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2021 Portland Rose Festival Medallion Hunt

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A very popular program...

...that began in 1983, the Rose Festival Treasure Hunt continued until 2005, and then restarted in 2014. A Rose Festival Medallion is hidden on public property in the Portland-metro area. Daily clues are offered to help hunters narrow down the location of the Treasure. These clues make reference to local history, as well as geography. Often they are so obscure that they generate lots of “water cooler talk” among casual observers and hunters alike, as they try to decipher the meaning of clues!

 
 
Remember: CLUES will be released DAILY online here at the Rose Festival website at 10:00 a.m.

Clues will continue to be released until the contest end date (or until the medallion is found).

We encourage you to follow our Social Media pages (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for updates, but, again -- Clues will ONLY be posted here at the website.

 
 
The first to solve the Clues and find the Medallion will win those popular bragging rights -- along with a prize package!

The 2021 prize consists of:

  • $500 (donated by the Portland Rose Festival Foundation)
  • One night’s stay in a single hotel room for two at Spirit Mountain Casino (donated by Spirit Mountain Casino)
  • One buffet dinner for two people at Spirit Mountain Casino (donated by Spirit Mountain Casino)

So get your search engines ready to help you out. You can have a lot of fun checking online sources for information to assist you in uncovering the hidden meaning behind each Clue. Your home and public libraries can help you dig for information, or you just might find an educated friend or two who can share ideas!

File attachments
2021_TreasureHunt_Rules_FINAL.pdf
Hunt Information
Dates
Scheduled Dates
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Find Date
Sunday, June 6, 2021
Finders
Name
Anna Soderberg
Name
Auryn Soderberg
Prize
Maximum Prize
$500 plus Spirit Mountain Prize Pack
Awarded Prize
$500 plus Spirit Mountain Prize Pack
Location
General Location
Dodge Park, Clackamas County

