The Booneanza is a skill-based treasure hunt sponsored by the Boone County Historical Society, the “Sponsor.” The Booneanza contest, the “Contest,” begins April 25, 2026 at 9am Central Time and ends when the Treasure is discovered. The Contest consists of a sequential series of 8-12 “Puzzles.” Solving all of the Puzzles will lead to the Treasure. The contest is designed such that the Treasure cannot be accidentally discovered, nor can the Treasure be claimed without completing all of the Puzzles. The first Contestant who successfully solves all of the Puzzles and arrives at the Treasure in accordance with these rules shall be the Contest winner and receive the Treasure.

ELIGIBILITY:  Only U.S. residents age 18 and older are eligible to enter. The entry fee is $100. Upon payment of the fee and signing of these official rules and required releases, an individual shall be declared an eligible Contestant. Officers, directors and employees of Sponsor and Sponsor’s affiliates involved in any aspect of the Contest (all such individuals and entities collectively referred to herein as the “Contest Entities”), and the immediate family members and/or those residing in the same household of such Contest Entities are ineligible to enter the Contest.

The Treasure and all puzzles are located in Boone County, Missouri.

In the process of solving the treasure hunt it will NEVER be necessary to enter a private residence or trespass on private property.

Any Contestant who trespasses on any property or injures or destroys any property shall be immediately disqualified from the contest.  The Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any such trespass, injury, or destruction of property.  In the event of disqualification, the entry fee shall not be refunded.

1. HOW TO ENTER:  Register by clicking this link. Each entry will cost $100 USD. The entry fee proceeds shall go entirely to the Sponsor. Entry must be made by the entrant only through the entry method described above. The Sponsor shall not be responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or used in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in processing of the entries in the Contest.  The Sponsor assumes no responsibility or liability for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft or destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries.

1. TREASURE: There is one (1) Treasure available. The Treasure consists of a chest containing a single natural solitaire diamond valued at over $10,000 by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) prior to the hiding of the treasure. Due to market fluctuation, this value may change prior to discovery of the treasure. The Sponsor shall not be responsible for any change in said value. 

1. CLAIMING THE TREASURE

The Treasure shall belong to the individual who

1. Discovers it first 

2. Demonstrates that they have completed all the Puzzles of the Contest in a manner that abides by the rules of the contest. Contestants shall be required to satisfy the Sponsor that their discovery of the Treasure resulted from their independent solution of the Puzzles using intellect and skill (as opposed to purely chance), and without resort to any prohibited conduct, without the use of inside or confidential information.

Review of the completion of Puzzles shall be at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. 

Contestants who solve all of the Puzzles shall contact the Sponsor. Thereafter, specific instructions for accessing the Treasure shall be provided. In the unlikely event of a tie, possession of the treasure shall be settled by a public flip of a coin.

Contestants agree that the name and hometown of the Contest winner shall be publicized.

GENERAL PRIZE CONDITIONS:  Treasure will be awarded only if the potential winner fully complies with these Booneanza Official Rules. Treasure pictured in point-of-sale, online, television and print advertising, promotional packaging, and other Contest materials are for illustrative purposes only.  All details and other restrictions of the prize not specified in these Official Rules will be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  No cash alternative or substitution of the Treasure shall be allowed. The prize winner may not sell, return, or otherwise transfer the single solitaire diamond, back to Buchroeders Jewelers. The prize winner shall be solely responsible for all federal, state and/or local taxes, and the reporting consequences thereof, and for any other fees or costs associated with the applicable prize.  The Sponsor will issue and file an IRS Form 1099 or equivalent tax withholding documentation for the retail value of any prize or other items of value transferred to the prize winner by the Sponsor in accordance with IRS requirements, and the Sponsor may also share such documentation with a state or local government agency as required by law. 

 If any potential winner fails or refuses to sign any documents required by these Official Rules by the deadline specified in the prize notification, the winner may be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected.

4) PUBLICITY RELEASE:  Acceptance of a prize constitutes winner’s permission for the Sponsor to use each winner’s name, social media handle, photograph, likeness, voice, biographical information, statements and address (city and state only) in and in connection with advertising, marketing, promotional, and/or publicity purposes for the Sponsor worldwide and in all forms of media and by any and all means and media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without any obligation, notice, or further compensation to the winners and each winner hereby releases the Sponsor from any liability with respect thereto.

5) DATES & DEADLINES/ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS:  Because of the unique nature and scope of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, in addition to those other rights reserved herein, to modify any date(s) or deadline(s) set forth in these Official Rules or otherwise governing the Contest.  Sponsor cannot accurately predict the number of entrants who will participate in the Contest. 

6) GENERAL LIABILITY RELEASE/FORCE MAJEURE:  Each Contestant agrees that Sponsor

(A) shall not be responsible or liable for, and are hereby released from, any and all costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including, without limitation, death and bodily injury, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, or from entrants’ acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize. 

CONTESTANT SHALL NOT DIG, DISTURB, INJURE, OR DESTROY ANY GROUND OR PROPERTY TO LOCATE PUZZLES OR THE TREASURE.

