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2016 Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt

Submitted by Johannes on

INTRODUCTION

June's arrived, the Minnesota summertime is here;
Our cities truly come alive and thrive this time of year.
Hence, a summer Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt is due:
Now get your five bucks in before we publish the first clue!

Greg and Amy were the team that found our second treasure,
And now we're getting ready for the third such hunt of leisure.
Look around Saint Paul and Minneapolis for the gem;
The hunt begins the twenty-seventh at one-o'clock P.M.

Hunt Information
Dates
Scheduled Dates
Monday, June 27, 2016
Find Date
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Finders
Name
Cooper Wilms
Hometown
Minneapolis
Name
Ben Wilms
Hometown
Minneapolis
Name
Wenonah Wilms
Hometown
Minneapolis
Prize
Maximum Prize
$320
Awarded Prize
$160
Location
General Location
Seven Oaks Oval (Minneapolis)
Pinpointed Location
Behind a large pile of sticks, 20 paces northwest of two intersecting footpaths
Concealer
A PVC tube covered by a cast iron valve box lid marked "WATER"

44.940833, -93.206111

Clues
Clue 1
Published Date
Monday, June 27, 2016, 6:00 PM

The Third Great TC Treasure Hunt is here—Huzzah! Hooray!
Now just a few quick rules before we get things underway:
Don't dig; don't trample; do no harm; don't go where you'd hear "fore!"
Don't comb beaches; don't climb trees—Have fun while you explore!

Now get out there and join the hunt for our glorious stone;
With some luck you could discover a victorious zone:
A park within the cities holds our secret, so well hid
That if you chance upon the spot, you just might flip your lid.

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "glorious stone" is meant to suggest the character Gloria Stone from the 1937 Frank Capra film Lost Horizon (based on the 1933 novel of the same name by James Hilton). The actor who portrayed Gloria Stone was named Isabel Jewell; the Official TC Treasure Jewel was hidden in "A park within the cities," intersected by Isabel Avenue.
  • "A park within the cities" is Park Terrace, which encircles Seven Oaks Oval—also a park.
  • "well hid" is meant to suggest this hunt's MacGuffin—a secret cache in a small dry well, covered by a small pile of sticks approximately 20 paces from where the park's two main footpaths intersect.
  • "flip your lid" is meant to suggest a heavy, cast iron valve box lid, which read "WATER," and covered the well.
  • "fore" is meant to suggest the number four—the first digit in the latitude of the coordinates of the jewel (4X° XX' XX", XX° XX' XX"). In this hunt, each clue's third line contains another of the twelve digits that make up the Jewel's coordinates: Odd clues, in order, revealed the Jewel's latitude, while even clues revealed its longitude.

     
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Clue 2
Published Date
Tuesday, June 28, 2016, 6:00 PM

Summer's when we come together and celebrate good times;
Come on, get your gang to help you deconstruct these rhymes!
Sunshine, wildlife, shade, and trees; we've got the whole nine yards:
The jewel could end up yours, but only if it's in the cards.

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "celebrate good times; Come on" and "gang" are meant to suggest the Kool & The Gang song "Celebration." The Jewel was hidden with a small, battery-powered motion sensor which, when triggered, played the song through a tiny speaker—a soundtrack to the eventual finder's success.
  • "nine" is the first digit in the longitude of the jewel's coordinates (4X° XX' XX", 9X° XX' XX").

     
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Clue 3
Published Date
Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 6:00 PM

You want the jewel? Well, here's a hint to aid in its retrieval:
In order to know just where to search, start with the forest primeval.
And blind as a bat though they may be, four eyes could help you emerge
At the secret cache, not far from where a pair of paths converge.

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "the forest primeval" is a reference to the first line of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie." Seven Oaks Oval is a rugged, overgrown forest of a park in Minneapolis' Longfellow Community.
  • "four ... blind ... eyes" is meant to suggest the nearby Mississippi River.
  • "four" is the second digit in the latitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° XX' XX", 9X° XX' XX").

     
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Clue 4
Published Date
Thursday, June 30, 2016, 6:00 PM

Seek out the odors of the forest—search, explore, and wander.
Pause by some neglected space a while, to muse and ponder:
Will it be you for whom the people shout out their three cheers?
Get out there and grab the loot, before it disappears!

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "the odors of the forest" and "pause by some neglected ... a while, to muse and ponder" are references to Longfellow's poem "Song of Hiawatha," and are meant to reinforce searching the Longfellow Community of Minneapolis.
  • "three" is the second digit in the longitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° XX' XX", 93° XX' XX").

