2003 Allison Wonderland Mock Hunt

The fourteen squares are mathematical squares: 1,4,9,16,25,36,.... Up to 14 squared which is 196. If you pair up each number with the letter that corresponds to it by it's position in the clue (1st letter, 4th letter, 9th letter, etc.) you end up spelling out B-A-T-T-L-E-C-R-E-E-K-P-A-R, which is to say it's in Battle Creek, though not quite the main part of the park. "Flowing" is also a vague allusion to Battle Creek. This clue also of course tells you that it's in a park in St. Paul.

The obvious part of this clue tells you that you should look for a park with trails and somewhat hazardous terrain away from the trails. "Drive to the park, no?" is an allusion to No. Park Drive, the street running along the north side of the treasure site. It also implies it's in a part of the park you can drive to, as opposed to say Zone 3 where the parking lot is gated off. Looking in the middle refers partially to being by the middle bridge and across the street from Battle Creek Middle School. But to "first look for the middle" is really code for taking the middle letter of the first word of each line which spells out "In big log".

The card game that requires a fourth, and where someone might sit in the north is Bridge. A nearby bridge is visible from the treasure site. Also, this part of the park isn't in any of the three Battle Creek zones in the Treasure Hunter's Guide and thus you may need to go look for a fourth zone.

This is actually a fairly straightforward clue saying that the treasure is hidden where's there's a lot of wood, both in the sense that there are a lot of trees in the area as well as the fact that it was lodged in a large piece of wood that you would need to check in order to find it.

The infamous "what's it hidden in?" clue. It was hidden in a broken pocketwatch (time stands still) that had a picture of a train on the front. Having it "well in hand" was your hint that this clue was about what the coin was in.

It's true, you can't see the Capitol Dome at all from the treasure spot. But there is water nearby as Battle Creek itself flows through this part of the park. The treasure was on dry land though and hidden in a log where it was likely to stay dry.

James Bond's first movie was "Dr. No". Putting a park "somewhere in" that movie title you get "Dr. Park No". But "No" is also an abbreviation for "North", and line one says to start with the North which then gives us effectively "No Park Dr.", or "North Park Drive", the street that runs north along the section of park the treasure was hidden in.

The "solid foundation" is the McKnight Foundation which supports many things, including the Omnitheater. The section of park the treasure was hidden in runs between McKnight and Ruth. And Ruth of course is "In `truth'".

This clue refers to John Winthrop, one of the first governors in America, he was a Puritan ("simple and pure") who governed the Massachusetts Bay Colony ("great in mass"). Winthrop St. runs into this section of the park very close to the treasure's hiding spot. Also, "Beyond elementary" refers to Battle Creek Middle School near the treasure site.

Tony the Tiger is the "pitchman" of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal. Kellogg's home, where they make the cereal is Battle Creek, Michigan.

The Green Giant and Santa Claus have one thing most clearly in common. They both say "Ho Ho Ho". Larry Ho Drive is the street that runs just south along the treasure site.

This tells you the part of the park it's in, and that it's by the middle bridge in a big log.