Medallion Hunt - Oktoberfest U.S.A.

UPDATE AS OF 9/23/25 AT 7:50 AM – The Medallion has been found by the Veterans Memorial Pool

The Oktoberfest USA Medallion Hunt is sponsored by Emerj360. One clue per day will be issued starting Monday, September 15, 2025. Clues are posted on the Oktoberfest USA Facebook and Instagram at approximately 7 a.m. each day. Ten clues have been prepared and will be shared in order until the medallion is found or all ten are used (whichever comes first). Prizes awaiting the person finding the medallion include: $500 cash, and a souvenir medallion provided by Satori Arts.

Medallion Hunt rules are similar to previous years. The 2025 Oktoberfest Medallion:

Is always located within the La Crosse city limits
Is never buried in the ground
Is always on public property
Is accessible 24 hours, but posted hours should be observed
Fits in the palm of a hand
May be camouflaged

Medallion hunters are encouraged to work in teams, as some hiding spots will have limited accessibility.

Oktoberfest USA requests that all medallion hunters respect public and private property (as well as their fellow hunters) while trying to locate the medallion. In addition to not damaging foliage while searching for the medallion.

2025 Clues

Clue 1 – Monday, September 15

Another summer has passed and with most back from vacation,
It’s time for this year’s fest, “Where Tradition Meets Celebration!”;
As the winds grow cool it’s time to pack away the summer gear,
Grab the flannels, a rake and, maybe, even nab a beer.

The annual medallion hunt is announced, with this year’s “Where Tradition Meets Celebration!” theme. The early clue hints that the medallion is in an area important to summer recreation and usage.

Clue 2 – Tuesday, September 16

The late 1800s preferred mode of travel and transportation,
Eventually spurred a more modern, classy station;
Deliveries of coal, freight and more,
Up until the other competition came in a roar.

Railroads were the up-and-coming form of transportation in La Crosse the late 1800s. The Green Bay & Western Railroad operated tracks between Onalaska and south La Crosse, running through the marsh, the UWL campus and Green Bay Street. Eventually GB&W sold to the Chicago Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) which eventually built a depot at the end of Main Street. Mid-century, other transportation carried the goods. A spur of the old railroad company has a link to the hiding site.

Clue 3 – Wednesday, September 17

An historic landmark that eventually became grand,
Took on a natural look even though it was manned;
A welcoming icon for many decades,
A go-to spot for momentous accolades.

Despite being a natural landform, Grandad Bluff gained its current iconic look due to mining done by men. It’s become the city’s welcoming spot, and a go-to backdrop and setting for momentous photos. The bluff is depicted on the UWL campus north of Cartwright Center where a manmade mound welcomes all to campus and serves as an iconic spot for students wearing caps and gowns upon earning their degrees. The mini bluff helps directs seekers toward the hiding spot.

Clue 4 – Thursday, September 18

If she could do it, she thought you, too, could do it,
Suggested many creative paths to walk, exercise and stay fit;
A trek westward to the lagoon was often in the mix,
Eventually led to a way for a place for picnics and pix.

UWL Physical Education Professor Emma Lou Wilder was an exercise enthusiast who encouraged others by showing what she could do, everything from “walk a block, run a block,” to walking to ice skate on the lagoon at Pettibone Island. Eventually a trail on Grandad Bluff was named in her honor: Wilder Way. A building formerly at UWL was named in her honor, which hints to the hiding area.

Clue 5 – Friday, September 19

The keys to the polka and waltz are exhibited,
Don’t let the displays make you become inhibited;
A towering look can steer you down the right road,
Don’t let your eyes be fooled or your quest will be slowed.

The sidewalks near the Pump House provide indentations of numerous dance steps, including polka and waltz. The building serves as the basis for “Confluence,” that includes the art technique trompe l’oeil, which deceives the eye into seeing three-dimensional illusions. One of the people in the mural is Walter Wittich, a UWL physical education professor. Don’t let your eye be fooled and it will help lead you to the building named for him near the hiding spot.

Clue 6 – Saturday, September 20

One of the originals who helped open the doors,
Penned the region’s early years from the bluff to the Mississippi’s shores;
Described those early years to a tee,
Even wrote textbooks explaining the land of the free.

Albert Sanford was a UWL history professor from the university’s opening in 1909 until 1936. He’s known for writing the “History of La Crosse 1841-1900,” published in 1951 and remains a great source of early La Crosse history, along with textbooks about U.S. History. The UWL residence hall named in his honor is near the old railroad spur and hiding spot, as well as Memorial Field, which shares the name of the hiding spot.

Clue 7 – Sunday, September 21

For years and years many tried and tried,
The senator finally convinced the group and they complied;
A vast prairie with little vegetation,
Turned into grounds for growth and life’s contemplation.

State Sen. Thomas Morris was the person who finally achieved legislation for a state teacher’s college in La Crosse, the forerunner of UW-La Crosse. Morris Hall, named for the legislator, is in the area where the medallion is located, property near the original university campus.

Clue 8 – Monday, September 22

For years the spur brought building materials along with loads and loads of coal,
Mid-century, the area had a new, aspiring goal;
Building expansion over the decades followed with the population a rising,
Became the long-lasting edifice on the eastern horizon.

The railroad spur mentioned in clue No. 2 was abandoned and acquired by UW-La Crosse in the mid-1950s. Prior to closing, the spur brought coal to the university’s heating plant, along with materials for UWL. The university’s original student union was built in 1958, with additions in 1964 and 1984 as the student population continued to grow. The building remains the dominant structure on the southeastern edge of the campus. It’s directly adjacent to the hiding spot.

Clue 9 – Tuesday, September 23

Originally purchased to make the park to the north grow even more,
Instead, the early 20^th century brought carnies and animals while being named for those in war;
Shared that moniker with a nearby physical education structure,
Soon became a longtime cooling neighborhood conjuncture.

The land that is currently home to Veteran’s Memorial Field Sports Complex at the start of the 20^th century served as the county’s fairgrounds, despite being originally acquired as a possible addition to Myrick Park. The pool south of the area was similarly named Veterans Memorial Pool. This is where the medallion is hidden.

Clue 10

A federal grant in the mid-30s got the project going,
Re-built in the late 20-teens and kept the water flowing;
Pause before you reach the main entrance as you’ll find it seasonally closed,
Look up and down, the spout will keep you from getting hosed.

The city’s Memorial Pool was originally constructed in 1938 with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The pool was closed in 2016 and was rebuilt shortly after. The medallion can be found adjacent to the doors to the main entrance, nestled between the building and a downspout.