Brother-sister team from Wisconsin finds Treasure Hunt medallion in Indian Mounds Regional Park

Brother and sister medallion-hunting team Jessica French and Andrew Burke. The duo -- French, 26, and Burke, 21 -- found the prize tucked in a 3M Highland tape box that had been wrapped in plastic wrap under some branches in Indian Mounds Park in St. Paul.

A brother and sister from Wisconsin found the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion shortly after midnight Wednesday, winning themselves the $10,000 in prize money.

It was the second year that Andrew Burke, a 21-year-old college student from Knapp, Wis., and his sister Jessica French, 26, of Baldwin, Wis., took part in the Treasure Hunt.

The medallion was found in Indian Mounds Regional Park under a fallen tree. It was concealed in a 3M invisible tape carton. As soon as he found the box, Burke said he knew he had the medallion. He quickly spirited the box out of the park, past hundreds of others searching in the night.

"Excited, stoked," was how Burke described himself right after Pioneer Press officials confirmed the medallion to be authentic.

The pair typically began searching at 9 p.m. each evening and would spend six to eight hours hunting.

The clues published each day in the Pioneer Press weren't always clear, he said.

"A lot of clues still don't make a lot of sense to me," Burke said.

Despite below zero temperatures hundreds of people were in Indian Mounds park searching late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, Burke said.

A freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Burke said he can use the money to help pay for his education. He is studying hotel, restaurant and tourism management.

This year marks the 57th year of the annual Treasure Hunt.

Look for updates on the Treasure Hunt at twincities.com later this morning.

Copyright 2008 Pioneer Press.