A couple bits of news

Submitted by Lee Stockman

Two Items for your attention:

1.  At our meeting tomorrow evening, September 12, Mary Dowse will present a program on her trip to Australia. 

Here is her description of what she will talk about:

"Mary Dowse, Professor of Geology at Western and world traveler, will present a program about her visit to Australia in the Summer of 2012. She spent a week in the Pilbara in Western Australia, sleeping in the bush and looking at very old rocks which she will tell us about. After a week of meetings in Brisbane she headed for the Great Barrier Reef to study learn more about reefs and swim with sharks, little ones."

As always Mary's talks are most informative and entertaining.


2.  Jeannine Weiner, Club Historian would like for  people that took pictures at the show to get them to her so she can put together a slide show for the web page as well as the archives. Maybe those with pictures  could burn them to a CD and bring them to the meeting.

August Field Trip

by Jeannine Weiner

Our August Field trip took us south on Hwy 90 to a mine just south of the Continental Divide Campground.  The mine, name unknown, was not very deep and was lined with very hard rock. We were able to go in without any fear of it caving in. There was quite a bit of Chrysocolla and maybe Malachite on the walls and we attempted to chisel some of it out. It turned out to be a very difficult process. We did finally manage to get a few nice pieces. There was also some Dendrite in the area and that for me proved to be a bonus! The view and the weather couldn't have been better! We had a wonderful outing.  Here are a few photos.  

UPDATE - GEM AND MINERAL SHOW SCHEDULE

Friday, August. 30 -

•  8:00 am - 11:00 am - Club members set up Show facilities
• 11:30 am - Pizza and beverages offered to club members
• 11:00 am - 5:00 pm - Vendor set-up with member assistance
•  5:00 pm - Doors to Show locked 

Saturday, August 31 -

• 7:00 am - Doors open for vendor set-up 
• 9:00 am - Show opens to public (NO early birds) 
• 9:00 am - Education field trip departs 
• 1:00 pm - Collecting field trip departs
• 5:00 pm - Doors to Show locked 

Sunday, September 1 -

•  9:00 am - Doors open for vendor set-up
  
• 10:00 am - Show opens to Public (NO early birds)
•  9:00 am - Education field trip departs  
• 1:00 pm - Collecting field trip departs
•  5:00 pm - Doors to Show locked
•  5:30 pm - Vendor-Member Dinner

Monday, September 2 -

•  9:00 am - Doors open for Vendor Set-up 
• 10:00 am - Show opens to Public (NO early birds)
•  9:00 am - Education Field Trip 
  
• 1:00 pm - Collecting Field Trip departs 
• 1:00 pm - Terry Humble Mine Tour departs   CANCELED
  
•  4:00 pm - Doors to Show locked 
• 4:00 pm - Vendor take-down with member assistance

2013 SHOW FIELD TRIP SCHEDULE (Update!)

Morning field trips will depart from the entrance to the gem and mineral show at 9:00 a.m.
Afternoon field trips will depart from the entrance at 1:00 p.m.

PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.

MAKE SURE YOUR VEHICLE IS FUELED, AND YOU HAVE PLENTY OF DRINKING WATER.

SATURDAY AUG. 31
Saturday’s morning trip will be an educational tour with Mary Dowse that will introduce participants to the dominant kinds of rocks found in Silver City and weave the story of the region’s geologic history. We will be driving west, stopping at several locations where the rocks tell the story. The route will be suitable for any vehicle, and there will not be a lot of walking.
  
On Saturday afternoon we’ll drive out Highway 180 past Gila to look for fluorite on Turkey Creek Road. The last several miles will be on a rough gravel road, so high clearance is recommended. The best hunting involves a short but difficult and strenuous hike up a steep ravine, but small samples can usually be found near the road. Afterwards, you may enjoy a short drive down to cool your feet in the Gila River.

SUNDAY SEPT. 1

Sylveen Cook’s Sunday morning adventure will cover early mining areas and practices near Pinos Altos, the site of Grant County’s 1860s gold rush that included the noted historical figure, George Hearst. Driving should be no problem, but some walking over uneven terrain may be involved.

Sunday afternoon we head up to our geode claim where a little digging may turn up some nodules with banded (fortification) agate in whites, blues, grays, and sometimes a splash of orange. Often you can find great little samples on the surface if you’re not into hard labor. The gravel road up to Bear Mountain is usually passable by all vehicles, but rainy weather can make it treacherous. The walking terrain is uneven, but not particularly challenging. Further down the road (high clearance from this point on) you can look for more agate and a few fossils.

