3-18-98
Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum News
Volume 7 Number 1
The History of our Foundation
After reading the Articles of Incorporation of the A. L. Flagg Foundation for the Advancement of Earth Sciences, and the Bylaws of the Arizona Mineral and Mining Museum Foundation, I think we have a good framework for recording a history of our Foundation. I hope to draw on the memories of our members to put some flesh and muscle on this skeleton! The Articles of Incorporation are dated August 17, 1962, and signed by Albert H. Mackenzie and Adelaide V. Geisler. Does anyone know something of these people? The articles were to be renewed after 25 years. Is this when our name changed to AMMMF? Who wrote our present Bylaws, and when? It looks like they did a pretty good job, but some of the particulars such as meeting days and times have changed to suit our busy schedules. Genie Howell and Ray Grant have both told me that they have material pertinent to this history, and I am looking forward to sifting through it. I think that this endeavor will be a regular feature of our newsletter. Please help me set down our history for all to see, so we can better chart our path toward our future goals.
THE OLD COPPER CULTURE OF THE GREAT LAKES
by Steven Wade Veatch
Upcoming Events
Thursday, March 17, 1998 Arizona Mineral and Mining Museum Foundation meeting Potluck at 6:30 Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
Saturday, March 21, 1998 Red Cloud Mine Fieldtrip Exclusively for Foundation Members and Families. Follow the Link to More information, maybe even what I did on the trip (after March 23rd, of course!)
Saturday, March 28, 1998 Sixth Annual Minerals of Arizona Symposium Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
The following is one of the feature articles from the January 1998 issue of the Chips and Chatter, the newsletter of the Pleasant Oaks Gem and Mineral Club of Dallas.
LECHUGUILLA CAVE by Don Shurtz, Pleasant Oaks Gem and Mineral Club
Chairman’s Corner
There have been several significant additions to the collection in the past few months. Just before the end of the year, several trades were accomplished which added fine and historic Arizona specimens to our collection. A very nice donation was also received. As a result, one of the large downstairs cases was completely redone to accommodate the new acquisitions. They include a very fine post mining copper on wood, a Pure Potential mine vanadinite, a Ray mine cuprite, and several Morenci azurites. New additions to the Mammoth-St. Anthony mine collection include a fine malachite after azurite, a boleite, and a descloizite. In order to acquire some of these specimens, duplicate Arizona pieces and a few Mexican specimens were traded out of the collection. Where trades have been made with our Arizona specimens, we have kept similar and superior examples in our collection. This is the direction the Collection Committee was given several years ago when the guidelines concerning the curation of the collection were adopted by the Board of Trustees. In January, a calcite on copper from the San Manuel mine and a dioptase from the Morenci mine were also acquired. The copper was collected about 30 years from the underground mine at San Manuel. The dioptase was collected about two years ago and was one of the better large specimens. Both of these specimens were placed on display in cases on the main floor. Also in January, we were able to acquire Sarah Foster's set of Mineralogical Record magazines. This is not quite a complete set but we are doing our best to put together two sets, one to help trade for the San Francisco wulfenite and one for the Department library. Our next purchase will be Marc Watson's set. The second acquisition were two storage cabinets and a table from Robert Massey's estate. The cabinets are solid mahogany and the table is solid maple. We need to add locks to the cabinets and we can put flats and the Peralta Stones in them. We should consider selling the set of drawers in the Gallery. As opportunities are presented to the Foundation and the Collection Committee, time can be of the essence, and quick decisions are sometimes necessary to acquire something for the collection. The Committee has worked to minimize these situations so that the entire committee can pass judgment. The collection committee would like to hear what you think about our work, and hopes that you will be a part of it. An interesting article by J.S. White pertinent to these matters can be found in MR vol.22 number 4, written from the viewpoint of a museum curator. Changes in the Gallery Besides a few additions to the collection, the committee is making other changes to the Gallery display. In an effort to tie the importance of mining to the history of Arizona and our mineral collection, some text and pictures of the mines in Bisbee are going to be added to the Bisbee cases. If the membership likes what they see, then we will continue this process where it is appropriate. If you notice blank spaces on the shelves, do not panic. These specimens have been removed for a display at local shows. We had a case at the Tucson Show and the Maricopa Lapidary Show. This is a good way to help advertise the Museum and the Foundation. Board Meeting - March 17 Let's plan on our normal potluck dinner at 6:30. The meeting will start at 7:00pm and last minute info on the Red Cloud Trip will be the first order of business. I would like to use this as just a regular working Board meeting. Since we have the field trip and Symposium coming up, I do not think we need to worry about a speaker.
Les Presmyk
Mining Mineral Specimens in Arizona
By Ray Grant
There has been an interesting trend in the past few years of mining properties being held or mined for mineral specimens. This was particularly true after the changes in the law about holding claims. When a charge of $100 per claim per year was initiated many claims were dropped by the previous owners and mineral collectors put new claims on them. I would like to review as many of these as I know about, because they are being held for mineral specimens and therefore collecting should not be done without the owners permission. There are probably others which you can add to the list.
APACHE MINE, Gila County: This mine has been worked for mineral specimens for many years. The current owners continue to produce some good vanadinite specimens although not in the quantities of the past.
DEFIANCE MINE, Cochise County: This mine and the connected SILVER BILL MINE were worked for wulfenite a few years ago. It is privately owned and the owners may work it for specimens again in the future.
DIAMOND POINT CLAIM, Coconino County: I don’t know the name this claim was filed under, but it is being actively mined at present for quartz specimens. There is a large area adjacent to the claims that is open for public collecting.
FAT JACK MINE, Yavapai County: This mine has produced many fine specimens of quartz and stolzite in the past few years as a series of people have worked it. At present it is under claim and mining for specimens is underway or will start this summer.
FOUR PEAKS AMETHYST, Maricopa County: This mine which has seen several groups work it over the past years. It is active again with mining for amethyst goingon at present.
GLOVE MINE, Santa Cruz County: This winter a group of collectors have started an operation to mine for wulfenite. HAMBURG MINE, La Paz County: This mine was under claim two or three years ago and worked for vanadinite. It may not be under claim at present.
OLD YUMA MINE, Pima County: This is potentially a gold mine, but specimens of wulfenite and vanadinite would be recovered if mining started. At present there is a conflict between the owner and the Federal Government about mining.
PURE POTENTIAL MINE, La Paz County: This mine is actively being mined at present producing many vanadinites and some wulfenite.
PURPLE PASSION MINE, Yavapai County: For several years the owners have been producing wulfenite and a variety of other minerals.
RED CLOUD MINE, La Paz County: It was worked for wulfenite by open pit methods for the past two years. There is no mining at present, but it may start again in the future.
SAMMY DOG CLAIM, Pima County: This claim being held and has had a little activity for mimetite.
79 MINE, Gila County: Sporadic mining for hemimorphite, aurichalcite, and wulfenite being done by the owners. WESTERN UNION MINE, Mohave County: This mine is being held under claim for future mining of vanadinite.
WESTERN UNION MINE, Mohave County: This mine is being held under claim for future mining of vanadinite.
Foundation Officers
Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum News is published by the Arizona Mineral and Mining Museum Foundation.
Editor: Steven Decker salty@doitnow.com
Administrative Office:
8953 E. Captain Dreyfus
Scottsdale, AZ 85260-7631
Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum News
Vol. 7 No.1 Spring 1998