2013 Nevada Day Treasure Hunt Clue Explanations

Clue followed by explanation:

Clue No. 1

We’ll rock the street of this old town

With marching bands from all around

Horseman, floats and antique cars

Politicians, local stars

Veterans pass with due respect

A parade of clues is what comes next!

The opening clue of the Treasure Hunt traditionally pays tribute to the theme of Nevada Day. This year it is: “Nevada Day Parade Celebrates 75 Years (1938-2013).”

Clue No. 2

A strike in ‘60

Put it on the map

No treasure now

Shh … just let it nap

Mineral County is one of seven where the treasure may be found. It gained notoriety when gold was discovered in 1860 in Aurora, which is now a ghost town. Mineral County has never been used as a hiding place for the Nevada Day treasure and will not be again this year.

Clue No. 3

If you focus on just one thing this year

This much you should see is true

Not above, but below

Not under, but through

This clue is intended to come in handy toward the end of the hunt. A tunnel leads “not above, but below, not under, but through” to the section of Crystal Peak Park where the medallion is hidden. Another twist to this clue is that, while it is wise to keep all the clues in mind, “if you focus on just one thing” you will have tunnel vision.

Clue No. 4

Which way to go

Is an important detail

It’s always best to start

At the beginning of Baum’s Trail

L. Frank Baum wrote the Wizard of Oz, in which Glinda tells Dorothy, “It’s always best to start at the beginning.” The trail in the story is the yellow brick road, and the medallion is hidden along the yellow trail in Crystal Peak Park. As with Clue No. 3, this clue is useful later in the hunt.

Clue No. 5

To make the most of her situation

Dido used the kings beach

Your problem now centers on this

And 126’s reach

In claiming land from the King along Africa’s northern coast, Queen Dido (circa 326-260 B.C.) realized that a circle has the largest area for any given perimeter. A circle with a circumference (perimeter) of 126, centered on Kings Beach at Lake Tahoe, encompasses the area where the medallion is hidden.

Clue No. 6

She was the first

To show the sign

Of moral status

Among her kind

In the 1960s, a chimpanzee was taught American Sign Language at UNR. She was the first chimpanzee to learn this form of communication. This and the fact that she developed close, personal relationships with people led researchers to believe she was deserving of the same “moral status” afforded a human. The chimp was named for the county where she lived — Washoe — where the medallion is hidden.

Clue No. 7

Salmonidae flumen

A botched declaration

Consider his route

On your path to elation

Salmonidae is the Latin word for the species of fish that includes salmon and trout. Flumen is Latin for river. While camping along a local waterway, Captain Fremont named it the Salmon-Trout River. In less than a year, the river was renamed the Truckee after a peace-loving Paiute Indian Chief.

Clue No. 8

Like a big parade they form

A rumble in the street

Over 5,000 in a swarm

Rocking to the beat

In recent years over 5,000 earthquakes and aftershocks have rocked the area in which the medallion is hidden. These earthquakes are known as the Verdi-Mogul Swarm.