When they arrived, they told anyone who would listen what they had found, offering the chunks of crystals as proof. In each newsletter we'll share upcoming events, new things to do, hot dining spots and great travel ideas. Before long, troves of lead, zinc and gold turned up as well and by the mid-19th century, the first mining operations broke ground along the slopes. The Legend of Oregons Crystal Cave: Is it real? They were traveling similarly to the first group. Legend has it the cave is lined with quartz crystals, worth millions of dollars. Don't bother packing your bags, though. (Submitted photo/US Forest Service), The entrance to one of the Redmond Caves, formed when a big lava tube collapsed. The article reads Brogan actually found the cave, but was forced to head home as the weather got nasty. Showing the locals the crystals they took as souvenirs. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. When critical news happens, we bring it straight to you to keep you informed. You can take a tour and explore both mountain *and* cavern from the inside out! The landscapes arent quite old enough to form such crystals. The views here are absolutely spectacular. As with most states, each county in Oregon will have records of who owns each piece of property. That certainly could explain 100 years of failure to find anything. Geologist Larry Chitwood told writer Melany Tupper that the terrain between Millican and Sunriver is just not old enough to support the growth of quartz crystals the size of the samples. Could it have been ice? The hills and creek beds of Central Oregon are particularly famous for their thundereggs and moss agates, but also contain fossils, petrified wood, agate, and jasper, and other minerals. Cleavage. Most ages from basalt and basaltic andesite lava flows are in the range of about 35 to 18 Ma. The main mine we saw was filled with water so this is definitely possible! No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism This intrusive water contained the mineral anhydrite. They might even drag some brush over the entrance before leaving, to try and keep it hidden a little longer. But, there is a third possibility. The best part? The magma underneath Giant Crystal Cave kept the water in the cave nice and hot. Oregon is one of the nation's leading states for the production of gemstones.These gemstones are mostly a result of the state's long volcanic history. So many beautiful places on the Earth have been destroyed by looters and vandals. You can find a wide variety of fossils, petrified wood, jasper, agate, and serpentine. Contact Info. 14-C, Vol. Now everyone is thinking about this magnificent cave somewhere out in the landscapes. $34,950. Thank you! High Desert Roses: Significant Stories from Central Oregon. Even scientists have to get a special permit and wear special gear to enter the cave. Wegner's Quartz Crystal Mines - (27 collector specimens from same city, . Zanik and Dorgan . And like the first story, this one also raises some questions. Crystal Cave Rock and Gem Shop Quartz is said to have a strong healing energy that cleanses and brings balance. The best places to rockhound in Southwest Oregon are the ocean beaches and the gravels of area rivers and streams. Geologist Larry Chitwood told writer Melany Tupper that the terrain between Millican and Sunriver is just not old enough to support the growth of quartz crystals the size of the samples. Nevertheless, over time, a lot of these things attained breathtaking sizes. The terrain between Millican and Sunriver is simply not old enough to have grown crystals like the sample bits the cowboys brought back from the cave. White-tinted selenite crystals took over the cave. Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Petrified wood, Black Agate, Agate, Chalcedony, Chert, Jasper, Petrified wood, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Petrified wood, Agate, Chalcedony, Chert, Jasper, Opalized wood. To the dedicated cadre of spelunkers who enjoy exploring these secret underground spaces, finding any previously unknown cave is a dream. After that happened, the anhydrate started breaking down, filling the water with calcium and sulfate. The river and stream beds contain all manner of quartz family gemstones including agates and jasper, while certain area hills and buttes are known for their opals. From Lodgepole Visitor Center: turn left on to Generals Hwy. One of our favorites is also totally adorable: the sea lion caves near Florence, Oregon. That honestly might be a good thing; for all its splendor, the Giant Crystal Cave once had the makings of a death trap. It is the responsibility of each rockhound to obtain permission from a landowner to search and/or collect on a piece of property. Journey into the underground to discover Oregon Caves together as a family. He insists hes been there many times and knows exactly where it is. This massive cave was formed about 25 million years ago. Lava River Cave. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. In the nice cozy cave, they make a fire. The water was originally driven upward into the opening by a magma chamber that's located deeper . Here is a brief list of some fee-to-dig rockhounding locations in Oregon and their contact information. I have had great success with Timerblands like these from Amazon, but any thick-soled dedicated hiking boot will do. 8 Places To Find Quartz In Oregon. Judging by his voice, I would estimate he was 75 to 85 years old. Many are 13.1 to 19.6 feet (4 to 6 meters) in length. With a chuckle, he told me the cave was nowhere near the places I was talking about. The quartz crystal cave is an unofficial name given to a dome-shaped cave that supposedly exists beneath Lumbridge, outside the borders of Dorgesh-Kaan. So could the crystals have been something else? They stayed for the night as well. Quartzville Creek, Linn County. While hunting up some wood for a cooking fire, the cowboys found a cave entrance; looking inside with a light, they gasped and stared. As usual in cases like this, we'll start with the folklore. STILPNOMELANE in QUARTZ. The main chamber of the Cave of the Crystals contains some of the largest selenite crystals in the world. Rockhounds from all over the country make the trip to the Oregon coast to find their own agates, often in the winter in order to take advantage of the frequent winter storms which tend to churn up new material. Whether or not these stories are true, theres no denying that Malheur Cave is one of the. So, either the samples are fakes or the story is inaccurate in its geology, if nothing else. The Crystal Cavern located in Naica is a Parallel Gate that is a wormhole into the Parallel Universe. These magnificent skylight caves hold ice caverns, lava tubes, and native pictographs on the walls. