The inspiration for the Treasure Hunter's Guide came to me after the 1992 hunt. That year it was hidden in Cherokee Park which was just across the river from a place my wife and I rented near Irvine Park. It was only my 3^rd hunt because until 1989, I was a citizen of the City of Lakes and I rarely indulged in activities on this side of the Mississippi. I was so misguided in my interpretations of the clues that I failed to even recognize the obvious. I was all over the city, from Highland to Homecroft and I didn't get to the right park until a few hours after it was found (what a bonehead!). Cherokee was so close to where I lived that I could have easily walked to it.

I wasted that whole hunt. I blamed it on my lack of understanding the city, the intent of each clue, and the lack of detailed information about each city park. I was also following ridiculous hunches.

I felt that too many of us were running around in the cold betting on our lame horse ideas.

During that 1992 hunt, I wasn't alone on these foolish searches. Even at 3AM when 10 above really feels like 30 below, I was racing another hunter to the riches as he and I dug around a dumpster at Prosperity Heights. The two of us were not only psychic, but also hell bent on proving to everyone that the clues were obvious. The next day, Kirk Condie found the treasure on the other side of town. It was the second time he'd found the treasure.

I faced that 1992 defeat by refocusing my determination toward this once a year addiction and I turned it into a year round hobby (I'm insane!). I began to compile details on each park in St. Paul.  I've walked through each of them so many times and written so many notes that I feel a bit like Forrest Gump and Rainman combined. It took four years to eventually issue the first Treasure Hunter's Guide.

For the collectors out there, two batches of the first edition were printed and came with two different cover choices, green or maroon. The stores had sold out of the first 300 copies (the green ones) before the 3^rd day of the 1996 hunt. To meet the demand, I had the printer whip up an even larger number of copies, however the only cover they could offer me at short notice was the maroon.

The second edition (most current) was issued for the 2000 hunt in conjunction with this website. My intent for this site was to add value to the maps. All the photos on this site are associated with numbers on each map of the second edition. Future updates and new photos will be provided on this site as well as information about new editions. Feel free to print the photos as they may be replaced over time.

The image at the top of this page is a clipping from a 1996 Pioneer Press article about the Treasure Hunter's Guide (with yours truly standing in Kellogg Park). This was the first treasure hunt for which the Guide was available. It was the coldest hunt on record (with temps averaging well below zero). It was also a rare hunt that went the distance of all 12 days.

See you at the park.

Steve