Carson City man finds Nevada Day Treasure Hunt medallion

Chris Peternell of Carson City found the 2019 Nevada Day Treasure Hunt medallion about 5:30 p.m. Thursday night.

Peternell, a longtime Nevada Treasure Hunt participant, finally had some in-family bragging rights.

His brother and sister have won the hunt a combined three times.

On Thursday before work he went out to the Fulstone Wetlands off of Northridge Drive in Carson City but couldn’t find it. After work he returned to the area and found it fairly quickly.

“I have been close so many times before,” he said after turning the medallion into the Nevada Appeal on Friday morning.

The Carson City resident of 30 years was able to text his brother, who has since moved away from the area, and let him know that he was added to the list of winners.

He said his family are treasure hunters who love history.

“I love the hunt. You learn so much history as you participate,” said Peternell, who is a project manager in Carson City.

He said last Thursday’s clue which referenced “Eleanor V” was the key for him finding the medallion, as it pointed him to Carson City.

2019 Nevada Day Treasure Hunt Clues & Explanations

Clue #1

Four distinct spaces

Within the division

Examine each one

Looking for your vision

Explanation: The Northridge subdivision of Carson City has four distinct parks or recreation areas. They are as follows: The Fulstone Family Park, the Fulstone Wetlands, the Spooner/Oxbow Park, and the Steinheimer Park. This year the medallion is hidden in the Fulstone Wetlands.

Clue #2

Originally vulnerable

The Feds on a mission

Now they’re defended

As perceptions transition

Explanation: Originally, the Federal Government indirectly and directly encouraged the destruction of wetlands through programs such as the Watershed Protection and Flood Preservation Act of 1954, public works projects, technical practices, and cost shared drainage programs. As a result, wetland losses averaged 550,000 acres per year from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. Since the 1970’s, public perception of the importance of wetlands has increased and laws such as the Emergency Wetland Resources Act of 1986 have curtailed wetland losses. This clue tells hunters to look at wetlands within the search area.

Clue #3

Copious and researched

Join the hunt

For this dweller

And come out in front

Explanation: The Fulstone Wetlands is home to the red-winged blackbird, which is often cited as being the most abundant living land bird in North America as bird-counting censuses put the bird’s numbers in the millions. Additionally, the bird ranks as one of the best-studied wild bird species in the world. This clue tells hunters to look in the Fulstone Wetlands.

Clue #4

While there may be three

Generally they’re of no aid

Because they do not

Contain this year’s crusade

Explanation: Of the eight counties/municipalities where the medallion could be hidden, three are named after generals. Pershing County is named after Army General John J. Pershing. Churchill County is named after Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill. Lyon County is named after Union General Nathaniel Lyon. This clue tells hunters that the medallion is not hidden in Pershing, Churchill, or Lyon counties this year.

Clue #5

The southeast is a match

For both your destination

And Edington so don’t let

The impact crater your elation

Explanation: Russell is the name of the lava flooded remains of the lunar impact crater, which is located to the southeast of a lunar crater named Edington. Russell is also the name of the street, which is located to the southeast of the Fulstone Wetlands. This clue points hunters to look to the northwest of Russell Way in Carson City.

Clue #6

East of Eden

His holdings were broad

After immigrating

The rail earned him applaud

Explanation: This clue directs hunters to search in Carson City. Eden is a place where happiness and bliss can be found and many pioneers felt California was going to be their Eden. Carson City is east of California. Further, this clue references Henry Marvin Yerington who is buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City and whose home was located in Carson City. He was originally born in Canada and was rumored to have led 16 different companies at one time. He was most famous for his position as general superintendent and vice president of the Virginia Truckee Railroad and as a construction superintendent and president of the Carson and Colorado Railroad.

Clue #7

Link brick and ox

With hay and shoes

Plus medicine and education

From which you must choose

Explanation: Within the search area there are numerous historical families with the last name Fulstone. Allegedly the first inhabitant of Carson City was Robert L. Fulstone who drove a team of ox and hauled bricks to build the old drugstore building. Henry Fulstone, Sr. established a shoe shop on King Street. His sons, Henry Jr. and Robert, acquired property in northwest Carson City near the Carson Hot Springs where they grew and stored around 18 tons of hay annually. Dr. Mary Hill Fulstone provided medical services to the people of Smith Valley and Yerington and was recognized as the longest-practicing physician in the state. Maud Fulstone was a teacher in the early 1900s living on Minnesota Street. Thus, this clue points hunters to areas linked to the Fulstone name such as the Fulstone Park named after Henry Fulstone, Sr. and his family, which borders the Fulstone Wetlands where the medallion is hidden.

