In addition to welcoming hunters to another go-around, we want to provide some fuel here at the beginning. “Spike” referred to the method in which the medallion was hidden. We added spikes (long screws) to a section of tree trunk with the medallion attached to the bottom side.“Rough” was in reference to a street sign on Hugo Road stating “Rough Road” while “leash” pointed to the signs indicating that dogs must be leashed in the park.“Wolves”referred to the published story that, at one point, the Benson family took in two wolf pups after they were captured by the DNR. The wolves were said to fit right in with the dogs that they were breeding. Music was an important word in this clue. “Voracious wolves” also hinted at the tune “Hungry Like The Wolf” by Duran Duran as several lines from the song fit this location. They include (A) “give me a sign” as we named two of them in this clue, (B) “In touch with the ground” as the ground would need to touched in order to pull up the medallion from under the dead tree trunk, (C) “juices like wine” as Bald Eagle Liquor Store is in sight, (D) “stalked in the forest” as the medallion was hidden in grove of pine trees in the midst of a prairie, and (E) “Strut on a line” as the medallion was hidden next to the county borderline. Last but not least,“Hear music in the air” and “ lovin’ everywhere” may have struck a bell as it is part of the chorus of George Benson’s 1980 hit Give Me TheNight.

In the mood for a limerick, we centered on Barb, which was a nod to the barbed wire fence surrounding our prairie. The rest of the first stanza contained the names of several cottages from the Bald Eagle neighborhood, including Lumbago, Snob Knob, Chalet, Hilltop, and Edgewood. RnR also pointed to the railroad tracks sign on 120th Street at the treasure scene. The word “scout” was also deliberately used (see Clue 4 explanation for more). The second stanza spoke of another property on the lake: Sonheim (translated “House of the Sun”).It was built/owned by Engebreth Hagbart Hobe, a businessman and consulate to Norway and Sweden. Still found at 5590 West Bald Eagle Boulevard, the property hosted a series of dignitaries and members of Scandanavian royal families (hinted with “sceptre”). Today, the estate is owned by Dr. John and Barb (Jacobson) Cretzmeyer. For years, they put on one of the area’s most dazzling holiday (“solstice”) lights displays but declared 2020 their final show. Many local news companies have covered their displays through the years. Barb is also a matriarch of Pine Tree Apple Orchard (and who is not to be confused, of course, with the fictional, unpleasant “Lumbago Barb” of the first stanza...any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental).
 

Two names near the medallion’s location break the “i before e”rule: Leibel Street and Preisler Roofing. Leibel Street and Preisler Roofing are found across Highway 61.“Sculpted,” and “Rockefeller” also hinted at the bronze Prometheus statue found at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Prometheus is translated to mean forethought, which is why that term was used in the second line. Paul Manship, it’s creator, grew up spending his summers at Bald Eagle. Another individual who spent time on the shores of Bald Eagle was Ma Barker and her boys. Known by her White Bear Lake neighbors as “Mrs. Wilson,” Barker rented a cottage at 5384 East Bald Eagle Boulevard (at the corner of Buffalo Street, hinted at with “bison”). Void of harassment from law enforcement, gangsters of that era could come and go rather freely (“laissez faire”). While hunters are likely familiar with the Plantation Nightclub from previous hunts, there was another favorite hang out joint for Ma Barker and her boys: The Blue Room. They used to travel to this club, which was located on Stillwater Avenue in Willernie. At that time, the string of businesses on that street were referred to as “The Front,” as described on Willernie’s website.
 

Our hunt was inspired by the large Pioneer Press medallion hunt, held in concert with the St. Paul Winter Carnival. In fact, Jack Moser--former cluewriter-- actually helped write our first couple of hunts in the 1980s. Just this past January, the Pioneer Press medallion was found at West Park in White Bear Lake. But, just five years earlier their medallion was at Bald Eagle Regional Park, not far from our hiding spot this year. Most who participated will remember that as a difficult hunt that brought hunters to the park late in the game and, upon arrival, the north metro got hit with a massive snowstorm.“ Perhaps, in due time, you’ll recall '' hinted that a future stanza would use several words from one clue written by the Pioneer Press in 2016.“Homer,” however, hinted at the grove of pine trees within which the medallion was hidden. Long time residents of the area will tell you that the grove was planted by Homer Bruggeman as part of an Eagle Scout project. Yes, pretty obscure, but a cool story and we’d provide other ways to find our special pine grove. Since this clue was released on the Fourth of July, it was the perfect time to insert the word “holiday” and “blue, red, and white” as a Holiday Station could be seen to the northeast of the medallion’s hiding spot. Less obvious, the medallion was very close to the Washington County line. The song “Yankee Doodle” has a strong tie to General George Washington. However, hunters were told that the medallion was not hidden in any high traffic locations for the yearly fireworks display