MONDAY SEPT. 2

Jack Cunningham will show Monday morning participants some of the oldest rocks on earth during a geological road trip from Acklin Canyon (near Mimbres) along highways 152 and 180 to Chloride Flat and Silver City. We will caravan in our own vehicles with roadside stops—no walking necessary.

Our Monday afternoon collecting trip will be a short drive east on Highway 180 to look for Ft. Bayard orthoclase crystals. We will park just off the pavement and hike about ¾ of a mile to the collecting area near Twin Sisters Creek. The terrain is uneven but not difficult. Some low hill climbing is optional.


SPECIAL TOUR AT THE GEM AND MINERAL SHOW   CANCELED

As a bonus field trip for the Annual Gem and Mineral Show, the Grant County Rolling Stones has invited Terry Humble, local author and historian, back this year to give his popular tour of area mines. The approximately two-hour bus ride (with no bathroom breaks—sorry!) will stop at various historical mines and sites where Terry will inform and amuse you with stories of the past.


The tour will leave from the entrance of the Show at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, Labor Day, September 2. We will not be taking advance reservations, but space on the bus is limited so show up early.

ALL ACTIVITIES ARE FREE.
CARPOOLING IS RECOMMENDED WHEN APPROPRIATE.
TRIPS MAY BE CANCELED DUE TO RAIN.

ONLY A WEEK AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!

The Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society presents our 30th Annual Gem and Mineral Show on Labor Day weekend. It will be at the Grant County Business and Conference Center, 3031 Hwy 180 E, Silver City (next to Ace Hardware). The free show, a great family event, will be open on Saturday August 31 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, on Sunday September 1 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Monday September 2 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Lions Club “restaurant” will sell food and drinks.
     
This year’s show will feature over forty vendors from New Mexico, Arizona and California. They will display a wide variety of rocks, minerals, gems, beads, and lapidary tools and equipment, as well as many different kinds of jewelry. For kids of all ages, there is the Wheel of Fortune, where every spin wins a prize. A Silent Auction of rock and mineral specimens will be held throughout the show. Educational displays will be provided by the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and by NMSU's Zuhl Collection.

Experts will lead daily field trips to local sites, weather permitting. Morning trips will be educational, featuring local geology and mining history. Afternoon trips will allow opportunities for digging and collecting rocks and minerals. Participants should bring a vehicle fueled for visiting the sites, plus plenty of drinking water.

See the following posts for a list of all the terrific vendors and additional information about the field trips.   We hope to see you there!

2013 Gem and Mineral Show Vendors Announced!

We have some really terrific vendors on tap for the upcoming Gem and Mineral Show over Labor Day Weekend in Silver City, New Mexico.  Here they are:

Susan & Doug Abbott, Desert Designs, Silver City, NM,   Native American jewelry, Zuni fetishes

Henry & Charlotte Andazola, Silver City, NM,   Native American jewelry

Armando Barrera, Custom Rock Cutters, Columbus, NM,   Cabs, spheres, eggs, bears, buffalos

Ed & Dawn Bell, Bell Custom Jewelry, Livingston, TX,   Jewelry, cabs

Fred Bishop, 2 Guys Rocks, Deming, NM,   Slabs, quartz, geodes, turquoise, jewelry

Karen Blisard, Radiant Gemstones, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, faceted stones, facet rough

Harry & Carol Bruntz, Uniquely Yours, Horizon City, TX,   Rocks, gems, minerals, display stands

Greg &  Ann Capatch, Collectible Crystals & Copper, Sedona, AZ,   Minerals, crystals, copper splash

Wade Cave, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, minerals

Kevin Cook & Sylveen Robinson-Cook, Royal Scepter, Silver City, NM,  Books, maps, beads, jewelry

Ginger Coombs, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, cabs, geodes

Maury & Judy Crawford, Southwest Designs, Deming, NM,  Slabs, wire-wrap, gourd jewelry

Leah Criss, Bobcriss, Tucson, AZ,   Beads, silver jewelry

Dave Douglass, Douglass Minerals, Tucson, AZ,   Mineral specimens

Ashlee Fischer, Solo-La, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry w/ Czech glass beads

Sue Fischer, Jewelry from Sue, Silver City, NM,   Silver and gold jewelry

Abdul Gardezy, Brilliant design, Chandler, AZ,  Fine gems and jewelry

Charles & Pat Grimes, Roadrunner Gems, Silver City, NM,  Cabs, slab, jewelry, rock samples

Tom Hales, Tom’s Treasures, Deming, NM,  Minerals, gemstone rough, jewelry

Sally Hanson, Sally Rocks, Silver City, NM,  Jewelry, lapidary

Joe Harris, NM Joe’s Trading Post, Silver City, NM,  Native American jewelry

Allen Hebert, Glenkara, Tucson, AZ,   Gems, minerals, jewelry

Therese Higgins, The Jewelry Lady, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, belly belts

