1999 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt
Primary tabs

In our hunt that's open to all;
But if you don't want to be outdone,
Look only on public ground in St. Paul.
A park is the spot but a golf course is not,
So please don't disturb a fairway or green.
Follow this advice and you won't be caught
Wasting your time at the wrong scene.
States that the medallion is hidden in a public park in St. Paul but is not on a golf course.
Says not to even consider looking at a park with a golf course. Past years have indicated that you're at the right park when a golf course is mentioned, but this year it says you're "at the wrong scene" altogether if you start digging at Highland, Phalen, or Como, for starters. There's also a "No Golfing" sign on one of the backstops at Conway.
And a popular outdoor attraction,
But your chances of winning are nil
If you get too close to the action.
Reveals that the medallion is not located near the sledding hill at the east end of Conway Park.
It could also be interpreted as a note to stay away from the big slide built at Como Park for the 1999 Winter Carnival.
Now do your best to figure these out:
A nine and a five and somewhere a four,
Get them right and you'll shout.
The numbers 9, 5, and 4 can be found in a house address (459 Ruth St.) used in a later clue to pinpoint the medallion's location.
The addition of a nearby baseball scoreboard also helps the Conway cause.
But there's value as well in the new.
If you're willing to be an iconoclast,
The treasure might belong to you.
Many treasure seekers "study the past" in hopes that previous hunts will help them predict where the medallion might be hidden. This year, however, there was "value in the new" because the medallion was concealed at Conway Park for the first time. Therefore, a successful hunter had to be an "iconoclast" someone willing to break the old mold by searching in a new place.
"Well in the new" brought the lanterns out to Newell, but all for naught.
You might be very near your goal.
So try to be smart and discerning,
And your treasure chest could end up full.
The Conway recreation complex includes a public library, which attracts people "yearning for learning." The library is also near a "goal" at one of the park's two outdoor hockey rinks.
That can be found in many a tome.
Figure out how these clues fit in our game,
And you just might bring the treasure home.
This clue points to the medallion's location near Ruth Street. The "man of fame" is Babe Ruth, whose name can be found in "many a tome" at the Conway Branch Library". Ruth, of course, played a "game" in which the object was to reach "home".
If you think first of trees in a line.
From this a name will appear
That could lead you to a valuable sign.
The key phrase here is"think first of trees in a line". Trees in a line could also be called a "wood row", which refers to the "first" name of an American president, Woodrow Wilson. This in turn leads to "a valuable sign" - the name of Wilson Avenue, which runs along the south side of Conway Park.
Lots of nice, clear lines were dug along tree paths at Conway, and for good reason as the medallion was hidden along a line. Thus, this is a multifaceted, clever-as-hell clue.
Is the covered quarry you seek.
Not far from you and within your sight
Is a glowing translucent peak.
There are two clues here. The first tells treasure seekers that the medallion is sewn into a piece of white cloth. The other clue refers to the illuminated triangular elements that are part of the design of Sun Ray Shopping Center, which can be seen from Conway Park.
This could be an excellent clue.
A large red object high in the sky
Will also help to orient you.
"Water on high" refers to a large water tank mounted atop one of the buildings at the 3M Co. campus, which is just east of Conway. Park. "A large, red object in the sky" is the 3M sign atop the company's headquarters. The word "orient" provides another clue, alerting treasure seekers to the fact that the medallion is located in the far eastern part of St. Paul
More likely the "water on high" is the water tower on McKnight Road just east of Sun Ray Center. Much more visible.
As a pointer it could be unsurpassed.
Two men share it one and the same;
A crooner goes first and a funny man last.
The two men who share the same name are Conway Twitty (the "crooner" who "goes first" and Tim Conway (the "funny man last").
This is the clue that brought out the mongrel hordes.
While you're hunting for our prize.
So as you search amid snow and ice
Look for two frozen places of equal size.
Indicates that the medallion is hidden not far from the two outdoor hockey rinks at Conway Park.
It doesn't pinpoint the "X" spot, but it was really only a matter of time before the crowd of thousands would turn all the snow over in this relatively small park.
To make you wealthy and wise.
Align some steel and four woody features
And you'll narrow in on our prize.
The door at 459 Ruth will line you up with the truth
In the recreation area known as Conway.
So go out now and play the sleuth,
And you could earn a very large payday.
Pinpoints the medallion's location at Conway Park across from the house at 459 Ruth Street, near "backstops and bleachers" and "four woody features" (a line of four trees).