August 2015 - Rock and Arrowhead Club of Klamath Falls

August
2015
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
Page 2
OF FICER S & EX ECU TI V E B OA RD
President: Allen Hart 541-884-0935
Vice President: Vacant
Secretary/recorder: Kristin Sayles, 11575
Spring Lake Rd., Klamath Falls, 97603
Treasurer: Denise Sebastian, 541-331-1378,
3423 Altamont, Klamath Falls, 97603
~ Rock and Arrowhead Club ~ Klamath Falls, Oregon ~
DUSTY ROCKS
NFMS Director: Kathi Milem, 541-892-7371,
4045 Altamont, Klamath Falls, 97603
NMFS Delegate: Alyssa Carnes
Past President: Laura Limb
Member at Large: Marvin Stump
Club mailing address:
P.O. Box 1803, Klamath Falls, Ore., 97601
www.klamathrockclub.org
nicee1214@gmail.com
Committee Chairs
Sunshine ...................................... Chris Chance
Program ................................. Doris Newnham
Greeter/Door prize .............
Refreshment ............................... Chris Chance
Historian ................................... Don Perryman
Librarian .............
Claims Rep ............................. Garwin Carlson
Field Trips .................................... Marv Stump
Black light display ............... Marshall Curran
Show Chair ............................ Garwin Carlson
Asst Show Chair ...................... Marvin Stump
Safety Officer .............................. Jeff Eastburn
Webmaster ........................... Denise Sebastian
Rock and Arrowhead Club meetings are
held at the Klamath County Museum
Meeting Room @ Main and Spring Street,
using the West entrance. Meetings are
held on the 2nd Monday of each month
at 7 p.m., with the exception of December
when we have our Christmas Luncheon
and Party and after the March show.
Visitors are cordially invited: Dues are
$13.50 per year, per adult, and $7.50 for
ages 16-18. Families can join for $25, plus
$1 per child.
General club objectives: To promote
popular interest, knowledge and
understanding in earth sciences,
such as geology, mineralogy, paleontology,
lapidary, and other related subjects. To
sponsor and provide means of coordinating the work and efforts of all persons
interested therein.
Helping others: The club participates in
the NFMS stamp program, saving large
commemoratives, airmail, pre-canceled,
and foreign stamps of all values. Proceeds
from stamp sales will be used to benefit
any charity deemed worthy by the NFMS
Endowment Fund.
All contents Copyright (c) 2014-2015.
All rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any
means, without the prior permission of the
Rock and Arrowhead Club. Permission is
hereby given to non-commerical and notfor-profit groups or persons to copy, forward or otherwise share this publication for
educational and informational purposes.
THE NORTHWEST NEWSLETTER is published 11 times a year.
Copies are sent to each member’s household. The cost is included in your annual dues.
Two free copies of the AFMS NEWSLETTER are mailed to each member club.
Subscriptions are available at $3.50 for 9 issues. Send payment to:
American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
PO Box 26523, Oklahoma City, OK, 73126
We are affiliated with
Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies
American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
Newsletter Editor
Lacey Jarrell: 541-401-4652
lacey.jarrell@gmail.com
Visit us at www.klamathrockclub.org
Please e-mail nicee1214@gmail.com to get on our e-mail list.
Reference to use of arrowheads within our club is limited to flint napping activities during workshops, annual shows, and personal
creations. No gathering of arrowheads on field trips is authorized or suggested by any club member.
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
From the President
Hello Club Members,
Summer is going full ahead now and I hope you are
all finding time to get out and enjoy yourselves. We
have a number of trips still planned for this year
and I hope that you get a chance to join us. I look
forward to hearing how the July obsidian trip went
and what was found. I am sure we will hear good
tales at this month’s meeting.
With this heat stay hydrated and use lots of
sunscreen.
Remember to bring in your treasures and
share your field trip experiences at our meetings!
Page 3
Table of Contents
Officers ............................ Page 2
President’s note .............. Page 3
McDermitt .................. Page 4, 5
Lassen Creek .................. Page 6
Birthdays ......................... Page 7
Gold panning ............... Page 7
Australian opal ............... Page 8
Allen
Maze activity .................. Page 9
The Grinder .................... Page 9
August calendar ........... Page 10
Next meeting:
September 14, 2015, @ 7 p.m.
We will have a special program featuring:
To be announced
August refreshments: To be announced
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
Page 4
2015 MCDERMITT FIELD TRIP
MCDERMITT, OREGON/NEVADA
By Marv Stump
R
ock hounding in the McDermitt area is a
fabulous experience. Leah and I have been
there three times, and had a great time each
time. Petrified wood, limb casts, bog wood;
orange, blue, green, purple, and red agate; sagenite;
chicken tracks; rhyolite wonderstone; and opalite is
available. If you really want to see what is available, type
in McDermitt nv rockhounding to receive a tour of what
is available. There are two old abandoned mercury mines
you can visit, the Bretz and the Cordero. Camping is
available in the middle of the rock hounding area where
there is a dry camping area at an old airstrip south of
the Bretz Mine or along Cottonwood Creek a couple of
miles westerly of the airstrip.
