In my current Christmas short story I've one of the young characters finding a gemstone. Now you may be saying, gemstones in Colorado. Well, if you'd been watching 'Prospectors' you would know it is a reality. But was it so in the 1870-80s? Turns out it wasn't too far fetched to have such a thing happen.
In the late 1800s, Aquamarine, the official gemstone of Colorado, was mined on Mt. Antero. At 14, 275', Mt. Antero is one of the most prominent peaks in the Sawatch range and is the 40th tallest in North America. Most of the mining is done about 12,000' and above. As a side note, Mt. Antero was surveyed by the Pike Expedition of 1806.
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Amazonite and Smokey Quartz are mined in the Pikes Peak region. The Native Americans used amazonite to make beads to wear and trade. By the late 1800s, commercial mining began and the crystals were transported east to be prepared for sale. Most of Amazonite and Smokey Quartz gemstones can be found within a four mile radius of the summit of Pikes Peak.
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Amazonite from the well-known locality on Pikes Peak, Colorado. Size: 5.5 x 3.1 x 2.5 cm. |
Topaz crystal is found near the Tarryall Area north and west of Pikes Peak. Indications are this occurred in the1880s.People in Florissant, closer to Pikes Pike, have said they found topaz in their region much earlier.
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Colorado also had the first commercial producer diamond mine in North America. Located on the Colorado-Wyoming border, it was in production from around 1976 to 2000. For more information:http://bit.ly/2b0KDVY
Most of these gemstones are now mined for collectors and a lot of rock hounds can be found up and down the Pikes Peak region. For more information on this subject here are some links you may enjoy. http://bit.ly/2aPkPdF ; http://bit.ly/2aBBPo5 ; http://wxch.nl/2aoVbOI
So the next time you're in the Pikes Peak region, let's go gemstone hunting!
Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris also writes haiku posted five days a week at – http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com and has now passed one thousand haiku and photos posted on this blog. Check out her other work or like her Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL
With all the fuss over gold and silver, we forget that there are gemstones, copper, lead, and a myriad of other treasures to be found. Thanks for all the research, Doris. Good article to save!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jacquie, I only scratched the surface as they might say. I suppose having a 'Prospector' in my writing group helps to fuel the need for information. I even wrote a murder mystery show, based upon the mining of these stones. Doris
DeleteMy ex-Inlaws have a cabin at Creede, Colorado (elevation 8000 feet)Aside from Creede being the place where the killer of Jesse James (Bob Ford) was shot in the back at local saloon, the area also has an amethyst mine that is now closed. I did find some nice pieces rock-hounding. Cynthia Breeding
DeleteCynthia, that is so cool. Creede is an interesting place, that is for sure. I would have enjoyed the amethyst mine.
DeleteOne of these days, I'm going to have to go out again. **Sigh** so many things I want to do, so little time. Oh well, getting off work so, so back to the story I spoke of in this post. Doris
WOW, Doris! I wear a lot of turquoise and thought it was the main gem from the western territory other than maybe gold and silver, but I never realized so many stones and gems were found in Colorado. I sure learned a bunch on that subject today and am grateful to you for doing such interesting and rewarding research. Loved all the stories in One Hot Knight as I knew I would. Wishing you the best.
ReplyDeleteBev, thank you for the kind words about the stories. I enjoyed reading the others in the anthology also..
ReplyDeleteI have been fascinated with the idea of gemstones in Colorado for many years. I do confess, one of the 'Prospectors' is in my writing group, so I can pick his brain when we're not writing. Still, I was surprised myself when I first started studying the subject. Doris
Interesting! The Amazonite is gorgeous! We visited the mining museum in Leadville and it was an amazing place.
ReplyDeleteTanya, so glad you were able to get to that museum. It is wonderful, isn't it?
DeleteI confess, this subject is so fascinating to me. Thanks for adding to the discussion. Doris
That's new information for me--although granted, I know very little about Colorado. It seems every state has its geological wonders and gems. North Carolina has amethyst and emeralds--and a bit of gold. My niece, Betsy, and her daddy would sometimes go gem digging. They had fun doing that.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read the Christmas themed medieval anthology. I have always enjoyed reading medieval stories. I love the cover, too.
