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Finding Fort Scott's hidden treasures
Several groups of area residents ventured through Fort Scott in search of hidden treasure.
On Saturday morning, the Scottish Rite Temple conducted the Race for the Hidden Treasures of Fort Scott, which coincided with the release of the DVD version of the National Treasure, Book of Secrets movie on May 20.
According to race participant, Steven Mason, although only one team took home the gold, everyone who participated expanded their knowledge of local history.
The race commenced at 11 a.m. Saturday at Buck Run Community Center. Race organizer Don Wheeler gathered the eleven participating teams around him for last minute instructions. After handing each team an envelope, which contained their first instructions of the day, the race was on.
From Buck Run, every team made their way to Frary Field in search of their next clue. This would be the last time that all eleven teams were in the same place at the same time until the end of the race as each team's clue sent them in different directions.
Built into the race, Wheeler said, were challenges at each of the stops on the journey. The challenges varied in style from physically taxing to mentally demanding. At Gunn Park, team members were asked to run through the golf course in search of beads. The beads were to be placed on a string in a certain order, and the team had to finish the challenge within an allotted amount of time, Wheeler said.
According to Mason, one of the most difficult challenges for his team, the Phat Brothers, involved solving a Sudoku during their stop at Fort Scott Broadcasting. However, the thing that the Phat Brothers found most strenuous, Mason said, was racing from one stop to the next.
Mason was not the only event participant surprised by the level of physical activity required to finish the race first. Mikhail Gonzales, also a member of the Phat Brothers team, said the amount of running that he and his team members did, was unexpected. He said he thought the teams would be walking through town, but the desire to be first across the finish line had several of the teams sprinting instead.
Jared Leek, a member of the Fort Avengers, said, although the challenges were difficult, it was not impossible to figure them out as long as each team member kept his or her eyes open. He said that he and his teammates, Kim Leek, Megan Byler, Nicole Banwart and Tim Banwart, were exhausted by the time they crossed the finish line. Adding that before next year's event, his team will do some physical conditioning in order to build up more stamina.
"We're tired," Leek said, "but overall, it was a great experience."
According to Wheeler, each person who participated in the event came away from the race with different treasures. He explained that since the hidden treasures were parts of Fort Scott's history, a number of the participants already knew some of the historical facts revealed during the race, but some of the information was new to them.
For Mason, learning about the Lowell Milken Center was part of the treasure he took home. He said he already knew a lot of information about the other stops during the race, but he did not know much about the Lowell Milken Center.
"I didn't know about the Lowell Milken Center," Mason said. " I hadn't been there and wasn't aware of what they were doing or what they were trying to promote."
Mason said local support for the race was outstanding. Adding that as he and his team members, Kendell Mason, Jess Fletcher, Gonzales, Alex Mason and Ashton Mason, were running from challenge to challenge, area residents would honk their horns and cheer them on.
Each team's final clue led them to the Scottish Rite Temple's Auditorium, at which point team members had the privilege to view King Solomon's Treasure Room. The treasure room scene, painted in 1904 by artist Thomas G. Moses from Liverpool England, is among 108 backdrops housed at the Scottish Rite Temple. The backdrops work together to create 49 different scenes.
Even though the Phat Brothers achieved the goal that they started the race with, being the first team to cross the finish line, they did not secure the first place slot for the competition. Because a team can be penalized points for various things during the contest, the Phat Brothers had to slide back to second place allowing the Fort Avengers to prevail.
According to Wheeler, plans are already being set in motion for a similar event next year, and both the Phat Brothers and the Fort Avengers said they have plans to compete in the race again next year.
In order to promote the movie's theatrical debut, similar clue hunts were conducted in Los Angeles, Calif., San Francisco, Calif. and Washington D.C. on Dec. 4, 2007. Just as the local race concluded at the Scottish Rite Temple, the races on Dec. 4 also came to an end at Scottish Rite Temples.
According to the February 2008 edition of the "Scottish Rite Journal," the first National Treasure movie depicts the story of a treasure hunter who is searching for the lost Templar Treasure. The family movie includes Masonry as a small positive part of its plot, the Scottish Rite magazine said.
The local race for hidden treasures was organized by employees and members from various businesses and organizations. Among those who spent time and energy to make the race a success are Fort Scott Recreation Commission Recreation Director Tom Robertson; Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director Katie Casper; Youth Activities Team member Diana Mitchell; Kirk Hart, Scottish Rite Temple; Buck Fischer, Scottish Rite Temple; Ken Wheeler, Scottish Rite Temple; and Fort Scott National Historic Site employees.