2018 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt

The first stanza talks about how the Winter Carnival has been extended to coincide with the Super Bowl festivities. In the second stanza, we invoke the team cheer or “skol” – the last time the medallion was found at Harriet Island (1996), it was hidden in a can of Skoal chewing tobacco. By legend, “skol” refers to the Viking practice of drinking from the skull of their enemy after a victory. “Hull” refers to the inside of the ship-shaped Vikings stadium, but it also alludes to the boatyard by Harriet Island. Also, the medallion is hidden within a repurposed beer koozie with a football theme. The third stanza invokes our own Super Bowl – the Treasure Hunt!

“Park,” “lot” and “end” indicate the medallion is hidden at the end of a parking lot. Digging up indicates that it is buried in the snow and must be dug out.

The Minnesota Vikings have been to the Super Bowl four times — the last in 1977 — and we lost each time. But hunters want to win, like 1977 finder Bill Gough (anagrammed by “glib ghoul”) did in Irvine Park. With Irvine Park as a reference point, we recommend following something knobbly, like a walnut (street), which marks a straight line to Harriet Island. Irvine Park has a strong connection to Harriet Island through Justus Ohage, who mortgaged his home on Irvine Park to buy Harriet Island, which he later gave to the city. The lore is that the city fixed up Irvine Park to show Ohage they would be proper stewards of Harriet Island. Ohage suggested the island be named after Harriet Bishop, the pioneer St. Paul educator.

From the towers of downtown St. Paul, you can see the “bower” of Harriet Island, including the green grass of the Ohage Great Lawn. For those who guessed the Highland Water Tower, you were halfway there – the tower was designed by Clarence “Cap” Wigington, who designed the pavilion named after him on Harriet Island.

St. Paul has had 37 ice palaces since 1886; we’re hosting the 52nd Super Bowl (plus Hwy. 52 runs into the West Side), and this is the fifth time the medallion has been hidden on Harriet Island. That’s not the important bit, though. Following “232” — Babani’s 2 at Fillmore and Wabasha, a 3M building on Water Street and Warehouse 2 of the old hardware distributors Farwell, Ozmun, Kirk & Co. next door — will lead hunters to Harriet.

We bring up President Donald Trump’s disavowed former chief strategist Steven Bannon because of critical comments he walked back after the publication of “Fire and Fury” — a “flub” that we hoped would make hunters think of “bluff.” “Disculpa,” or “sorry” in Spanish, is a nod to the Hispanic heritage of St. Paul’s West Side, and “club” references the signs for Lilydale’s Pool and Yacht Club that dot Water Street.

The anthology is of works by Plato, such as “Apology,” “Republic,” “Laws” and “Justice;” Plato Boulevard runs along the edge of Harriet Island Park. The “republic’s justice and laws” also refers to the old city hall and courthouse in St. Paul which was torn down in 1933; the Kasota stone from the demolition was used in building the pavilion on Harriet Island. Justice also alludes to Justus Ohage, the man who gave Harriet Island to the city and for whom one of its streets is named.

“Fat Man” was the codename for the atomic bomb dropped out of a B-29 bomber nicknamed “Bockscar” over Nagasaki that led to the end of World War II in the Pacific; Nagasaki Road used to go by the Harriet Island Regional Park, but was vacated in 1994 when the flood levee around Harriet Island was refashioned. “Box car” also alludes to an old railroad lift bridge down river that is echoed in the design of the Target Stage on Harriet Island. “Star” alludes to the explosive power of the atom bomb.

After a channel was filled in 1949 the water routes by Harriet Island went from plural to singular – which is why Harriet Island is no longer an island. The island was once called “Devil’s Island,” due to a misinterpretation of its Dakota name, “Wakan.” Extra credit to those who guessed the “zealous mingler” refers to the island’s current namesake, Harriet Bishop, the pioneer schoolteacher who among other things was the founder of the First Baptist Church of St. Paul in 1849.

Harriet Island was off limits to the Treasure Hunt for a few years around the time it was redeveloped. “Lot” again identifies the area of the park where it is hidden. The medallion and its football-themed repurposed beer koozie are encased in ice.

“Run off manic” refers to hunters’ excitement when they get to a park and go off to search. This year, since the medallion was in a parking lot snow bank, we encouraged folks to cut their wild frolic short. The park is surrounded by slips and marinas, so the third line is meant to give some bearings — if you’re between the waters of the Mississippi and Water Street, keep the West Side on your left and head toward the St. Paul Yacht Club.

The puck has been hidden at Harriet Island Regional Park, in the most westerly parking lot. At the far end of the lot — nearest the boats and rigging of the St. Paul Yacht Club — is a patch of land surrounded by a U-shaped drive. Hidden deep in a snow bank here, and near two V-shaped trees, lays the Treasure Hunt medallion.