Barb and I got into ‘rockhounding’ about 5
years ago. It’s another one of those
hobbies we found that we can share after retirement. We have spent some time chasing the agates in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, and the Yellowstone
Valley of Montana. We have collected our
hammers, tumblers, pans, shakers, and polishing supplies as we have
learned. We have polished samples of
agate, unakite, pudding stone, jade, and petrified wood to name a few. So far, our grandchildren have loved the
samples as presents. Barb’s passion is
undoubtedly prospecting for her birthstone, the Sapphire.
The Gem Mountain Mine is located about 22
miles SW of Philipsburg, MT on Skalkaho Pass Road. Barb
and I first visited this place 3 years ago when she was interested in finding a
place she could mine/pan for sapphires. She
was fairly lucky our first visit with her booty of 6 sapphires totaling nearly
2 carats. Even though none of these stones
were gemstone quality, she was hooked nonetheless.
For our return trip we chose to boondock
at the mine’s on site campground located about 175 yards from the mining
area. It consists of a cleared area
within the gulch and timber with 6 level, gravel campsites with fire pit
w/grate and picnic table. It is first
come, first served; cost FREE. With
Labor Day weekend drawing to a close there were only 2 other people camping so
we chose a good site with plenty of sun.
Since we were staying for 4 days with no other plans I left the truck
hooked to the RV. Much easier
packing/unpacking when you can do it. I
also watered up in Philipsburg prior to arrival. I had the Honda and 6 extra gallons of gas on
hand, but we were in a choice spot to enjoy solar panels and the battery
bank. The area was full of downed trees
and plenty of firewood lying around as well as a stack of split pine left
behind so we were set! The plan was to
let Barb mine/pan for 2 days while Bodhi, Dharma, and I played ‘Camp Critters’
and kept Mommy fed and happy. Arrival night consisted of Fire Pit Angus Blue
Cheeseburgers with Corn on the Cob.
This mine has been open since 1891 and has
produced over 180 million carats worth of gems. Gem Mountain and Spokane Bar (near Helena) are
the two largest operating sapphire mines in the state. This facility consists of mine trucks
bringing loads of gravel down from the mine to their own processing facility
where you can buy a bucket for $20 to sluice box yourself. They
have a sluice box set up for people to wash their gravel a bit at a time then
sift it through a shaker box, and finally hand sort through looking for
sapphires. Surprisingly, most sapphires
are a variety of colors, ranging from light blue/green, pink, peach, and
yellow. The only naturally true Blue
Sapphires in the world are mined from Yogo Gulch about 260 miles NE of
here. All other sapphires are heat
treated to achieve the blue color with which everyone is familiar.
Barb really hit the ground running on Day
1. In 2 buckets she found 55 sapphires,
4 of which are gem quality cuttable with the largest weighing just under 3
carats. The 51 others total 25.1 carats
including one very nice pink! I have to
salute the staff, they really enjoy their work.
They teach you what you need to know, stop by often to chat, and there
are jewelers inside the office that will assay and certify your booty for you
when finished. They even have a station
and service for handicapped. They also
offer faceting service if you desire to have your gem cut for mounting. One of the buckets we worked on Day 1 was a
free bucket they awarded me for my 22 years of career Air Force service to our
country. After nearly 3 hours in the sun
Barb took the afternoon off, claiming that well deserved nap. Later, we dined on Tuscan Halibut with
tomatoes, cannelloni beans, carrots, and pesto. (www.welovefish.com/halibut14.htm)
Day
2 arrived with Barb picking up right where she left off Day 1. In 3 buckets she got 5 more cuttables
totaling 5.66 carats and 92 more that weigh 38.69 carats. Her total for the 2 days of mining/panning =
143 sapphires totaling 75 carats with 9 gemstone quality totaling 11.42
carats. She is having those 9 heat
treated and faceted at their facility. A
very exciting time for Barb the last two days.
Honey Mustard Grilled Pork Steaks, Green Beans, and Orzo completed the
Day 2 menu. You can visit the mine
online on Facebook at ‘Gem Mountain’ or at www.gemmtn.com
Next up for us is visiting a friend in Bozeman then the Choke Cherry
Festival at Lewistown and “What the Hay”, a celebration of hay sculpture in
Central Montana.
