Whimsical poem celebrates 5-year-old who helped find medallion

PIONEER PRESS TREASURE HUNT

Five-year-old Ben Ellingson, front right, holds the 2025 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt medallion as he and his team consisting of (from left) Matt Ludvigson, Craig Heinen, Evelyn Schonhardt, 4, Dan Schonhardt, Julie Schonhardt, Nate Messerich, Josh Ellingson, Todd Pitman and Amy Ellingson holding her daughter Annie, 2, pose for a photo at Central Park in Roseville on Saturday, Jan. 25. JOHN AUTEY — PIONEER PRESS

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By Jared Kaufman

jkaufman@pioneerpress.com

On the south side of the river / inside a mossy grove / they say there lives a boy / with pockets full of gold…

So begins a poem, titled “The Cowboy,” about a real-life folk hero of sorts: Ben Ellingson, the 5-year-old who helped find this year’s Pioneer Press treasure hunt medallion.

The poem was written by Craig Heinen, of Richfield, a member of the large treasure-hunting team led by Ben’s dad, Josh Ellingson. The Gillyweeds, a local bluegrass music project managed by fellow hunting teammate Todd Pitman, also used the poem as lyrics to a song. Heinen posted the full poem on his Facebook page.

The character of the treasure-hunting cowboy is inspired by a response Ben Ellingson gave during a press conference after the medallion was found: What would he do with $10,000 in prize money?

“Buy 100 horses and get stuff to be a cowboy,” he said. (Which, in true 5-year-old fashion, was a topic he’d never mentioned before, his mother, Amy Ellingson, later remarked.)

Like many of Josh Ellingson’s hunting teammates, he and Heinen met in college at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, and they’ve been hunting together for the medallion for about a decade now, Heinen said.

“I think (the hunt) is great for building camaraderie both inside our group of friends and then with everybody else we’re seeing out there, too,” he said. “After the hunt is over, there’s a bit of commiseration and talking through the clues, and I thought it’d be fun to capture that moment and have something positive and fun amidst all of what we call in our group ‘sad beers’ after we don’t find it.”

Heinen has been writing kids’ poetry for a year or so, inspired by Shel Silverstein, he said. He and his wife raise ducks in their home, and one night, a duck had done something particularly charming while his wife wasn’t looking, so he wrote a poem to tell her about it, he said. He’s continued writing a poem or two most nights since then and has amassed a collection of more than 100, which may one day become a book.

As for The Gillyweeds’ song, it’s available on YouTube and streaming platforms. The band did not respond directly to a request for comment, and no members were available for an interview, Pitman said.