Michael Ho, Gemstone Station, Miraloma, CA,  Beads, pearls

Bill & Linda Horton, Misty Mountain Gems and Minerals, Litchfield Park, AZ,  Jewelry, gems, minerals, carvings

Bill & Emily Jaeger, Endless Mountain Minerals, Hereford, AZ,   Crystals, rough, specimens, jewelry

Patsy & Jerry Kastner, Kastner Gems & Supply, Tucson, AZ,   Jewelry, lapidary equipt, supplies

Ron Kellner, RK Enterprises, Show Low, AZ,  Jewelry, cabs, slabs, specimens

Randy & Sally McCowan, Deming, NM,  Arrowheads, turquoise

Blanca Murguia, BM Jewelry, El Paso, TX,  Silver & gemstone jewelry

Barbara Nance, Stonewalker Studio, Silver City, NM,   Stone sculpture

Ken Newman, DBA Rocks, Deming, NM,  Spheres, slabs, thunder eggs

Jose Nunez, Canutillo, TX,  Minerals

John & Connie Partridge, JBP Minerals, Tucson, AZ,  Minerals, rocks

Jay and Amy Penn, El Chivo Viejo, Albuquerque, NM,  Minerals, slabs

David & Ruth Ann Rinsch, Dave’s Enterprises, Tyrone, NM,  Rocks, gems

Jose Maunel Romero, Opalos Romero, Tucson, AZ,  Fire opal, fire agate, rainbow obsidian, carvings

John Scully & Laurie Rossi, Scully’s Minerals, Fairview, NM   Minerals, fossils

Jesse, James, and Jan Searcy, Black hat Trading, Deming, NM,   Jewelry, findings, beads, carvings

Tracy Stump, Tracy’s Silver & Gold, Phoenix, AZ,   Jewelry

Sharon & Bill Szymanski, Never Enough Karats, San Tan Valley, AZ,  Jewelry, collectibles

Bruce Williams & Nancy Bailey, Silver & Stone Works, Silver City, NM,   Jewelry, cabs, chain maille

Tony Zenan, Znaniecki Collection, Cottonwood, AZ,   Wildlife paintings on slabs

Special Tour at the Gem and Mineral Show

As a bonus field trip for the Annual Gem and Mineral Show, the Grant County Rolling Stones has invited Terry Humble, local author and historian, back this year to give his popular tour of area mines.  The approximately two-hour bus ride (with no bathroom breaks - sorry!) will stop at various historical mines and sites where Terry will inform and amuse you with stories of the past.  

The tour will leave from the entrance of the Show at 1:00 pm on Monday, Labor Day, September 2nd.  We will not be taking advance reservations, so show up early.  Space on the bus is limited.  

Summertime field trip fun

From Jeannine Weiner - club member

Here are a few pictures from the trips we took in May & June.  

The first pictures are from Bear Mountain were we went to find fossils. We had a little trouble finding the right spot, but when we did we found sea shell fossils and also coral. The close up is of the coral that Wendy found, the biggest of the bunch. As you can see from the one clean spot, that was all that was sticking out of the ground. Careful digging unearthed the rest.

The second set is from our trip to Mule Creek. We stopped along the way to see what we could find in the ledge by the road. We did find a few Apache Tears. We continued up and went to look for Crystals. We found several small to nice sized ones. From there we went back out of Mule Creek to the wash and found an abundance of Apache Tears.

2013 Gem and Mineral Show Vendors

We are very pleased to announce that our vendor list is full for the upcoming Labor Day weekend show.  We have several new vendors this year, so we're looking forward to making some new friends and seeing some new material!

Mark Your Calendars!

Grant County Rolling Stones
 30th Annual Gem and Mineral Show

3031 US Hwy 180 East, Silver City, NM

2013 Labor Day Weekend – Free Admission - No Early or Late Admissions

Saturday August 31 – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday September 1 – 10 am to 5 pm
Monday, Labor Day September 2 – 10 am to 4 pm

Daily Field Trips – for Collecting – for Local Geology and Mining History

Josh’s Birthday Rockhounding Campout (with Kyle and Greg and Lola) by Kyle Meredith

Our first leg of the trip took us to T or C to find banded rhyolite (candy rock) on TV Tower Hill.  To get there we had to drive through a culvert under I-25.  Greg went first and scraped his camper a little, but Josh and I made it without touching.  We found some good rhyolite, but not as good as at the Green Spar Mine on Fluorite Ridge or down by Gage.  