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. People have been hunting for it for more than 100 years now, but they may have been looking in the wrong place - or chasing a will o' the wisp. Here's something else you might not realize about gypsum: It's an extremely popular fertilizer, one that provides a ready source of calcium to plants. quartz, widely distributed mineral of many varieties that consists primarily of silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2). Quartz is a major component of many types of rock. So could the crystals have been something else? There was no mention of Nick Smith in this story, whopresumably became interested in the story later. In the late 1880s and early 1900s, the Arnold Ice Cave was a source for ice in the summertime for the city of Bend. I came across an article tonight that I just couldnt resist writing about. The ceiling measures 125 feet tall, and the cave is 1,315 feet long . Not much. amzn_assoc_asins = "B01IEX2TEO,B0002YWWVE,B08N41884X,B01CV1XW5K"; Important Disclaimer: I have not been to these locations myself, and I do not know if they are currently open for collecting. If you are in the area doing some rockhounding, you should also take a little time to go check out Thors Well just south of Yachats. Named after its abundance of quartz crystals, Quartzville Creek is a popular rockhounding site in Linn County. Marjorie was about 10 years old when it was supposedly found, so her recollections carry some authority. Anchored to the walls and floor of a sweltering cave, the crystals went through at least half a million years of uninterrupted growth. That would be the first thing I would do. Offbeat Oregon: Central Oregons Lost Crystal Cave: Is it real, or is it folklore? (Sources: Tupper, Melany. Cathedral Park Place. For starters, there's a real, live ghost ship on the Oregon Coast that brave souls can camp next to! One very interesting thing I read was a mystery man who called to request an interview of himself about the cave. Fossil Oregon - (10 collector specimens from same city) Hampton Glass Butte obsidian - (1 upload(s), . Most of the localities are very generalized, not contained to a specific spot but rather general search areas. Also, look for agates, Jaspers, and even petrified wood in Quartzville Creek. Their journey leads them from Millican Ranch down to Sunriver.Now, they too had to find somewhere to make camp for the night. But with specially designed cooling suits, teams of scientists were eventually able to slightly prolong their visits. From beauty, more beauty emerges. The other one of the bigger stories I came across was about a group of sheepherders that had finished a shearing job. The lowest air temperature is 113 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius) and humidity levels are usually close to 100 percent. Turn right and drive about 2.8 miles to the bridge, past the bridge and go 0.2 miles to the parking area. Brothers Pedro and Juan Sanchez two miners with the organization became the first people to lay eyes on its crystals when they entered the drying cave on foot. We'd love to hear eyewitness This he soon did, and by nosing around at the places where he found the cowboys had camped, he found the cave. He didnt come off as the kind of fellow who has nothing better to do with his time than phone up strangers long-distance to lie about crystal caves. Bend: Sun Publishing, 1988; McGregor, Brent. I have as many questions about this place as you do. The mystery may eventually solve itself, though. Sign up for monthly emails full of local travel inspiration and fun trip ideas. A 2011 study argued that, under the conditions that were available in this cave, it would've taken anywhere from 500,000 to 900,000 years to grow a selenite crystal measuring 3.2 feet (1 meter) in diameter. Humans have been using this mineral for literally thousands of years. Don't Threaten. (Sources: Tupper, Melany. South Oregon Coast. Here are the top 10 rockhounding locations in Oregon: The best places to rockhound in Oregon are Crook County in the central part of the state, the gravels of Pacific Ocean beaches, and many local river and stream beds. The most commonly heard version of the tale comes from Marjorie Smith, the daughter of a Bend shopkeeper named Nicholas Smith, who spent most of the 1910s and 1920s beating the bushes looking for it. Squeeze through tight spaces, crawl on your belly, and explore the deepest depths of Oregon Caves. The trouble with this story is, its geographically impossible. Thats because no one has been able to find it after its original discovery sometime around the end of the 1800s.When I heard about this one, I had to investigate. According to one of the local historians, there were two bodies that were found in this cave-one person got lost inside and the other murdered. After the original article I have sourced here was published in the Redmond Spokesman, the author got a phone call from a genteman from Pendelton, who sounded around 40 years older than him. You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools. (That's a reversible transformation, by the way.). Join our local Facebook Group and be notified of special events. Scepters. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. If you plan to visit Glass Butte, take care to bring proper footwear. On the other side of the Cascades, rockhounding in the western third of the state is highlighted by the fantastic agate hunting on local beaches. Major. Rhyolite. For details, see http://finnjohn.com. The majority of these locations are my interpretation of Robert Bestes A Location Guide for Rock Hounds in the United States. So, well, if youre thinking it might be a myth Im pretty sure youre wrong about that. Copyright assertion does not apply to assets that are in the public domain or are used by permission. Answer (1 of 2): There are a host of websites like, Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries at https://www.oregongeology.org/ Oregon Rockhounding Map . The beautiful Arkansas quartz crystals of the Ouachitas were believed . The ice in the Arnold Ice Caves is formed to impede exploration, but the ice does form some fantastic stalagmites. The other version of the Crystal Cave story came from Aubrey Perry, son-in-law of Newt Cobb, one of the men who supposedly discovered it. In this version, there were three men and they were not driving cattle; they were on their way from Millican Ranch, where theyd just finished a job shearing sheep, heading for the old Shonquest Ranch near Sunriver. This is where the stories have some conflict. 2, Section 1 - Josephine Co., 2nd Edition, page 31. Copper Bell (Copper Standard) U.S. Geological Survey, 2005, Mineral Resources Data System: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia. Id probably never want to leave, exploring this cave full of untouched, natural quartz. The area has an abundance of clear quartz, and you can also find petrified wood and small concentrations of smokey quartz and amethyst in the area. Enjoy our collection of fossils and petrified wood, and our very own Florida stone, agatized coral. 2. Theres a lot of different, not all that reliable information out there. 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