Clues 7, 9, and 10 lead the winners to Crosby Park, a place of bark, and cash and prizes
The Melville clan of West St. Paul had been digging for about a half hour on their third day of searching Tuesday when they turned over the gigantic piece of bark that hid the prize they — and hundreds of others — had been seeking in crowded Crosby Park.
"We had (to use) two ice picks prying the bark up" it was so big, said Ryan Melville, 25, of the medallion's hiding place under a massive tree branch along St. Paul's riverfront.
Their work paid off: Melville; his mother, Judy Melville; brother-in-law, Hayward Estepp, 33; and niece Bailey Estepp, 2, unearthed one of the few patches of untouched snow to find the 2005 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion.
Instead of making a scene in front of nearby hunters, Judy Melville discreetly tucked the medallion into her glove, quickly huddled with family members for a momentary celebration and tried to control her emotions. "It was so hard to walk out of that park and not to be excited and jumping for joy," she said.
In the 54-year history of the Treasure Hunt, the medallion has never been hidden in Crosby Park, a narrow nearly 2-mile-long heavily wooded area that stretches from Elway Street to Gannon Road below Shepard Road.
For their five hours of hunting over three days, the family won $5,000 plus $1,200 in gift certificates to Cub Foods and a trip for two to Mexico.
The three adults will split the cash evenly and divide the grocery money between the Estepps and the Melvilles. Judy Melville and her son Ryan will be taking the trip to Mexico.
"I've never been there," said Judy Melville, who has not yet decided how to spend her share. She works in food service at Moreland Elementary in West St. Paul.
Ryan, a student at the Minnesota School of Business in Richfield, said he would spend some of his share on drinks when he gets there.
Estepp, who is currently on disability, said his family, too, would take a vacation.
The Melville clan has taken part in the Treasure Hunt for eight years. It's one of many family activities they enjoy, such as playing contract rummy and going fishing.
The family started searching about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in an area that had been torn apart by previous hunters. They decided to focus their efforts there anyway, they said.
By 3 p.m., they had found the medallion — naked and bare, just the like clue promised — under the bark.
The massive slab of bark had come loose from one of many fallen trees in the park, but Ryan Melville said this broken tree stuck out "like ketchup on a white blouse" because of the way it fit the clues.
The Melvilles started patiently on their quest this year. Their technique involved trying to "really break down the clues" before venturing out, Judy Melville said. Then they drove around several city parks to see if the terrain seemed to fit the clues' riddles. By Friday, like hundreds of other persistent hunters, they had settled on Crosby. Bolstered by other hunters' fruitless weekend search, they returned to the park on Monday sure they were on the right track.
Clues 7, 9 and 10 led them to their ultimate location, they said.
The family is extremely happy with their loot, so it's better not to dwell on how they narrowly missed the St. Paul Winter Carnival button registration deadline that would have earned them an additional $5,000.
"I missed it by an hour," Judy Melville said sheepishly of the Jan. 22 deadline. By the time she bought her button, she couldn't find a post office that was still open, she explained.
In addition to that hiccup in planning, the family had one other misstep.
They panicked at one point Friday when they lost their clipped clues somewhere in Crosby Park. But by Tuesday, when they showed up at the Pioneer Press offices to turn in the medallion, they not only had a complete set of clues but a backup copy as well.
Other members of the family who usually hunt but weren't at the park Tuesday showed up at the newspaper to join in the celebration. They included Judy Melville's son Sean, 34; daughter Kelly Estepp, 32; and grandchildren Payten Estepp, 10, and Cody Estepp, 7.
Will they be at it again next year?
Of course.
"It's a family tradition," Judy Melville said.
Copyright 2005 Pioneer Press.