Then we headed back through town on NM Hwy 51, past Elephant Butte Dam (which we’d never seen before—what lake?), but before we got to Engle we turned south toward some arbitrary GPS coordinates I had interpreted from a vague map in New Mexico Rockhounding.  Amazingly, Josh found most of a petrified tree lying in an outcrop where there was very little other petrified wood to be found.  Someone had taken away the easiest sections nearest the top of the tree, but with perseverance we excavated the next section down and carried it what I estimate to be a quarter mile (or more) back to the camper.  The best we could do was 50-100 feet, then drop it and go back for the rest of our stuff.  I still wonder if my hernia operation is intact.

We had one more questionable location to check for agate and wood, but with that earlier score—and being near happy hour—we decided to drive past it, on to the carnelian site.  We camped on top of the ridge, had our gin and tonics, and began finding carnelian almost as soon as we looked down on the ground.  We also saw mysterious piles of rock.  The first one we saw looked like an old, abandoned fire ring, but then we saw more than we could count all over the landscape.  We considered several hypotheses as to what they might be, including shallow graves at a battlefield or agave roasting pits. 

That afternoon and the next morning we searched far and wide for carnelian with fair success, then headed back toward the main road where, unbeknownst to us until we saw it from our campsite, lay the Spaceport.  (We continued to find carnelian at every stop along the way—generally no bigger than the end of your thumb.)  We were only allowed to take pictures of the Spaceport from the parking lot, then drove on down the road toward Hatch to look for a place to stop for lunch.  When we had asked the sentry at the gate if there was a café in Upham (it IS on the map) he looked like we had just arrived  from outer space.  Down the dusty road we were surprised to see a parking area with a kiosk and signage for El Camino Real so we pulled over there, fixed a quick lunch, then walked the 3-mile round trip to the escarpment where we expected to see piles of broken wagons and bleached bones.  The only evidence of the trail was swales, but the interpretive signs helped us imagine traveling along the Jornada del Muerto.  The weather we experienced must have been about the very best they could have hoped for.

The next goal of our trip was to find a place to camp near the saddle above the Palm Park (barite) Mine on the other side of the mountains (northeast of Hatch).  With maps and GPS we managed to get into a high arroyo sheltered from the wind that had begun to blow through the wide valley.  It was as close as I had hoped to be (about a mile from the summit) and as far as we wanted to drive.  Again we found some banded rhyolite worth collecting, but nothing you’d drive all the way there to find.  The next morning we hiked up the road to the saddle and looked for the little quartz scepters we had found before, walking up from the Palm Park Mine.  We got back to the trucks before lunchtime and relaxed with a beer before heading back down into the valley and the road that took us to the Tonuco exit just south of Rincon.  After having fish tacos at Fidencio’s in Hatch, we headed home.  Couldn’t have asked for a better time in Southwest New Mexico.

References:  Gem Trails of New Mexico, James R. Mitchell.  New Mexico Rockhounding, Stephen M. Voynick

Camper in Culvert

Petrified Wood

Rock pile on Carnelian Ridge

Spaceport

Camino Kiosk

Road up from the Palm Park Mine

Arroyo campsite

Club Field trip to Stein Ghost Town

On February 16, these photographs were taken on the Club field trip to Stein's Ghost town that is located just west of Lordsburg.  It looks like a terrific day enjoyed by the 20 participants, a first stop on a field trip that also included the San Simon Mine.   Thanks to Club Historian Jeannine Weiner for providing these! 

Great collecting advice

Hints For Surface Collecting

When searching for translucent material, like agate, walk towards the sun; you will see the sun shine through the stone.

When looking for reflective material like crystals, have the sun behind you and the material will shine or sparkle in the sun.

If you walk sideways to the sun, look side to side for both translucent and reflective material.

If you find something good or unusual, stop and mark the spot, look up the slope and down the slope to find the source of the material. Some collectors like to pile rocks every time they find something unusual, that way they can see the fall-line of the material.

Source: Rockhound Ramblings 2/13, via The Tumbler 5/11.

Come visit the club!

Another great reader wrote wondering about visiting one of our meetings.  Here's the the response. 

Hello Reader, 

Thank you for asking about the Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society.  In answer to your first question, we encourage and welcome guests (and potential new members) to come to our meetings! You may join us at 6:00 for our potluck—just bring plates, silverware, etc., and a covered dish to share—or come around 6:45 for our usually brief meeting, then the rock draw, and lastly the program.  Our March program will be Digital Microscopy, or looking at rocks REALLY close up on the computer.

Non-members are also welcome to come on field trips as guests of members. To get an idea of what places we go and what we look for, I’d recommend going to our blog http://rollingstonesgms.blogspot.com/ and scrolling down the right column to the newsletters.  They will provide you more information about our society than I could supply in a simple email.