     
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Clue 5
Published Date
Friday, July 1, 2016, 6:00 PM

If you're ever stuck in the forest, try to find the lost horizon;
To stumble on the stone would really not be so surprisin'.
Remember to high-five your fellow hunters on the trail;
By teaming up, you could improve the odds that you'll prevail.

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "lost horizon" is a reference to the title of the Capra film and Hilton novel Lost Horizon.
  • "the stone," in this context, is meant to suggest finding the character Gloria Stone in the film credits, and the actor who played the role—Isabel Jewell. Isabel Avenue abuts Seven Oaks Oval at Park Terrace.
  • "five" is the third digit in the latitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 5X' XX", 93° XX' XX").

     
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Clue 6
Published Date
Saturday, July 2, 2016, 6:00 PM

A bit of information on the prize that could prove fodder:
The jewel is in a cool, dry place—yet also under water.
Don't let this year's treasure be the one that got away;
Hurry! Shangri-La awaits!—Would I lead you astray?

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "under water" is meant to suggest the cast iron lid that covered the prize, and read "WATER" across its top.
  • "Shangri-La" is a reference to the characters' destination in Lost Horizon: a mythical utopia in the mountains of Tibet.
  • "Would I lead you astray?" could be taken as a warning to hunters that the next clue may require careful inspection, lest the hunter end up searching the wrong park.
  • "one" is the third digit in the longitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 5X' XX", 93° 1X' XX").

     
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Clue 7
Published Date
Sunday, July 3, 2016, 6:00 PM

Message hidden; long ride ridden—who will win the prize?
Cash to win—a park, within; the jewel wears a disguise,
And if you've got the proper spot, from Sunday search six ways;
Travel to where the bitter fruit of acrimony lays.

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "Message Cash And Travel" (the first word of each line of Clue #7) is a cryptogram for "Terrace Park And Isabel," which, when flipped as later instructed, directs hunters to "Isabel and Park Terrace," which intersect at Seven Oaks Oval. Unflipped, this clue may have led hunters "astray" to Saint Paul's Terrace Park, and Isabel Street.
  • "long ride ridden" is meant to suggest the famous Longfellow poem "Paul Revere's Ride," and to reinforce hunting the Longfellow Community.
  • "where the bitter fruit of acrimony lays" is meant to suggest the line "where the grapes of wrath are stored," from the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," penned by Julia Ward Howe; the jewel was hidden in the Howe Neighborhood of Minneapolis' Longfellow Community.
  • "six" is the fourth digit in the latitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 56' XX", 93° 1X' XX").

     
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Clue 8
Published Date
Monday, July 4, 2016, 6:00 PM

Follow our path around the sun, along an orbit elliptic—
Then down the middle, long ways split; sorry to be so cryptic.
We've hinted at a trail or two, in sort of a roundabout way;
Good luck out there, and have a happy Independence Day!

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "Follow our path around the sun, along an orbit elliptic" is meant to suggest finding a park and street in the shape of an ellipse, or oval.
  • "down the middle long ways" is meant to suggest searching along the ellipse's major axis—the longer of the two main footpaths through the park.
  • "cryptic" is meant to suggest hunters work to solve the cryptogram "Message Cash And Travel," also referenced in clues #7, #9, and #11.
  • "in sort of a roundabout way" is meant to suggest Park Terrace's unique, elliptical shape, and that Seven Oaks Oval is located inside.
  • "two" is fourth digit in the longitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 56' XX", 93° 12' XX").

     
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Clue 9
Published Date
Tuesday, July 5, 2016, 6:00 PM

A trainman tangos; pragmatic story: message cash and travel—
It wouldn't be such a bad idea to flip 'em around and unravel.
Be diligent while sorting out in which of the two towns it lies;
A simple slip up could detour your quest to claim the prize.

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "A trainman tangos" anagrams to "it's not an anagram."
  • "pragmatic story" anagrams to "it's a cryptogram."
  • "message cash and travel" is a cryptogram for "terrace park and isabel," which, when manipulated as instructed ("flip 'em around and unravel"), reveals the jewel's approximate location: "isabel and park terrace."
  • "flip 'em around and unravel" is also intended to help hunters solve the two anagrams above.
  • "two" is the fifth digit in the latitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 56' 2X", 93° 12' XX").

     
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Clue 10
Published Date
Wednesday, July 6, 2016, 6:00 PM

Weighty neutron arches in the welcoming mount folly;
There, the cache is waiting; it's just lying there, by golly!
Find where two paths intersect, and nearby in the ground:
The jewell still undiscovered, the horizon still unfound.

