The 1950's
A Simpler Time? You Be the Judge
The hunt was always front-page material back in the decade of its inception, with monstrous pictures of the smiling finders and headlines that pushed Ike's policies to the fourth column. From the pre-medallion treasure chest worth $1,100 to the $2,000 "MEDALLION FOUND" splash on the front of the Saturday, February 7, 1959 St. Paul Dispatch, the city was alive with treasure talk. The stories were long and numerous, Jerry Fearing was drawing elaborate maps of the hiding locations, and the evergrowing Longtin family finished off the 50s with what would be the first of two finds. The hunt was an instant success, but you'll see that the times had a weird and mean side, too, as we eventually build the stories around the clues. And if all goes as planned.....we'll have those historical Fearing drawings as well.
| Year | General Location | Pinpointed location | How it was concealed |
| 1960s | |||
| 1959 | Warner Road | Near the railroad signal structury | Betwen leaves in a tree |
| 1958 | Phalen Park | Under the Highway 61 bridge between Phalen and Keller Pakrs | In milky ice |
| 1957 | Battle Creek Park | Near the county workhouse farm | Above ground in a clump of roots |
| 1956 | Como Park | Near the Old Stone Fireplace | Inside a Hollow Log |
| 1955 | Downtown St. Paul | Underneath a mailbox at 7th and Robert streets | Magnetized under a mailbox |
| 1954 | Hidden Falls Park | Inside the Ford Plant entrance | In the base of a tree covered with dirt and moss |
| 1953 | Minnesota State Fairgrounds | Near the Poultry Building | Near the base of a tree |
| 1953 | Cherokee Park | Near the tennis courts at Delaware St. and Cherokee Ave. | Snow and dried leaves |
| 1952 | Highland Park | Leland and W. 7th St. | Treasure chest in a clump of weeds |
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!