Don’t be shy.  Just show up, then at the beginning of the meeting we introduce guests and new members.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions, and if you decide to join, our Treasurer Marcia Fisch will be happy to sign you up.

We hope to see you there!

Kyle Meredith

Past President, GCRSG&MS

Zuhl hosts special event

Zuhl Collection Newsletter

An email recently received may be of interest. 

Happy New Year to All!

Lots of changes are planned for 2013 at the Zuhl Museum and behind the scenes with the collection. We hope all of you will be a part of supporting the Zuhl Collection as it takes these next steps in its evolution!

Please enjoy this month's newsletter featuring the Zuhls, the interesting science behind petrified wood, profiles on some of our very unique specimens and more!!

If you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter please have them email me at zuhl@nmsu.edu.

All newsletters can also be downloaded from our websitewww.nmsu.edu/zuhl/newsletter

Sincerest best wishes,

Tiffany Santos  

Zuhl Museum:Home of the Zuhl Collection

"Where Rocks Come Alive"

Tiffany Santos

Director of Zuhl Collection

Dept. Geological Sciences/ MSC 3AB

New Mexico State University

P.O. Box 30001

Las Cruces, NM 88003

office: 575-646-4714

fax: 575-646-1056

zuhl@nmsu.edu

www.nmsu.edu/zuhl

A reader comments

We love getting comments from our readers. Here's one from Steve Loeffler in Albuquerque that we thought would be of particular interest. 

Happy Holidays!  Unfortunately, I am now living up in Albuquerque and very much miss the club's monthly meetings, field trips and activities.

 I just read through the January 2013 Rolling Stones Beacon and would like to contribute by offering a safety comment regarding the article on Page 4: Flint Knapping, which I would encourage to be shared with members.

As we all should know, buffing and polishing rocks and minerals can generate particulates that are not conducive to our health. Safety eye wear generally provides adequate protection from immediate injuries to the eyes and should be worn whenever possible. It is, however, very easy to forget that microscopic dust and fumes can also cause immediate and/or long term heath problems. That is why a good workshop design includes an air vacuum venting/filtering system to pull fumes and particulates safely away from the worker.

Knapping produces significant microscopic silica particles (among others) when the medium is flaked, and care should be taken to avoid breathing in these particles for anyone seriously considering taking up this hobby. Generally, knapping performed outdoors with a light wind blowing away from participants will suffice to carry particles safely away, however, several career knappers have cautioned me to wear a good quality filter mask when knapping indoors, or outside when no wind is occurring, to avoid inhaling and ingesting these particles. The cost and dedicated use of a good filter mask, like safety eye wear, is insignificant when compared to the insidious long-term, irreversible heath problems it can prevent. An ounce of prevention.......

Zuhl Museum announces newsletter publication

Happy Holidays to All!!

We at the Zuhl Museum, are proud to announce the first issue of the Zuhl Museum Newsletter!

Enjoy some information on the collection, some insight into our staff and pieces, and don't forget to join the Friends of the Zuhl Collection (form on the last page). Please share the newsletter by forwarding this email or by printing it out. Thank-you for your support!

The newsletter and all other museum documents and information can be found on the museum website www.nmsu.edu/zuhl.

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and G+!! We are very social!

Happy Holidays!

Tiffany

Zuhl Museum:Home of the Zuhl Collection

"Where Rocks Come Alive"

Tiffany Santos

Director of Zuhl Collection

Dept. Geological Sciences/ MSC 3AB

New Mexico State University

P.O. Box 30001

Las Cruces, NM 88003

office: 575-646-4714

fax: 575-646-1056

zuhl@nmsu.edu

www.nmsu.edu/zuhl

2013 Officers Elected by Acclamation

Submitted by out-going Club President - Kyle Meredith

I thought that headline sounded impressive, but even with unanimous approval the race was a squeaker, and we still don’t have a Vice President for programs. All our heartfelt thanks go to Albin Chalk for volunteering at the last minute (without being railroaded!) to be the Rolling Stones President for 2013. Mary Soule retains the office of Secretary, Marcia Fisch is still our Treasurer, and Ann Owen is our board member at large. Joining them on the board this year is Jeannine Weiner, Historian (and superb photographer, I might add.)

The appointed board members include Lee Stockman, Show Chair; Ansel Walters, Field Trip Coordinator; and (for now) Karen Murphy, Editor of the Beacon. Although the following position is not an official board position, I want to acknowledge Marcia Andre as our Blog Editor and 2012 Show Advisor. We thank them all for their service to our club!