Clue #8

Eleanor V.’s husband

Gets all the fame

Her career and maturity

Deserves the same

Explanation: This clue points hunters to Carson City. Nellie Davis was a talented journalist, who inherited the Carson Daily Appeal newspaper from her late husband. She then hired Samuel Post Davis as editor and married him. He is very well known as he served as Nevada State Controller and released many poems and short stories. Nevertheless, Nellie was renowned in her own right as a reporter for the Appeal. When she reported on the Corbett-Fitzsimmons boxing match, an event attended by only a handful of other women, she wrote under the alias Eleanor V. She also lived to be 101.

Clue #9

For these dry kidneys

All should be grateful

They play a nurturing role

And now may be fateful

Explanation: Wetlands are often referred to as the “kidneys” of a watershed because they are renowned for their ability to remove toxic substances, excess nutrients, and harmful pollutants from the water. However, wetlands may not be wet year-round, and some of the most important wetlands are seasonally dry transition zones. They serve as a lifeline to many of Nevada’s diverse species and foster the health and wellbeing of our precious wetland resources. This clue directs hunters to look for the medallion in wetlands within the search area.

Clue #10

A lone prince sharing

A president’s name

Claimed the number

Fifteen for his fame

Explanation: This clue tells hunters the medallion is hidden in Carson City. Zachary Taylor Wilcox (sharing the name with the 12th U.S. President, Zachary Taylor) was the Crown Prince of the Whiskerinos and had the second longest beard in the world at 15’ in 1922. He was often seen riding his bicycle around Carson with a friend’s green parrot perched on the handlebars and his beard tucked inside his shirt or coat. He and his family are buried in Lone Mountain cemetery.

Clue #11

1000 wasn’t enough

But don’t be weary

Follow the eponym’s lead

A new home is necessary

Explanation: Abraham Curry had attempted to purchase land in Genoa for a $1,000, but was told that it was not enough money. Thus, he went to Eagle Valley where he was able to purchase a trading post and 865 acres. He joined John J. Musser, Franklin Proctor, and Benjamin F. Green in laying out a community, which Proctor named Carson City. They then named the main streets in the town they designed after themselves (making them eponyms). This clue also directs hunters to search for the medallion in Carson City.

Clue #12

Demanded by the populace

After it failed to surge

Operationally and financially

As just one did emerge

Explanation: Ormsby County, Nevada was a county from 1861 until 1969 and contained Carson City. The county’s population dwindled significantly after the gold rush and by the 1940s, it was little more than Carson City and a few surrounding hamlets to the west. Discussions began about merging the Carson City municipality with Ormsby County. However, the effort never got beyond the planning stages until 1966, when a statewide referendum formally approved the merger. The required constitutional amendment was passed in 1968. On April 1, 1969, Ormsby County and Carson City officially merged as the Consolidated Municipality of Carson City. This clue tells hunters to look in Carson City.

Clue #13

Riding on the stage

He earned his fame

Driving the Tribune editor

Becoming part of Twain’s game

Explanation: This clue tells hunters the medallion is hidden at the Fulstone wetlands in Carson City. At the southeastern corner of the wetlands on the freeway slope is a metal sculpture depicting Hank Monk, a legendary stagecoach driver. He became famous locally when he told New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley, “Keep your seat. I’ll get you there on time.” This remark was retold in one of Mark Twain’s stories in “Roughing It.”

Clue #14

Cruz by the buffer

From Howell’s memorial

Next to the wetlands

But steer clear of arboreal

Explanation: The Fulstone wetlands were constructed by Cruz Construction, as noted on the dedication plaque, and the wetlands serve as a buffer zone between Interstate 580 and the Northridge subdivision. Interstate 580 is dedicated to Carson City Deputy Sheriff Carl Howell. The Fulstone wetlands are full of small trees and bushes, and thus, the wetlands are arboreal. Therefore, this clue directs hunters to look towards the path that runs between the freeway and the wetlands, where the medallion is hidden.