45.445488, -122.248252

Clues
Clue 1
Published Date
Saturday, May 29, 2021, 7:00 PM
Pull on shoes and hit the trail,
time to hunt for this year's grail.
Searching over hill and dale,
you'll have fun if you don't bail.
The official meaning of the clue.
The only significant part of this introductory clue is the word "trail", a reference to the Sandy River Water Trail. It starts near Brightwood at River Mile 38 and continues past Dodge Park to the confluence with the Columbia River.
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Clue 2
Published Date
Sunday, May 30, 2021, 7:00 PM
Because we tend
to obfuscate,
the game begins
to oscillate.
The official meaning of the clue.
Obfuscate means to puzzle, confuse, or mystify. Most of the time the clues have started with a broad scope and gradually narrowed the field to a specific area. This year, the clues go back and forth (oscillate) from general clues to more exact ones and back again.
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Clue 3
Published Date
Monday, May 31, 2021, 7:00 PM
Gibbs, Grover, Gardner and Geer
and others we could mention.
Where were they when they tried to get
the citizens' attention?
The official meaning of the clue.
A.C. Gibbs, La Fayette Grover, and Theodore Geer were governors of Oregon. Booth Gardner was governor of Washington. When politicians are campaigning, they are referred to as being "on the stump". The medallion was hidden at the base of a stump.
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Clue 4
Published Date
Tuesday, June 1, 2021, 7:00 PM
He was noted for being a Christian,
M & F gave our man a position.
He liked to go rogue on vacation,
cut his middle name for the duration.
The official meaning of the clue.
Four facts about Clark Gable:
1) One of his most famous roles was Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty.
2) In 1922 he was employed by the Meier and Frank department store in Portland selling neckties in the men's department.
3) A favorite vacation spot for he and his wife, Carole Lombard, was the Weasku Inn on the Rogue River.
4) His full name was William Clark Gable. Cutting his middle name eliminates Clark County.
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Clue 5
Published Date
Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 7:00 PM
If you failed to solve clue number three
here's something that might help you.
A man with Mickey's original name
was killed on Stephens' venue.
The official meaning of the clue.
Another hint pointing to the word "stump". The original name of Mickey Mouse was Mortimer Mouse. Walt Disney's wife Lillian thought that sounded too pompous, and suggested calling him Mickey. In 1858, a young newlywed named Mortimer Stump was shot and killed by his father-in-law, Danford Balch. They were on the Stark Street Ferry, an enterprise owned by James Stephens, another Portland pioneer.
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Clue 6
Published Date
Thursday, June 3, 2021, 7:00 PM
Stand in Georgiana's place
amidst a grand collection.
Then look at Mary's boneyard,
it's in the right direction.
The official meaning of the clue.
Henry and Georgiana Pittock had their 16,000 square foot, 23 room mansion ready for occupancy in 1914. At the other end of Portland society was Eliza Bunets, a "working girl" whose nickname was Boneyard Mary. She was involved in the death of Thomas McMahon in February of 1878, and though it was ruled an accidental drowning, many believe she had a direct hand in it. She was called Boneyard Mary because she lived on one of the old riverboats in the steamboat company's graveyard at the foot of Flanders Street. If you stand at Pittock Mansion and look toward the spot where Flanders meets the Willamette, you would be looking east.
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Clue 7
Published Date
Friday, June 4, 2021, 7:00 PM
The area in which
the treasure reposes
is within the purview
of the City of Roses.
The official meaning of the clue.
Dodge Park, although quite a distance outside of Portland, is maintained and administered by the Portland Water Bureau, part of Portland's city government.
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Clue 8
Kennewick, Pittsburgh and Cairo
come together to form a clue.
This is where you'll find what you seek
if you let all the hints accrue.
The official meaning of the clue.
SOLUTION:
What these three cities have in common is that they are at a confluence of rivers. At Kennewick the Snake joins the Columbia, at Pittsburgh the Allegheny and Monongahela join to become the Ohio River, and at Cairo, Illinois the Ohio joins the Mississippi. Dodge Park is located at the confluence of the Bull Run River and the Sandy River. The medallion was hidden at the point where the two rivers meet.
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Clue 9
She's been a devil and an angel,
he's Mister 279.15
if you start with C and end with K.
Together they tell you where to thrive.
The official meaning of the clue.
A movie reference. The first line refers to Meryl Streep, who played the title role in The Devil Wears Prada. She also played the Angel Australia in the 2003 TV mini-series Angels in America. The second line refers to Kevin Bacon, known as Mister 6 Degrees because of the game based on his career. If you start with 6 degrees on the Celsius (C) scale and convert it to the equivalent degree on the Kelvin (K) scale you get 279.15 degrees. Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon appeared together in the 1994 movie The River Wild. Sections of the Sandy River are protected under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act passed in 1968, including the section beginning at Dodge Park.
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Clue 10
There's been a lot of Sams
if you've followed the hunt's history.
Here's another for you,
a nearby gift solves the mystery.
The official meaning of the clue.
Over the years the Treasure Hunt clues have included many men in Oregon history named Sam. The 2016 hunt alone had three Sams featured in the clues. This Sam was Samuel Cobb, who in 1924 donated land to the Camp Fire Girls organization. The original 80 acre donation is where they started Camp Namanu, directly across the river from Dodge Park.
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Clue 11
It once helped link
the east and west,
but now it helps
complete your quest.
The official meaning of the clue.
The Lusted Road Bridge over the Sandy River provides access to Dodge Park and is the east section of the original Burnside Bridge, which opened in 1894. It was moved to its present location in 1926 when it was replaced by the current Burnside Bridge. The west section of the original bridge, also relocated in 1926, now spans the Bull Run River in the reservoir area.
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Clue 12
Jimmy's admission
caused a sensation.
This leads you to the
treasure's location.
The official meaning of the clue.
In 1976 presidential candidate Jimmy Carter, in an interview published in the November issue of Playboy, admitted that he had lusted after women and committed adultery in his heart many times. The quote caused him to lose his substantial lead over President Gerald Ford and came close to costing him the election. The reference is to Lusted Road, which leads to Dodge Park.
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Clue 13
It started in a village
once upon a time.
For nineteen years it helped to
make weekends sublime.
The official meaning of the clue.
The Montavilla neighborhood was originally named Mount Tabor Village. When streetcars started serving the area in 1892, the name was abbreviated to "Mt. Ta. Villa" on destination signs, then later as "Monta. Villa". In 1911 the Mount Hood Railway and Power Company built a railway line from Montavilla to Bull Run, serving 30 small communities on its way to Dodge Park. In 1912 the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company acquired the line and converted it to an electric trolley line. This became what was called the "Picnic Train", and until service ended in 1930 it transported crowds of Portlanders to Dodge Park on the weekends.
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Clue 14
Though now there's just one place to gain good access,
there used to be two for ingress and egress.
Just stand in between them and look straight ahead,
with x-ray vision you could see where to tread.
The official meaning of the clue.
Currently there is one gated entrance road into Dodge Park. However, there are four stone pillars still standing that used to be two gates. If you stand between them and look into the park, you'll be looking at the community hall. If it wasn't there you would be able to look directly at the area where the medallion was hidden.
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