CONTESTANT SHALL NOT TRESPASS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY TO LOCATE PUZZLES OR THE TREASURE.

ANY CONTESTANT WHO DAMAGES PROPERTY OR TRESPASSES WILL IMMEDIATELY BE DISQUALIFIED. 

(B) have not made any warranty, representation or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, with respect to any prize, including, without limitation, to such prize’s quality or fitness for a particular purpose.  Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any damage to an entrant’s, or any other person’s, computer system which is occasioned by accessing the Websites or otherwise participating in the Contest, or for any computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures, delayed computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, damaged, stolen, or postage-due entries or prize notifications; or for lost, interrupted, inaccessible or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet service providers, websites, or other connections; or for miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone or cable transmissions; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, difficulties or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information.  Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or the Websites, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsman-like or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, and Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. If a dispute as to the identity of the individual who actually submitted an entry cannot be resolved to Sponsor’s satisfaction, the affected entry may be deemed ineligible.

7) CANCELLATION Sponsor reserves the right to modify, extend, suspend, or terminate the Contest if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the Contest is technically impaired or corrupted or that fraud or technical problems, failures or malfunctions or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control have destroyed or severely undermined or to any degree impaired the integrity, administration, security, proper play and/or feasibility of the Contest as contemplated herein. In the event Sponsor is prevented from awarding prizes or continuing with the Contest as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, windstorm, epidemic, pandemic, public health crisis, disease, virus, sickness or outbreak or other similar or dissimilar natural disaster; act of God or public enemy; riot or civil disturbance, act of any government or governmental authority, power failure, satellite or equipment failure, failure of telecommunications lines or failure or breakdown of plant, machinery or vehicles operated by a third party; labor dispute, strike, or lockout; actual or threat of war, armed conflict, terrorist attacks, war (declared, undeclared or threatened), explosion, nuclear, or chemical or biological contamination; or a government imposed travel ban, restriction on movement or gatherings, or other government imposed mandate of any kind, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within Sponsor’s control (each a “Force Majeure” event or occurrence), Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest.  If the Contest is terminated before the designated end date, Sponsor may (if possible) select the winner from all eligible, non-suspect entries received as of the date of the event giving rise to the termination. Only the type and quantity of prizes described in these Official Rules will be awarded. Sponsor may also, but is not required to, provide refunds to eligible Contestants in the event of cancellation of Contest. These Official Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in a written document issued in accordance with law by a duly authorized representative of Sponsor. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.  If any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

8) GOVERNING LAW/JURISDICTION:  ALL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY, INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEABILITY OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES OR THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF ENTRANTS OR SPONSOR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY CHOICE OF LAW OF CONFLICT OF LAW RULES OR PROVISIONS THAT WOULD CAUSE THE APPLICATION OF ANY OTHER STATE’S LAWS.

9) ARBITRATION PROVISION:  By participating in this Contest, each entrant agrees: (i) that any and all disputes the entrant may have with, or claims entrant may have against, the Contest Entities relating to, arising out of or connected in any way with (a) the Contest, (b) the awarding or redemption of any prize, and/or (c) the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, will be resolved exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by JAMS and conducted before a sole arbitrator in accordance with the rules of JAMS; (ii) this arbitration agreement is made pursuant to a transaction involving interstate commerce, and shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), 9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16; (iii) the arbitration shall be held in Columbia, Missouri; (iv) the arbitrator’s decision shall be controlled by the terms and conditions of these Official Rules and any of the other agreements referenced herein that the applicable entrant may have entered into in connection with the Contest; (v) the arbitrator shall apply Missouri law consistent with the FAA and applicable statutes of limitations, and shall honor claims of privilege recognized at law; (vi) there shall be no authority for any claims to be arbitrated on a class or representative basis, arbitration can decide only entrant’s and/or Sponsor’s individual claims; the arbitrator may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated; (vii) the arbitrator shall not have the power to award punitive damages against the entrant or Sponsor; (viii) if the entrant is able to demonstrate that the costs of arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of litigation, Sponsor will pay as much of entrant’s filing and hearing fees in connection with the arbitration as the arbitrator deems necessary to prevent the arbitration from being cost-prohibitive; and (ix) with the exception of subpart (vi) above, if any part of this arbitration provision is deemed to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, or otherwise conflicts with the rules of JAMS, then the balance of this arbitration provision shall remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with its terms as if the invalid, unenforceable, illegal or conflicting provision were not contained herein. If, however, subpart (vi) is found to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, then the entirety of this arbitration provision shall be null and void, and neither entrant nor Sponsor shall be entitled to arbitrate their dispute.  For more information on JAMS and/or the rules of JAMS, visit their website at www.jamsadr.com.

10) WINNERS LIST/OFFICIAL RULES:  To obtain a copy of any legally-required winners list, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Booneanza @ The Boone County Historical Society, 3801 Ponderosa St, Columbia, MO 65201.  All such requests must be received within six (6) weeks after the end of the Contest Period.

As of the start of the Contest, the solution to the Puzzles will have been recorded in a printed document and kept in a secure location.