2022 Allison Wonderland Mock Hunt

The Allison Wonderland Mock Hunt has always been in St. Paul. The rules even say it is in St. Paul. So the mention of Ramsey should have seemed curious. In this case Ramsey refers to Alexander Ramsey and more specifically his daughter Marion Ramsey Furness who would have been “in his realm”. She is the person the park was named for, and a furnace (Furness) will make you warm. Also, when it says “the hunt is now here”, the word “here” is in the upper right corner of the clue just as the park is in the upper right corner of St. Paul.

This clue is referring to the Hillcrest Golf Course which partially borders the park and is still relatively close at the hiding spot. It was originally called the Lakeview Golf Course before becoming Hillcrest. The golf course is now permanently closed so entry is not allowed.

Furness Park runs between North Hayden Heights and South Hayden Heights, Also, it is on the East side of St. Paul and is bordered by Furness Parkway and East Furness Parkway. So plenty of East but no West.

This clue refers to the fact that the park is part of a walking trail but also specifically the fact that the pathways continually separate into two and then come together again at each street making for a distinctive pattern.

This is mostly just letting you know that the park spans multiple blocks and is divided into sections by cross streets. Also, “Any” could also be taken as NE which is the abbreviation for Nebraska. If you cross Nebraska Ave., you’re on the wrong end of the park and will have to cross several streets to get to the right end. Watching where you step alludes to the medallion being on the ground.

“A Sixth Sense” is a reference to Bruce Willis who starred in the movie “The Sixth Sense”. “Morse” alludes to David Morse and “mos def” is of course Mos Def. All three starred in a movie called “16 Blocks” where a cop deciding if he was going to do what was right, or keep the “cop code” was a main theme. The Furness Trail is 16 blocks long.

“The trees” just refers to there being trees in the park, lots of different kinds. “The forest” refers to Sherwood which is one of the cross streets in the park. The two Furness Parkways that mainly define the park run at a 72 degree angle.

This clue is mostly straightforward. There is no body of water in or next to the park. The main landmarks are a large rock and a couple of benches. It does vaguely hint that the bench you want is not the one by the rock. The tricky part of the clue is the beloved street which is David St. to the north as the name David means “Beloved”. David St. points pretty much right at the treasure.

If you go to the St. Paul Parks & Rec website and look for a list of St. Paul parks, Furness Park is not on that list. Nor is it in any version of The Treasure Hunter’s Guide. But Google Maps says it is a park. And in the park itself, there is a large rock with a plaque that says you are in Furness Park, named for Marion Ramsey Furness.

Of the 16 blocks of the Furness Trail, half are entirely bordered by streets and the other half are bordered by other things, so that narrows it down by half. Of the remaining eight blocks, the northern four, by Nevada (“Didn’t want to take a chance”) and the southern one, all have alleys that run into the park. So that just leaves a three block search area.

If you hadn’t found the park yet, this clue is specifically the story of Alexander Ramsey and his daughter Marion Ramsey Furness. If you were already at the park, “throwaway” suggests to look on the block with the garbage can.

Being “unclear” suggests that you can fix that by going to Clear Ave. If you still don’t know the park, look for the Beloved Church in the NE corner of the city. Then walk southwest to where the bench is. The medallion is near there in a divot covered with leaves.