Six times eleven is 66. Benson Airport and surrounding public land is a 66 acre plot. A unique stipulation of the Benson family is that if the airport is removed before 2033, the land will be donated to the American Cancer Society. “Code” refers to the Benson airport code (6MN9), which can be found looking at the first word or letter of each line of the stanza. Several notable individuals were guests of the Bensons because of their dog breeding reputation. These celebrities included Roy Rogers and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. “Bullet” and “Trigger” were animals owned by Roy Rogers and “joyful trails” could be translated into Happy Trails, the popular tune recorded by him and his wife, Dale Evans. “Naked Waiter” was a nickname given to Prince Philip following some wild parties at a lunch club he was part of. The Bensons took the Duke to South Dakota for pheasant hunting and he married then-Princess Elizabeth the day after he returned to Great Britain. He is also said to have left the Bensons his hunting license as a souvenir.
 

Highway 61,running west of the medallion’s hiding spot, was first named “Constitutional 1.” “Revisit” offered a nod to Bob Dylan’s famous album. After it passes County Road J, Highway 61 is also called Forest Boulevard (“edge of the forest”) Oneka Ridge golf course is very near Benson Park. Oneka, in Ojibwe, means “to strike down” as part of a way to harvest wild rice (“manoomin” in the Ojibwe language).“Scout” referred to the grove of trees hiding the medallion as they were planted as part of an Eagle Scout project. The second half of the clue referred to Chateaugaye (“gay”), which was advertised as “The finest place at the lake” in White Bear’s old newspaper Lake Breeze. The hotel was owned by family patriarch Frederick W. Benson. Several words were also taken from Clue 2 (“kvetch,”“pan,”“gold,”“breeze”) of the 2016 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt, as promised in our Clue 4. Lastly, the word “stake”--like “spike” in the first clue -- hinted at how the medallion was disguised/hidden

As hinted in the first clue, several lines from Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” fit the treasure scene. But, even without the song, it provided key information about the placement of the medallion. One of the most prominent visuals at the site is Red Luna Tacos (“ruddy orb”). You probably don’t need a coat during this summer, but coat is an anagram for taco. “Adventure” and “time” pointed to the cartoon Adventure Time, which was a popular cartoon that ran on HBO for 10 years. The show follows the many adventures of Finn (“boy”) and Jake (“dog”) and includes many lovable side characters. One of the side characters is an elephant (“pachyderm”) named Tree Trunks.In the series, Tree Trunks marries Mr. Pig (“beau to a hog”), makes apple pies, and in her debut episode ventures with Jake and Finn to taste the elusive crystal apple. To hide the medallion, we took a rotted tree stump from the grove, added spikes, and brought it back in. Furthermore,“boy” and “dog” were also names used to describe Bald Eagle Island, southwest of the scene.
 

The first stanza, crucial for pinpointing the location within the expansive Benson prairie, was fit for a botanist. The short footpath leading from the main trail to the grove of pine trees was flanked on either side -- sort of like a gate -- by blooming purple clover. From the hiding spot, blazing orange (“show pride for hometown side”) butterfly weeds can be seen to the east. Finally, the missing root word for “lu” and “white” is PINE. Wild lupine bordered the short foot trail to the treasure location and the pine trees were specifically white pines. Since Bald Eagle-Otter Lake is one large regional park, we found it necessary to rule out the Otter Lake side (“let the otters play”) and focus on the Bald Eagle side (“soar where raptors fly”).“Hobby” is also the name of a subspecies of falcon. Falcon Avenue is the name of a street in sight from the medallion’s hiding spot and was meant to pull hunters to the northern end of the park.
 

Roger Benson, pilot and war hero, is remembered in this clue.In 1944, he survived a plane crash only to run back into the burning wreckage to save others. He would later die of his burns. Benson Airport was once named Roger Field in his honor. Our medallion, however, was back at the Benson family farm (“growing” and “sowing”). While hinted at earlier in the clues, it is now explicitly stated that hunters should seek out the stand of white pines planted by Homer Bruggeman for his Eagle Scout project. During restoration of the prairie, many of the other pines were removed but this small stand remains.

Final directions to our 2021 treasure.