All the 2023 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt clues and what they mean
The 2023 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt ended Tuesday when Ken Soles and his hunting partner Tony Honkomp found the medallion in Phalen Regional Park near the Beach House, on the 10th day of the hunt. Here are all 12 clues for the hunt, and their explanations:
Clue 1
The viral pandemic is now endemic
And the battle’s on for Ukraine
Take a break from the news to follow your muse
And tackle these rhymes with your brain
What it means: We invite you to another new treasure hunt. Tackling implies football, but tackling with your brain suggests no physical contact. That leads you to futsal, which is played at St. Paul recreation centers, including the one at Phalen, which is not far from where the medallion is hidden.
Clue 2
Descend from your perch, set out to search
East side, west side, all around the town
Glory will reign when you find the chain
To go with your cap and gown.
What it means: “East side” is the main clue here, since that’s where Phalen Park is located. “Glory will reign” invokes the Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, whose steeple can be seen from the hiding spot, while “cap and gown” infers the schools that have Phalen in their name, such as the Phalen Lake school on Cypress. “Chain” refers to the fact that Lake Phalen is part of a chain of lakes.
Clue 3
A bomb cyclone hit our wintry zone
On the chin, buckling our knees
Get up at your leisure to seek our fine treasure
Find fortune and live life of ease
What it means: “Chin” and “knees” in second line, and “fortune” (as in fortune cookie) in the fourth line lead you to the new Chinese garden in Phalen Park, the park where the medallion is hidden.
Clue 4
If treasure’s your mark, take a waltz in the park
Be ready to meet your match
Strap on your glove, look up above
For an object ripe for the catch
What it means: This clue refers to the proverbial lazy fly ball or “can of corn” that both suggests a baseball field (as does “match” and “strap on your glove”) and the literal can of corn in which we hid the medallion (specifically, Sun Luck Stir-Fry Baby Corn).
Clue 5
Have you the right stuff to seek diamond in rough?
Then scrounge through stick and cone
If you want a big thrill look for a hill
To spy a treasure to own
What it means: Diamond refers to baseball field that is part of Phalen, while hill refers to the topography where the medallion is hidden. On a plaque erected in 1997 to honor people who helped save the Gillette building are the names Dimond, Hill, and Cohen.
Clue 6
Stop all your prattle, you were born for battle
Defend your liberties and rights
Be ever so bold to seize silver and gold
By keeping the prize in your sights
What it means: There are a number of streets on Phalen Park west boundary that are named for states. The clues consist of key words from the mottoes of three of those states: “Battle born” = Nevada Avenue; “liberties and rights” = Iowa Avenue; and “gold and silver” = Montana Avenue.
Clue 7
Buddy you’re a big star, got a name to go far
Killing it down where they park the car
But you lied to their face, became a big disgrace
Better pack up and get outta this place
What it means: This is the story of Phalen Park namesake, Edward Phelan (somehow the spelling changed over the years), a hotheaded former Fort Snelling soldier suspected of killing his partner, with whom he lived near the present site of the Xcel Center Parking Garage in downtown St. Paul. He beat the murder rap, but later fled town when he was charged with perjury. “Disgrace” invokes “Be Graceful Cafe” on Lake Phalen in the park. This clue was inspired by Queen’s “We will rock you” (our apologies), which explains the slightly altered rhyme scheme.
Clue 8
Not with cape, but maybe rake,
A hero, by another name,
With studious guys, searched for the prize
And up north the puck did claim.
What it means: This clue lets hunters know we’ve hidden the puck in a park that’s been used before (three times, to be exact). It was found by four college friends there in 1973, including one Jim Zielinski, who shares a similar-sounding name with one of the world’s current heroes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the current president of Ukraine. The current hiding spot is south of the 1973 location.
Clue 9
I entered at night, and could see an arched light
And fields where children playeth.
If you want exact location, well, that’s not my vocation
Where it is? I’ll no saith.
What it means: From the spot near the south entrance to the park, the arched Phalen Recreation Center can be seen, it’s gym lights bright in the darkness; nearby are ballfields for children to play. Again, we go back to the well – or hill, in this case – and explicitly tell hunters through an anagram (“I’ll no saith”) that it’s on a hill.
Clue 10
The hunt can go long, but we won’t steer you wrong
We try to stay direct and dignified.
There’s no need to wade, or work on your fade
As you dig a month of snow outside.
What it means: A clue to put you in the right vicinity of the prize, we mention “steer” to conjure thoughts of driving, followed by synonyms for nearby streets Frank and Earl (“direct” and “dignified”), which act as guardrails for searching Phalen. We also let hunters know to stay away from water (“wade”) and the golf course (“fade,” a term that describes a shot in golf). We also let hunters know the puck was in place for a while before the hunt, so they’ll need to get in there and dig to find it.
Clue 11 (not published)
It was thoughts prurient that vexed him esurient.
About the prize, his past dreams had gone kaput.
He struck out for one more chance, his mind hotly entranced
To explore a region quickly reached by foot.
What it means: This clue has a few elements to zero in hunters already in Phalen Regional Park: being esurient for something means to have a great hunger for it – and in Phalen the seasonal cafe is near the hiding spot; Entranced is a pretty easy get – look near an entrance of the park; and “quickly reached by foot” means it shouldn’t take a long hike to reach the prize’s keep.
Clue 12 (not published)
A repeat park, not on a lark,
To Phalen we were bidden.
To protect the prize, we did surmise
In can of baby corn the puck would be hidden.
From a café full of grace, it’s time to race
Up a hill behind a house on the beach
Amidst thin trees there, we tossed into air
A tinned treasure, now in reach.
What it means: We give the details in the final clue for finding the medallion. On a cold night before the hunt, hands numb, the puck was thrown onto a snowy hill in Phalen (a three-time repeat park in the hunt). Hunters are encouraged to dig until they find the prize, tucked into a can of baby corn. Starting at the Be Graceful Cafe/Beach House, head up a hill behind the building and look for a stand of thin trees. The puck landed amidst the trees there and sunk into the snow.
Where has the medallion been discovered in past years?
Video: Hiding the 2023 medallion