Sam Chance in front of an opalite boulder.
The town of McDermitt is located on the Oregon-Nevada border, 73 miles north of Winnemuca via Highway
95. McDermitt, has a mini-market, two service stations, two motels, a 16 unit RV park, and casino with restaurant. From
Klamath Falls via Lakeview to McDermitt, it is approximately 310 miles, with no service stations between Lakeview and
Orovada, Nevada, on Highway 95, approximately 216 miles.
In June 2015, eight of us visited the McDermitt area. At the Cordera Mine, we found agate and wonderstone,
jasper, and opalite. The red and pink in the opalite is where mercury comes from after grinding and heat processing. From
the mine, we went to the bogwood area. The bogwood is located on a ridge approximately 1//2 mile long. Visible are signs
where fairly large pieces have been removed.
The thunder egg area is easterly of McDermitt and is quite interesting. We drove to the top of a small rounded hill
got out of the vehicle and found ourselves standing in the middle of the thunder egg field. Thunder eggs were everywhere,
most of them the size of a baseball and smaller. Thunder egg hearts were also common, indicating this area had been
exposed for a long, long time. Northeasterly of McDermitt is another bed of thunder eggs lying on the surface in windrows.
These eggs are smaller but abundant.
Gary green was also collected. It is located near an
abandoned opalite mine. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing
so hard that it was hard to collect, but we did bring a few pieces
home. The color ranges from a deep green to a willow color.
Areas we didn’t make it to: Petrified wood located
westerly of the Zimmerman Ranch by Disaster Peak, Blue MT.
Jasper located 5–8 miles northerly of McDermitt and westerly
of Highway 95, chicken tracks area south of the Gary Green,
sagenite, orange agate, purple agate, Bretz Mine, and numerous
other areas. Next trip hopefully, we can get to some of these.
• Diamond A Motel. 11 rooms. Phone 775-532-8551.
Internet rooms@diamondAmotel.com
• Mcdermitt Motel and Sinclair Service Station.
Phone 775-532-8588.
• Mitchell’s Stateline RV Park. 16 spaces plus tent area.
$30/night. Phone 541-522-8133.
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
Page 5
Photos from the McDermitt field trip 2015
Quinn River crossing
Marv, Jerry and Averil having a sandwich.
Sam and Chris Chance
Della and Duane collecting thunder eggs.
Leah Stump
Chris Chance
Marv in the thunder egg pit.
McDermitt group
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
OBSIDIAN EVERYWHERE
2015 LASSEN CREEK FIELD TRIP
By Marv Stump
What a beautiful weekend! The weather was great, the camping
was peaceful, and the rockhounders were satisfied with the
obsidian they collected: rainbow, pink lady, needles, mahogany
(lots of gold sheen), and electric blue. And Lassen Creek had
enough water for the kids to play in. Best of all, nobody had a flat
tire.
Friday evening most of us had the barbecue dinner
at the Davis Creek Store and stuffed ourselves with one of the
following: tri-tip, beef ribs, pork ribs, or chicken, and coleslaw
and beans. All this to live country music provided by three young
ladies.
Saturday night the spread of food at the potluck was
quite extensive and diverse. There were 16 adults and three kids
from our club, and 16 adults from the following clubs from
California: Sacramento Mineral Society, Contra Costa Gem and
Mineral club, Marino Valley Gem and Mineral club, Fossils for
Fun, and Lodi Gem and Mineral Society. Everyone enjoyed the
meal and had plenty of time to trade stories with anyone that
was interested. Later, while enjoying our campfire (which was
scrupulously engineered to Forest Service specs.), we had ice
cream and strawberries over freshly cooked biscuits provided
by Christine. In between the potluck and dessert, we had a very
successful silent auction. All this took us to turn-in time.
Photos by Don Perryman
Page 6
There was one interesting moment when the Forest
Service Law Enforcement Officer showed up Saturday
afternoon. He stopped in front of several of us that were talking
and enjoying beverages and quite seriously inquired what
“Arrowhead” stood for in our club’s name. He was concerned that
we were collecting artifacts, which of course is against the law.
Only after convincing him that “Arrowhead” in our club name
stood for flint knapping did he relax and enjoyed some time just
visiting with us. We came away being better informed about the
Applegate Trail, Fandango Pass, and some other historical sites in
the area.
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
MINUTES FOR THE
JULY ROCK AND
ARROWHEAD CLUB
MEETING WILL
BE PRESENTED
AT THE AUGUST
MEETING.
Page 7
Tina Fisher
Tom Rogers
Jake Jones
Scott Sergi
Chuck Newnham
Bruce Vait
Doris Newnham
Carol Willey
Margaret Rogers Susan Williams
2015 BEAVER CREEK
GOLD PANNING FIELD TRIPS
By Marv Stump
O
ur club has the opportunity to have two gold
panning field trips the last two weekends
in August. The Klamath Prospectors have
proposed a field trip August 22 and 23 to their
claim on Beaver Creek. Ron Skog has invited the Grants
Pass club and our club to his claim on Beaver Creek
the following weekend, August 29 and 30. Both claims
are located northwesterly of Yreka, California. It takes
about 2½ hours to get to the claims. There is a Forest
Service campground about 4 miles north on 48N01.