All the very best to you, Doris!
Thank you Sarah. This story is for the Western, but I'm also going to try to write a full Medieval novel.
DeleteGemstones are such a fascinating subject. I confess you had me at emeralds. *Smile*. Doris
Hi Doris! Interesting stuff! This might sound weird, but I have never really liked diamonds. I've always preferred jewelry with colored gemstones. Ruby is my birthstone, and I love it. But I truly do love most of the gemstones--they all have a beauty that's all their own--so unique! Emeralds, amethyst, garnet...and so many more. Since I was a teenager, I've had a particular fondness for turquoise--I know there are different "grades" of it, but I love it all. LOL I guess what I am saying is, basically, I don't really care about the value so much as I do the beauty in my own eyes.
ReplyDeleteHad no idea CO had so many gemstones to be found! I remember a couple of years back, I heard on the news about a young teenage girl who went to a place in Arkansas or Missouri--can't remember which, where you can just go and pick up diamonds if you can find them. She actually found one that was a good size and worth quite a lot of money. I would love to visit that place someday--on the off chance that it might be my "lucky" day! LOL
Cheryl, It doesn't sound weird to me. In fact my neighbor goes out to search for garnets, yes we have those also. Depending on who you talk to, my birthstone is a Pearl or Ruby, both of which I love. I didn't mention it in the article, but there is a small museum in Florissant that has a 3' smokey quarts and it is stunning.
DeleteI wouldn't mind finding a diamond or two myself. A field trip might be in order. *Smile* Doris
Doris,
ReplyDeleteI love this gemstone article. It adds such color to our Colorful Colorado. *wink* Down here in the far southeastern corner of the state is the Comanche National Grasslands. Winding in and through the grasslands is a series of canyons and creeks. Tucked into one of those canyons is an old copper mine. I've walked to the mouth, which is caved in and boarded up, but the fact that there is/was a copper mine out here on the prairie really intrigues me.
You and me both Kaye. Copper mine...sigh. There is so much unique history to this state. Thank you for sharing the info about the copper mine. Guess who's going down a rabbit hole soon. **GRIN**. So glad you enjoyed the info in this piece. Joe Dorris, one of the prospectors on the Weather Chanel show "Prospectors" is in my writing group and I learn a lot from him, plus he is a really nice person. Doris
DeleteThis is really interesting, Doris, since all you ever hear about are the silver and gold mines. Good to know.
ReplyDeleteYou know me Kristy, if there is more to the story, I've got to go find it. I does help that I know a person who mines for gemstones, so it made it easier to know what to look for when researching. While you won't get rich like the mine owners in Cripple Creek in the 1890s, you can do pretty well. Doris
DeleteHow interesting! I not only learned there is such a thing as gemstone mining in Colorado, but I was introduced to some "rocks" of which I was not aware. Amazonite--how pretty, and I love the name. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThen I accomplished my mission. LOL. Thank you Zina. It is a fascinating subject and one that is pretty popular here in Colorado where I live. Doris
DeleteDoris, as always a great informative blog. We eent to an Emerald Mine in, NC. We sifted through the rocks and found a couple of little emrralts. And a few other semi-precious gemstones. Ut was fun. We want to go back and dig in the mines. Id love to dig for gold. I just have to convince Del it would be fun. Cher'ley
ReplyDeleteDoris, as always a great informative blog. We eent to an Emerald Mine in, NC. We sifted through the rocks and found a couple of little emrralts. And a few other semi-precious gemstones. Ut was fun. We want to go back and dig in the mines. Id love to dig for gold. I just have to convince Del it would be fun. Cher'ley
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how such small things can be a great joy. Gold panning/digging is work, but sometime rewarding. Here's to finding those 'nuggets' in the ground, our stories and our lives. Thank you for the very kind words Cher'ley. Doris
DeleteVisit Creede just after the snow melts and the flooding subsides. In front of the mining museum they have turned over tons of old tailings into the creek, and my girls and I find beautiful amethyst all day long!
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