The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1894-01-06
Idaho 0pals.

Opal, that fascinating gem, whose
/ lam bent beauties have attracted people
of all times, and the song of the worlds
poets, has not been found of gem value
in the United States until recently.
Among the fame born rocks of Idaho
and Oregon have been unearthed the
first American gem opals, and some of
them are beautiful enough to adorn a
princess. The last discovered deposits
of opal gems are situated about three
miles south of the Snake river and
eighteen miles south of Caldwell. The
river here winds through great beds of
lava, which rise in the north in high
cliffs, while in the south the river bot
toms slope gradually up to low ridges,
followed by higher jagged cliffs, behind
whose crags rise the barren and
scorched foothills. The opal belt seems
to extend along these low ridges for
about ten miles down the river from
Hot Springs ferry, and large number
of claims have been located. Mining
is principally done at present on claims
owned by Messrs. Anchor, Boch man, +,
Host and Shirley at Opaline. Here a
number of open cuts have been made
and tunnel run, bringing to light
numbers of fine gems and great va
riety of opal. The best gems are found
in seams, in volcanic formation ap-
pearing to consist mainly of granular
smoky colored obsidian, by the side Of
which is sandstone formation contain
ing consider fossil wood, some Of it
opalized. In one of the open cuts large
numbers of yellowish nodules occur,
imbedded in the obsidian rock, which
are found to contain variety of opal,
including the common milky, prosopal
and fire opal. The opal found in this
formation is, however, not so valuable
as that in the rock seams. Across the
gulch from this cut another open cut
has been run up the side of the ridge,
and here the finest gems have been
found in the seams of the rock. From
this cut were taken the gems exhibited
at the Worlds Fair, and lot of fue
rough stones now on hand at the mine.
Among lot of uncut gems shown the
writer, fire opal showing a magnif-
cent play of color, and weighing fifty
karsts, attracted particular attention.
1t resem blsd the finer Australian gems
in appearance, having slightly milky
body, with brilliant display of green,
blue and red col0rs, and along with q
number of other large uncut stones
made fine collection. The gems found
are chiefly ere opals. but precious opal,
prosopal, black epal-showing fire-jas-
per opal, wood opal and bone opal are
found. On the Hoodoo claim the fossil
bones of an animal having hoofs were
discovered. These bones were found to
be almost entirely jasper opal but some
of them showed considerable opalescent
color. Black opal showing fine play
of color was found in this claim. Fur
ther west on the claim of Messrs. Will
been done. Large quantities of nodules
and geodes containing milky and blush
opal are found on the surface of this
claim. Comparatively little work has
been done in the district, AS the pre-
vailing hard times affect considerably
the sale of gems. While the belt of
opal l-bearing rock ap aears to extend for
several miles along the foothills, the
gems are by no means found in every
stream, but are got by careful and pa
tient mining, and the percentage off fine
stones found is probably about the same
as at the Mexican mines. The writer
has, however, seen but few Mexican
opals equal in beauty to these Western
gems, and patriotic dwellers in these
mountains need go no further than
Idaho for these interesting and beauti-
full jewels.-MAYNARD BIxBY, in Salt
Lake Tribune.