It took eight clues for Carson City firefighter Mike Santos and his friends to zero in on the prize in the Nevada Day Treasure Hunt.
The 3-inch square acrylic square was found on Thursday morning at Mormon Station State Park by firefighter Kani Shannon after Santos solved the puzzle.
"I did this mainly for the history part," Santos said. "I learned a little bit about Nevada history."
Santos said Shannon, Steve Morgan and Scott Peterson pooled their resources and knowledge.
"One of the guys I work with lives in Carson Valley," Santos said of Morgan. "He was a big help."
Jesse Olson, owner of Sierra Nevada Electric, and the person who brought the treasure hunt to Western Nevada from Portland, Ore.
"In Portland, we would always look forward to the treasure hunt," he said. "We would get the paper first thing in the morning and look for the clues. It was just a fun family event."
Olson said he hopes the same thing will happen here today.
"It's just a way people can learn a lot about history without really knowing their learning," Olson said.
Olson said he was expecting someone to find the treasure sometime early next week.
"I probably wasn't expecting it to be found this early, but I was hoping they would find it late this week or early next week," he said.
In Portland Olson said the longest it took to find the prize was 13 clues.
"The shortest was three clues in the second year," he said.
Co-sponsored by the Nevada Appeal, the prize for finding the treasure is a dish satellite system and one year top 100 programming, installation kit and a silver plaque.
The clues and their explanations
Clue One
Win a Dish Network satellite dish
Just look for clues in The Appeal
The hunt is on and if you're on the path
The prize they will reveal.
Introduction to the contest.
Clue Two
In 1864 a line was drawn
By Houghton and by Ives;
Go east, young seekers
It's there your fortune lies.
The Houghton-Ives Survey of 1864 finally determined the exact location of the state line between Nevada and California. The treasure is hidden to the east of the state line.
Clue Three
To the east
Trains once ran
Find the medallion
if you can.
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad once ran from Carson City to Minden roughly along what is now Heybourne Road. The clue establishes the eastern boundary of the hunting field.
Clue Four
Lincoln won
This man did not
Adventure's strong
The treasure's sought!
Douglas County is named for Stephen A. Douglas who campaigned for president opposite Abraham Lincoln. The treasure is hidden in Douglas County.
Clue Five
He was Fremont's famous scout
For which this bears his name
A well-known land
Can help your game
The clue refers to Christopher "Kit" Carson, and specifically to the Carson Valley.
Clue Six
A toll road, once nicknamed
"Telegraph" for a time
Another riddle to solve
Written in rhyme
The Boyd Toll road, which connected Cradlebaugh Toll road to Genoa, was once nicknamed Telegraph Road when the Placerville-Salt Lake Telegraph Co. ran its lines along the old road.
Clue Seven
An old spot
Along McBee's vine;
A trace reminder
Of a bygone time.
McBee's vine was the Placerville-Salt Lake Telegraph, and the old spot was Genoa.
Clue Eight
The Gelatt's had a livery here
Oh, way back when
Before fire destroyed it
In June 1910.
The location where the medallion is hidden was the previous site of a livery and stable owned by the Gelatt brothers. A fire in June of 1910 burned the livery and much more of Genoa.
Clue Nine
In an arboretum
Of a sort;
A shaded wood
Near an old fort.
The treasure is hidden is near the Fort at Mormon Station. The trees at the site are labeled as to their species, much as in an arboretum.
