[Rockhounds] Speaking of garnets...

[Tim Fisher]

I meant to reply to this eons ago, got a little caught up in whale 
skulls lol. Anyway the Cat Spur Creek lessees are undergoing 
permitting for a new operation (as you said, it could take years) so 
I assume they think there is something worth going after on the 
leased land. There is also exploration going on at the top of Bechtel 
Butte and is/was exploration happening up near the top of Hidden 
Creek. I had discussed an old book/guide with Lanny that I borrowed 
from the UI library when I was there 20 years ago (yikes!) that had 
tens of locations in the St. Maries area for star garnets. He hadn't 
read it, I didn't recall the name or the author, but it had a whole 
host of spots that were popular digging sites before the FS took 
ownership of the private timberland in the area. I still don't know 
what the publication was but I didn't dream up the sites we visited 
when I was in school there. Most were so "gone" that I really doubted 
the directions but I was told that they were abandoned when the FS 
took ownership.

The Mt Hood rock club has had experience with trying to get a mineral 
lease on acquired lands; you might as well throw money into a bag and 
sink it in the ocean for all the good it is going to do you trying to 
get a lease for recreational rockhounding. It simply can't be done. 
Now, mention a commercial operation with a big pit and lots of 
equipment, and they see $$$ from the royalties and try everything 
they can do to make it happen (not fast though, more like glacial 
speed). Yeah, I know it's bizarre. Who ever said that government 
makes any sense?

Tommy Handley had an interest in a claim on the S side of the North 
Fork Clearwater canyon about 10 years ago (my recollection is fuzzy 
but I think it was near Aquarius) that produced occasional 4 ray 
stars (along with lots of the "silk" or chatoyant variety and small 
less included faceting grade material) and knew people up there that 
had claims on the N side of the Little Clearwater near the St Joe 
divide (I am thinking they were near Blackdome Peak) that also had 
produced 4 and rarely 6 ray stars. So these may be the "main fork" 
crystals you were told about (all miners lie, right?).

At 03:55 PM 10/15/2007, you wrote:
>Can't help it, I have to jump in here. Someone has been providing 
>Don with incorrect information.
>
>The star garnets occur over a large area (an area of 35-40 square 
>miles) of which Emerald Creek is only the largest deposit and the 
>most known. There are also star garnets on Purdue Creek near Bovill, 
>about 8 miles to the south, and in a few small drainages between 
>these two areas. There is (maybe was) an abundance of them in a 
>small area off Cat's Spur Creek, about 3 miles south of Clarkia 
>(about 7 miles SE of the main area on Emerald Creek, an incredible 
>deposit with interesting stories). There also are star garnets on 
>Bechtel Butte off the SE corner of the Emerald Creek area.
>
>To the east, there are some on tributaries of Glover Creek and 
>Floodwood Creek and other drainages (in the region southerly of 
>Freezeout Mountain). I was told that some of the crystals mined 
>further south on the main fork of the Clearwater River also produced stars.
>
>Actually, the garnets are not scarce, they are easy to find at rock 
>shows in the northwest. Also, they were abundant as sharp crystals, 
>and still fairly easy to obtain as sharp crystals. I've heard 
>various statements of the percentage that were stars from the 
>Emerald Creek area that ranged from about half to more than three 
>fourths and this included the various crystal types (rounded, sharp, 
>surface patterned, etc.). From the Cat's Spur Creek deposit all the 
>crystals produce stars.
>
>I would also like to correct (again) this ridiculous story that the 
>Forest Service continues to tell, that they only occur in Emerald 
>Creek and India. They also occur in the Sloan Creek area of 
>Snohomish County, Washington. This seems to be a difficult piece of 
>misinformation that I couldn't even purge from the system when I 
>worked for them!
>
>  An interesting bit of information is that nearly all the garnet 
> locations (star garnet and those that are facet quality) in the 
> region, at least all of those well known to the rockhound 
> community, are on National Forest acquired lands. Acquired lands 
> (by statute) are not open to mineral entry, thus it is illegal to 
> go out and dig garnets without a permit on these lands.
>
>I'm contacting Pete off the list to offer the samples he requests.
>
>Regards,
>
>Lanny

Tim Fisher
Ore-ROCK-On!
Email address at http://OreRockOn.com