Experts dispense a treasury of medallion-hunting wisdom
A horde of searchers wielding shovels, hoes and rakes will start scouring parks and public lands in Ramsey County today as the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt kicks off.
But if history is any guide, the hunters also will be armed with dictionaries, IPhones, ladders, GPS devices, laptop computers and chicken wire in their quest for the elusive medallion.
We talked to a handful of veteran hunters to learn the things they carry into the field, what they've seen other people using and what they think are the essential tools of the quest.
Read More...A couple's new film, shot over four years, tracks the ups and downs, joys and frostbite of diehard treasure hunters.
Trent Tooley didn't mean to get hooked. Neither did Dan Fleming, Steve Worthman or Jesse Anibas.
Read More...The Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt — a Winter Carnival fixture since 1952 — doesn't change much. And isn't that the way it should be?
There really isn't much new from year to year with the annual Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt, and that's the way it should be, according to the newspaper's publisher, Harold Higgins.
"The Treasure Hunt is a tradition. We don't plan on making changes,'' Higgins said, in releasing the information basics about the popular, yet secretive, contest that the newspaper began in 1952.
Read More...Treasure Hunt attracts searchers in cyberspace, too
The hunt begins in 11 days.... The hunt begins in 10 days.... The hunt begins in nine days....
This message slowly ticks away on a Web site maintained by "Med Hunter" for the serious fan of the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt, held in conjunction with the St. Paul Winter Carnival.
Read More...Intrepid seekers of the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion are hoping for good conditions in which to pursue their quarry - and that means plenty of snow.
It is mid-January and "Mr. Med Hunter" anxiously scans the daily weather forecasts. He is cheered somewhat by the 2 to 3 inches of snow St. Paul got last Sunday, but the hints from the Pioneer Press weather page of "light snow," "some snow" and "flurries" may not be enough.
"We need 8 inches of snow cover at least," said Hunter, a draftsman known the rest of the year as Jesse Anibas of White Bear Lake.
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Technology has changed the way some people search, but the Winter Carnival Treasure Hunt retains its mystery and magic after 50 years.
In 1952, when the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt began, finding the hidden medallion was a simpler affair. Most hunters eagerly awaited the two-a-day clues printed in the morning Pioneer Press and the afternoon Dispatch. They often gathered in the cold outside the newspaper lobby ....
Read More...In the land of 10,000 lakes...
10,000 people dig for...
10,000 dollars buried in the snow.
No Time For Cold Feet is a documentary on the amazing 50th Annual Pioneer Press Medallion Hunt during the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Every year since 1952, a tiny medallion...
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