 45rpm record |
| 1983 | Phalen Park | Near the picnic pavillion | In a bag of Oreo's; it replaced the filling in one of the cookies |
| 1982 | Wakefield Park | Near the sledding hill on Prosperity Ave. | Wrapped in a newspaper |
| 1981 | Acorn Park | Across the walking path from the skating rink | Stuck between a pair of leaves |
| 1980 | Como Park | Near the Schiller Statue | Covered in plaster, made to look like a stone |
| 1970s | |||
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!
