Mike Moncrief was 19 years old in 1976 when he spent an early morning with friend Jack Londino searching for the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt puck in Keller Park. The duo came across friend Tom Wecker as he pulled the medallion from its hiding spot under a tree.
“He didn’t have a button and I did,” said Moncrief, now 54 and living in Oakdale. “And he didn’t want to go through the hoopla (of finding it) by himself.”
The three split the $2,500 in prize money.
The Pioneer Press is catching up with past Treasure Hunt winners and other medallion-seeking die-hards as the 60th year of the hunt unfolds. From the camaraderie of the search to the thrill of finding the puck, everybody has their own story about this St. Paul tradition.
The 2012 hunt begins Jan. 22 and runs through Feb. 2 – unless someone finds the prize before then.
Copyright 2012 Pioneer Press.