Come to our Annual Christmas Party

Our regular December meeting, 6:00 p.m. Thursday the 13^th, will be our Annual Christmas Party and Gift grab. First the potluck—a turkey and a ham will be provided—then everyone who has brought a gift can participate in the rather chaotic exchange of gifts. Men bring a gift marked Male, and women bring a gift marked Female. Please make sure your gift doesn’t exceed $10 in value and pertains in some way to our gem and mineral society. (Fuzzy slippers really wouldn’t be appropriate, I think.) If you’re not familiar with the rules, you’ll catch on soon enough. It’s a lot of fun with a lot of laughs, and some great gifts, besides.

After the Gift Grab, we’ll have a game and a Show and Tell. Bring your “favorite rock” and be prepared to talk up to a minute about its special qualities. (No dissertations, please.) See you at the party!

Please check out the November Beacon for all the latest club news.

Camping Info for Show

 by Kyle Meredith - President, Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society

There are numerous camping opportunities on public lands within an hour or so of Silver City, but I can’t predict the availability of sites at any particular location. You may find you’re sharing the campground with other rock hounds!

There are two Forest Service campgrounds on Highway 15 about ten or fifteen miles north of Silver City (on the way to the Cliff Dwellings)—Cherry Creek and McMillan Campgrounds. These would be your best bet, in my opinion. They’re just off the paved road and have standard FS pit toilets. There are no other facilities, and I believe there are no fees. These would be the closest to town, although they are on a slow, winding road. If you are looking for something more isolated, you can choose one of many Forest Service roads in the vicinity and find unofficial campgrounds and broad turnouts. Please observe campfire bans, as we are in an extreme drought, and it is likely that there will be a high fire danger!

Farther up the road you will come to the intersection of Highway 35 that loops toward Mimbres to Highway 152. At Lake Roberts you will find camping for a fee, but I suspect these sites may be quite full. There is a huge free campground with pit toilets near the Continental Divide called Sapillo—also usually quite popular.

Beyond the intersection, on the way to the Cliff Dwellings, you will find Forks and Grapevine campgrounds on the Gila River. At the Cliff Dwellings are Upper and Lower Scorpion Campgrounds, but all these sites will probably fill up and are a couple of hours out of town.

About an hour east of town on Highway 152 (past Mimbres, up Emory Pass) there are several named campgrounds just off the highway, including Lower Gallinas, Upper Gallinas, Railroad Canyon, and Iron Creek—all free with toilets. You are likely to find available sites at some or all of these.

For more detailed information, you could do a search on the Forest Service website. I don’t have any information regarding commercial campsites. Thanks for your interest in our show. We hope to see you there.

Field trips "at a glance"

Sat. Sept. 1 

9am - Educational field trip (geologic ages & fossils with Dr. Mary Dowse)
1pm - Collecting trip to the club’s geode claim at Bear Mountain

Sun. Sept. 2 

9am - Educational field trip (bus tour of area mines with Terry Humble)
1pm - Collecting trip to collect fossils in limestone at Bear Mountain

Mon. Sept. 3
9am - Educational field trip (geology and ore deposits of the Boston Hill
Manganese District with Sylveen Cook)
1pm - Collecting trip to small fluorite mine in the Burros

Gem and Mineral Show Field Trips

by Kyle Meredith

People from all over look forward to the Grant County Rolling Stones Annual Gem and Mineral Show on Labor Day Weekend. In addition to buying and selling rocks and minerals, jewelry, and lapidary supplies, there are free displays and activities to entertain the whole family.

Among the activities are field trips scheduled for each of the three days of the show. Every morning at 9:00 there will be an educational tour of local geological interest, and at 1:00 each afternoon you can join a field trip for collecting rocks and minerals, weather permitting.

On Saturday morning, September 1st, Dr. Mary Dowse of WNMU will lead a trip along Highway 152 from Ft. Bayard to Mimbres, where participants will see different kinds of rocks of nearly all of the geologic ages of the Earth and will have the opportunity to collect fossils, as well. The trip will visit outcrops along the highway and there will be a limited amount of walking.

Saturday afternoon’s collecting trip goes up on Bear Mountain to the club’s geode claim, where this year new material has been exposed. The mineral most commonly found there is banded and fortification agate in rhyolite. In the past, geodes with pockets of crystals have also been uncovered, but you really never know what will turn up. The seven-mile gravel road is easily accessible by any vehicle (barring fresh mud and ruts), but to drive further than the first mine requires high clearance. Walking is encouraged. A bag or bucket is essential, and a pick and shovel is helpful to the serious collector, but interesting specimens can usually be found on the surface and in the road.

Sunday morning, September 2nd, local author and historian, Terry Humble, will host an approximately two-hour bus tour of area mines. (Note: there will be no bathroom breaks.) Space on the bus is limited, so show up early. However, if there are additional seats to be filled, the tour will start at 9:15.