The only facility at the campground is a pit toilet. The
campground is within easy commuting of both claims.
These trips will be discussed in detail at the regular
August meeting.
Tentatively, for the
prospector’s trip (8/22),
we would meet at 6 a.m. at
the Wal-Mart parking lot
adjacent to the Payless Shoe
Source, and then convoy to
the gold claim. The route
would be south on Highway
97 over Mount Hebron
to Siskiyou County road A12, then westerly on A12
through Grenada to Interstate 5, then northerly on I-5
to Yreka, then north of Yreka approximately 7 miles to
California Highway 96. Then, westerly on 96 to the town
of Klamath, where we turn right (north) on Forest Service
road 48N01. 48N01 follows Beaver Creek. This claim is
approximately 7 miles from Highway 96.
R
on Skog (8/29) lives in Jacksonville, so we
will have to find our own way to his claim.
Fortunately, this is easy to do as his claim is only 2
or 3 miles northerly of the prospectors claim on the same
road. Ron will have the claim marked which can be seen
from the road.
Leah and I have been to both claims and they are
both easy to get around on. With the water level in the
creek below normal, it should be easier to find a speck or
two of gold. Both weekends should be a lot of fun. Items
to bring would be a small pick and shovel, a bucket, a gold
pan, and a small vial to put your gold in. There are small
crevices that hold the gold and Ron suggested bringing a
basting syringe that you can insert into the cracks to suck
out the material, and then pan it.
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
Page 8
The finest opal
ever unearthed
will be publicly
displayed for
the first time in
Australia
SYDNEY - An Australian museum said it would exhibit what it believes is the
best opal stone ever found — a 2.4 inch multi-colored gem unearthed in the
Outback named the Virgin Rainbow.
The South Australian Museum said the stone, valued at more than
Aus $1.0 million (US $730,000), would go on public display for the first time
in September to mark the centenary of opal mining in the country.
“It’s of unequaled quality; it’s a fully crystal opal,” museum director
Brian Oldman told AFP.
“It’s almost as if there’s a fire in there; you see all different colors. As
the light changes, the opal itself changes. It’s quite an amazing trick of nature.”
Dug up in the South Australia desert town of Coober Pedy in 2003 by
local miners, the Virgin Rainbow came into the museum’s possession about 18
Source: artdaily.com
months ago and will be part of an exhibition opening in Adelaide
next month.
Some 90 percent of the world’s opals come from South
Australia, once covered by an inland sea which over millions of
years provided an ideal environment for the formation of the
stone.
“I think this exhibition will have the finest collection of
precious opals that we believe have been brought to one place in
the world,” Oldman added.
Opals were first discovered at Coober Pedy — widelyknown as the opal capital of the world — in 1914 by a boy named
Willie Hutchison who was on a gold mining expedition with his
father.
Opals were first discovered at Coober Pedy —
widely-known as the opal capital of the world —
“The story goes that Willie set out in search for water one
in 1914 by a boy named Willie Hutchison. Photo day, rather than staying at camp as he’d been instructed to do by
by Richard Lyons, courtesy South Australian
his father,” Oldman said. “He came back to camp with water, but
Museum.
also with precious opal gemstones.”
Submitted by Ellie Hart
JUNIOR ROCK HOUNDS
OF THE ROCK AND ARROWHEAD CLUB
Hey Kids!
For those of you eighteen and under, we appreciate your participation and ask that
you consider attending to learn more about the world and to mentor the younger and
less experienced members.
Our Juniors have earned badges and will be awarded at a future club meeting.
Thank you to Matthew Limb and Nathan Sayles for instructing the group. For more
information about this group, contact Laura Limb at 541-281-8058.
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
Crystal Maze
Page 9
Finish
Start
From www.wgmsks.org
The Grinder
The fourth annual Ashland Rocks!
Gem & Mineral Show
When: Saturday, Aug. 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
Sunday, Aug. 30, noon to 5 p.m.
Where: Wesley Hall, 175 N. Main St., Ashland,
OR 97520. (Corner of Laurel and Main behind the
Methodist Church)
Plenty of free parking. $2 adults, children get in
free. Silent auction. Free rock for kids.
Field trip on Monday after the show.
More info at www.scottsrocks.com
Jimmy Dean McCoubrey, a longtime member of the RAC, would like to let
everyone know that he has lots of rock slabs
and some jewelry for sale. He usually sells
them through Etsy, but if anyone wants to
call, they can meet with him locally to save
on shipping and handling charges. He has
much more in his personal collection than
what is usually listed online. Most come from
a vintage collection of rocks that he has been
busy slabbing, he said. Give Jimmy a call at
541-850-2147.
To check out Jimmy’s online store, visit https://
www.etsy.com/shop/JIMMYDEANSGEMSTONES?ref=hdr_shop_menu
Have an item you don’t want anymore?
Having a yard sale next month?
Contact newsletter editor Lacey Jarrell at lacey.jarrell@gmail.com and
have your items listed for other club members to see.
RAC Newsletter August 2015, Volume 55, Issue 8
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