2005 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt

Cranky hunters were upset to find the medallion, encased in green icing, had been moved by an animal last year -- or so we assume. This year, with a brand new medallion, we hid it naked as a newborn -- with no enticements for hungry animals.

Until days before the hunt began, there was little snow. White Christmas refers to song by Bing Crosby, whose last name leads you to the park. References to water and paths further identify the park.

Cautions hunters to avoid cliffs and the edge of the river and lakes. Hunters at Crosby will hear airplanes coming and going to the nearby airport -- which was there, as homeowners are often told, before they moved in.

Siren and giant refer to the Odyssey, the epic poem by Homer, the singing poet. Field generals refers to Homer's Iliad as well as famous quarterbacks John Elway and Rich Gannon, whose last names are shared with the roads at either end of the park. Homer St. runs into the park and points you to the east of the search area. Fallen giant refers to tree by which medallion was hidden.

Crosby Park has forest, lichens on trees, hiking trails, a Prairie Style picnic shelter and a fireplace.

Youngman is a road near Crosby. "Glove" and "the eagle flies with the dove" come from "Love the One You're With," the song made famous by Crosby Stills Nash & Young. David Crosby's partners are hinted at by the words "still," "gnash" and "young." The medallion was hidden off a cross country ski trail amidst the trees.

Yarrow is a wildflower mentioned in nature signs in the park. It states that the medallion is "naked," without any covering or packaging, and that it rests on the ground. Point of grammatical license: While "forsook" is the approved past tense of "forsake," we did find "forsaked" in the Oxford English Dictionary.

English immigrant Thomas Crosby claimed this fertile farm site in 1858, the year Minnesota became a state. The clue states that the medallion was in a grove of trees and not on nearby Pike Island.

An eight-sided flower planter sits near the beginning of park trails. Around a bend in the trail is the giant stump of a tree, near where the medallion was hidden.

Further defining the spot, this clue leads hunters past signposts Nos. 2 and 3 to a place near Upper Lake and a wooden life raft affixed to a tree. The "magical tree" refers back to the giant stump.

Pinpoints the spot between Upper Lake and Pike Island where the giant "beheaded" stump is located; tells hunters to look under branch debris near this stump.

Instructs hunters, that midway from the trail along the south side of Upper Lake, find the giant tree stump and facing Pike's Island, walk six paces to the left (east) and dig under fallen branches and snow, where the medallion was hidden.