Sunday afternoon collecting will again head up Bear Mountain Road to an altogether different location where various fossils—including shells and corals—are imbedded in limestone. Although the main road is passable by all vehicles, the 1½ mile spur for collecting requires a high clearance vehicle and experience driving it. Carpooling is suggested. Additionally, we will be looking for vesuvianite—a garnet-like mineral in large, fractured crystal forms—not gem quality. A word of warning: the terrain is rugged and sometimes steep with dense thickets of oak and cat claw. (It is as vicious as it sounds!)

On Labor Day morning, September 3rd, Sylveen Cook of Royal Scepter Gems and Minerals will lead her walking tour of the geology and ore deposits of the Boston Hill Manganese District. The nice exposures there, and the relationship of that deposit to similar settings at Lone Mountain and Georgetown, will provide a great hands-on learning experience about the regional ore deposition. It requires a short drive across town. The walk is on a winding, sloping path with little shade, so don’t forget to bring water.

  

On Monday afternoon, the group will visit a small fluorite mine in the Burros, less than an hour out of town. Hammers and chisels will be useful, but lazybones can find small chunks of purple, green, and blue fluorite lying on the surface. A little water to wash off the dust will help reveal the “good stuff.” There is a long stretch of gravel road to get there, but it is suitable for any vehicle. Note: there are deep and dangerous open pits, so children and pets must be closely monitored!

All trips will depart from the Grant County Business and Conference Center in Silver City on Highway 180 East (next to Ace Hardware.) Morning trips start at 9:00; afternoon trips will leave at 1:00. Be early! Carpooling is recommended when possible. Rain can cause a trip to be canceled, but it's best to show up if you think there's any doubt. Morning trips will be over by lunchtime—plenty of time to come back and linger at the Show or join us on the afternoon trip. A rock hammer and bag or bucket are suggested for collecting. And it’s important to bring drinking water! Remember: rock collecting is inherently hazardous! It is important to pay attention to your surroundings! 

Entrance to the Show and all activities are free, so join us on Labor Day Weekend for the 29th Annual Gem and Mineral Show in Silver City. You may email kyyote@msn.com for more information.

2012 Vendors Announced!

Susan/Doug Abbott - Desert Designs - Native American jewelry          

Henry/Charlotte Andazola - Indian jewelry                   

Neil Bearce/Charli Connor -Arizona Desert Ice - Minerals, books, jewelry

Greg/Sue Berglund - Spankys Gem/Mineral - Cabs, minerals, specimens, jewelry

Fred Bishop/Forrest Smart - 2 Guy's Rocks      Slabs, quartz, geodes, jewelry, turqoise

Karen Blisard/Andy Anderson - Radiant Gemstones - Jewelry, faceted stones, facet rough

Harry/Carol Bruntz - Uniquely Yours - Display stands, rocks, gems, minerals

Harold/Jeanne Buck - Jeanne's Gems - Fire agate, cabs,jewelry, belt buckles

Sylveen/Kevin Robinson-Cook - Royal Scepter - Books, maps, beads, jewelry

Ginger Coombs/Cheryl Mallett - Jewelry, cabs, geodes

Dave Douglass - Douglass Minerals - Mineral specimens

Sue Fischer/Claudine Evatt - Jewelry from Sue - Silver/gold jewelry

Abdul/Nabila Gardezy - Brilliant Design - Fine gems/jewelry

Charles/Pat Grimes - Country View Boarding - Cabs, jewelry, rock samples

Tom Hales - Tom Hales Minerals - Minerals, gemstone rough, jewelry

Sally Hansen/Ann Nace - Sally Rocks - Jewelry, lapidary

Allen Hebert/Karen Flanary – Glenkara - Gems, minerals, jewelry

Therese Higgins - The Jewelry Lady - Jewelry, belly belts

Michael Ho - Gemstone Station - Beads, pearls

Bill/Linda Horton - Misty Mountain G&M - Jewelry, gemstones, mineral specimens, carvings

William/ Emily Jaeger - Endless Mtns Minerals - Crystals, cutting rough, specimens, jewelry