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "Weighty neutron arches" anagrams to "search the younger twin," letting hunters know they should look in Minneapolis (the younger of the Twin Cities).
  • "welcoming mount folly" anagrams to "Longfellow Community," and narrows down where in Minneapolis to search.
  • "where two paths intersect, and nearby in the ground" is meant to suggest looking for a secret cache in the ground near the intersection of Seven Oaks' two main footpaths.
  • The purposely-misspelled "jewell" reinforces finding Isabel Jewell (who played Gloria Stone in the Frank Capra movie Lost Horizon, referenced throughout the hunt, and once more here: "horizon still unfound")—and finding the TC Treasure jewel near another Isabel: Isabel Avenue.
  • "two" is the fifth digit in the longitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 56' 2X", 93° 12' 2X").

     
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Clue 11
Published Date
Thursday, July 7, 2016, 6:00 PM

This hunt has been a lot of fun, but now we're near the end,
So if you're still befuddled, land is land, but vend is bend.
Where seven tiny seeds became a verdant, leafy clime,
Find the spot in increments of temperature and time.

Travel slowly 'round the park, on fresh bituminous;
And descend into the splendor of the forest numinous.
Cash in now; a score northwest from the X you'll find your quarry.
Message sent, tooled chariot spent—mine eyes have seen the glory!

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "Travel And Cash Message" (the first word in the last four lines of Clue #11) gives hunters the proper, "flipped" order of the cryptogram ("message cash and travel").
  • Along with the key—"land is land, but vend is bend"—hunters could partially solve the cryptogram to get "XXABEL AND XAXX XERRAXE," and search for the location that matched: Isabel and Park Terrace, at the southern end of the park.
  • "Where seven tiny seeds became a verdant, leafy clime" is meant to suggest the seven acorns that would become the park's namesake, as well as Seven Oaks' dense foliage.
  • "Find the spot in increments of temperature and time" is meant to suggest finding the jewel's coordinates, using the numbers from the third line of each clue (in measurements of degrees, minutes, and seconds).
  • "Travel slowly 'round the park" is meant to suggest the suggested 10 MPH speed limit on Park Terrace, as well as the round shape thereof.
  • "fresh bituminous" is meant to suggest Park Terrace (which was freshly resurfaced just a day earlier).
  • "descend into ... the forest" is meant to suggest searching in the hollow of the park, rather than along its edges.
  • The "X" is the point at which Seven Oaks' two main footpaths cross.
  • "your quarry" is meant to suggest the jewel, and the dry-well cache in which it was hidden. (Quarry meaning "a thing or person that is chased or sought.")
  • "tooled chariot spent" is an anagram for "plot the coordinates."
  • "mine eyes have seen the glory" (of the coming of the lord) is a line from the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," by Julia Ward Howe. Seven Oaks Oval is located in the Howe neighborhood of Minneapolis.
  • "seven" is the sixth digit in the latitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 56' 27", 93° 12' 2X").

     
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Clue 12

From tiniest acorn to mightiest tree, get ready to embark:
The jewel's in Minneapolis, in a park within a Park;
Find the sum of the numbers in—and coordinate by two,
With odd clues north, and evens west—the third line of each clue.

There's no doubt that the spot you seek is a beloved place.
A great park for a nature stroll, or to train for a faster race;
Now you know the grapes of wrath are stored amid our rhymes,
So flip your lid and grab the jewel, and celebrate good times!

The official meaning of the clue.
  • "tiniest acorn to mightiest tree" is meant to suggest searching for oak trees (seven of them, to be precise).
  • "a park within a Park" is meant to suggest Seven Oaks Oval, which is encircled by Park Terrace.
  • "the sum of the numbers in... the third line of each clue" is 47; 47th Avenue runs north and south from Seven Oaks Oval.
  • "coordinate by two, With odd clues north, and evens west... the numbers in... the third line of each clue" is meant to reinforce finding the jewel's exact coordinates, using the numbers from each clue's third line (or "number," in the case of Clue #1).
  • "seek is a beloved" is meant to suggest Isabel Avenue.
  • "great park for" and "faster race;" is meant to suggest Park Terrace.
  • "the grapes of wrath are stored" is a final reference to Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
  • "Flip your lid" is a callback to Clue #1, and a reminder that the jewel is hidden beneath a cast iron valve box lid marked "WATER."
  • "celebrate good times!" is a callback to Clue #2, and the opening lyrics to Kool & The Gang's "Celebration," which was rigged to play through a small speaker when the jewel was discovered.
  • "two" is the sixth digit in the longitude of the jewel's coordinates (44° 56' 27", 93° 12' 22").

     
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