Patsy/Jerry Kastner - Kastner Gems & Supply - Jewelry, lapidary equipt, supplies

Ron/David Kellner - RK Enterprises       - Jewelry, cabs, slabs, specimens

Randy/Sally McCowan - Arrowheads, turqoise

Blanca Murguia - B&M Jewelry - Silver/gemstone jewelry

Barbara/Sherwood Nance - Barbara Nance Gallery - Stone sculpture

Ken Newman - DBA Rocks - Spheres, slabs, thundereggs

Jose/Jorge Nunez - Minerals

Luis Ortega/Danny Wade - Indian Jewelers Supply       - Tools, findings

John B/Connie Partridge - JBP Minerals - Minerals, rocks

Jay/Amy Penn - El Chivo Viejo - Minerals, slabs

RuthAnn/David Rinsch - Dave's Enterprise - Rocks, gems

Stephen Rudd/David Martin - Stephen Rudd Beads - Beads, pearls, cabs

John Scully/ Laurie Rossi - Scullys Minerals - Minerals, specimens, fossils

Jesse/Jan Searcy - Black Hat Trading - Jewelry, findings, rocks, stones, beads

Lyndon Sims - The Desert Store - slabs, cabs, cobs, sw jewelry

Tracy Stump - Tracy's Silver/Gold - Jewelry

Sharon/Bill Szymanski - Never Enough Karats - Jewelry, collectibles

Bruce Williams/ Nancy Bailey - Silver/Stone Works - Jewelry, cabs, chain

Bob/ Lisa Williamson - B&L Minerals - Minerals

Tony Zenan - Znaniecki Collection - Wildlife paintings on slabs

More Show News

We are pleased to announce that the Deming Desert Panners will be a part of our upcoming show.  They will be displaying gold panning equipment, talking about prospecting in the area, and representing the Gold Prospectors of America.  Come check it out!

Show is Coming Together!

Among the highlights for this year's show are several new vendors selling minerals, cutting rough, and jewelry. 

Included are noted author Neil Bearce (Minerals of Arizona) and Indian Jewelers Supply who will be bringing lots of tools and lapidary equipment.

Stay tuned for more updates soon!

We look forward to seeing you at this year's show!

Advice to a Reader

Recently we received a request from one of our readers from a club in the mid-west for information about rock-hounding in our area.   Here's what the reader had to say : 

A fellow  member and I are thinking of heading to NM this summer to do a little(a lot) of rock hounding.  I was trying to make some plans and was wondering if you might be able to give us some ideas about where we might hunt for turquoise?  It is not the only thing we will be looking for, so if you have any other "spots" you can recommend?  I have the book "Rockhounding New Mexico" but thought you might be able to give us some other ideas.  Any information you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Club President Kyle Meredith wrote the following response, that we thought may be of interest to our other readers.   Following Kyle's response are some photos of the area around Old Hachita.  

Howdy Reader,

First I should mention that most of the famous NM turquoise locations are not accessible to the public because they are under claim or owned by big mining companies. In our area that includes the Santa Rita/Chino and Tyrone turquoise.

Where we go is usually to Hachita down in the bootheel.  The roads off the pavement require high clearance at the least and may require 4WD in spots.  There are no services there, so be sure you fill up your gas tank before heading off Interstate-10, and have LOTS OF WATER.  Another caution is that in the summer this place is VERY HOT and may not be suitable for rockhounding.  And of course wherever you go in NM you must be vigilant for rattlesnakes.  This is not an idle warning—we have seen them almost every place we have gone.

I should also mention that this area is near the border and you are likely to encounter the Border Patrol.  (Less likely to encounter illegals, but possible.)  I would also recommend that you have maps, whether GPS or topo atlas.  A little internet research would be helpful.  

There is a mine that may or may not be under claim called the Apache mine, but you can hunt in the arroyo below the mine.  Unfortunately a lot of what LOOKS like turquoise is actually chrysocolla and other copper minerals, but they can be just as beautiful if you find a nice piece.  There are other minerals like pyrite and calcite crystals there.  To get there you go south from Hachita on hwy 81 four miles then turn left onto a dirt track for a mile then turn right for about 1 mile, then veer left at the fork for another 1/2 mile.  The road to the mine is on the left across the arroyo. The pieces you find are usually quite small (fingernail size) and often in pebbles with other minerals.

The other place is Old Hachita where there are abundant dumps to search with varying results.  It would be hard for me to send you to a specific location, and there are a number of roads going in all directions, but it is a fun place to explore.  You head west on hwy 9 from hwy 146 in Hachita for 4.5 miles then turn off the pavement through a gate.  The ghost town of Old Hachita is about 2 miles down the road, and very interesting to hike around.  (It is illegal to collect historic artifacts from the site.)  I recommend having a map in hand as you explore the area.  The turquoise you find here is usually very soft and requires stabilization with something like sodium silicate (waterglass) or Opticon.  Turquoise mountain is beyond the town, but searching the smaller dumps in the arroyo past the ruins can be productive.

I don’t have any information regarding turquoise sites in other parts of NM, such as Cerrillos near Santa Fe.

If you have any questions, I’ll try to answer them for you.  Good luck.

Kyle Meredith-president, Grant County Rolling Stones Gem and Mineral Society.