Washington's Forgotten Opal | Full Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- Join me for a mini documentary exploring the history behind the first commercial opal mine in the United States. We'll explore why there's opal in Washington, how it forms, and what rockhounds look for today on the hunt for Washington's Forgotten Opal. Run time: 27 minutes.
Thanks to collaborators @CurrentlyRockhounding, @spenceropalminesllc4416, @RufotrisRootedRockhound, and @IceAgeFloodscapes.
Check out the Spencer Opal Mines: www.spenceropa...
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I stomped around the Pullman area as a student in the mid 1970's and never heard a thing about opal, not even from a geology major friend. My grandparents were rockhounds and found a good amount of Ellensburg blue agates but I don't think they ever looked for opal. So this excellent documentary is an eye opener. It's also a beautiful look at the Palouse. Thank you for an interesting look at some eastern Washington history!
When I went to WSU my best friend looked at rocks for a major. The only local rockhounding he ever mentioned was a crystal formation just across the border... beryl, maybe? No opal.
I didn't want to get into it, but we have an older family friend who has also been farming the Palouse all their lives, including some land maybe a couple miles from Barbara, and they'd never heard of the opal mine before, either. It really was a flash in the pan.
I think there's beryl and mica and some other stuff northeast of Moscow, but most of it is private property now unfortunately.
@@DonohueLabs I'm wondering why you never mentioned Virgin Valley opal in Nevada. I've dug there twice, the first time, my friend and I struck beautiful opal on day 3. This was back in the mid 80's, and my friend was in the hole digging while I was sorting the material coming off when he struck a piece. It was a fossilized branch about 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. He struck it in the very center of it's length, I couldn't have cut it in half more perfectly with a saw if found in it's length without breaking it. So we each had a perfect piece and it was beautiful. Coffee black with the brightest play of color like the rainbow. I had it appraised at the time by a jeweler in Seattle
(Fox jewelers) and they were the highest end jewelers in Seattle. They appraised it at $86,000 for my half alone.
Now I live in Florida, ain't no opal here to dig. lol. But I do travel to India and have brought back beautiful Ethiopian opal. Thanks for the very interesting history of Washington opal, never knew about it.
Fossilized corral in floriduh fire opal in nevada
I’m a geologist. I appreciate the technical accuracy. Good video.
Thanks much! My background is also geology so I didn't want to screw that part up!
HELLO, I'M NOT A GEOLOGIST, WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO ABOUT ME ?????
I never knew about opals in Washington and I grew up in Spokane. This video was fun to watch.. thanks
I have lived in Washington so long I am recognizing the different areas the Colombia river, Colfax area, ect
RUclips algorithm knows exactly what I want to see. This is fantastic content!
All hail our algorithmic overlords. Glad they brought you here!
That was very well produced! I can't wait to see your next documentary.
Thanks so much! What should I interview you about next?
Excellent Rockumentary!
I loved this!! As a life long rock hound it’s exciting to think there is always a possibility!! Great documentary!!!
This is a great presentation! I once looked at an old (early 1900's) government publication citing that precious opal could be found in Moses Coulee. I would love to find that location today.
I've spent days exploring Moses Coulee. I guess I wasn't looking for opals.
Well done, Patrick. I appreciate all the detail as well as the background.
This is a really interesting story about what a "rush" normally looks like. How disruptive...
I wonder how many other failed rushes there were back in the day.
@@DonohueLabs look at what happened after the diamond discovery in South Africa. Pretty wild. Also the gold rush went around the world for a time. First Australia then California then the Yukon. Don’t remember what came after. Cool video.
I appreciate the nod to Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant: “Remember opal? This is a documentary about opal.”
Haha I'm glad at least one person made the connection!
I found one of these in a pile of gravel at a jobsite I was working...crazy cool gem!
I noticed that in the Rockhounding World as well as The Lapidary World There are Groups that have their own groups which is understandable, then there are those that will blatantly Disrespect/Ignore on purpose. Then I became truly aware of Shaddy/Scrupulous Individuals That Numerous Persons have spoken negatively about. Then you experience what they have said and when it happens to you one knows what they are speaking off. Which of course affects all other TRUE ARTIST. Karen- A Podcast I now Subscribed too, informed me that she herself was Taken for $2,000.00. She gave me excellent advice. A lesson Greatly Learned. Your segment reminded me of; THAT EVEN A FAMILY MEMBER IS ALSO NOT TO BE TRUSTED, as I had previously mention Regarding my Wifes Black Opals.
There was or still is an Opal mine in the Ochocos of Oregon. We visited in the 90's, but have no recollection of how to get there or its name. I think it was near Mitchell and certainly east of Prineville.
It was interesting to see the various Flood Basalt's graphics and particularly the basalt floods into Silver Falls area which is an interesting hike down through the many basalt and other material(s) layers and being able to walk behind the falls. There used to be an annual rock carving/sculpting event at the Silver Falls facility. They may still hold this event which I attended several times.
What an incredible video. Thank you for putting this together.
Glad you enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun.
That was so awesome Patrick! Wonderful job! And Jared too! Very interesting!
Glad you liked it! It was a lot of fun to put together.
Great video! Nice to see Jared and his wealth of good info! Nicely done video, it was really interesting.
Most interesting. Loved the presentation and learned a lot about the area of Washington we live in.
Glad to hear it! I couldn't have done it without all the help in the credits.
This video was very informative, thankyou.
very good, informative and fun to watch.
A very well done Patrick. I subscribed after watching only a few minutes. Your channel deserves way more traffic than it is getting.
Glad you liked it! I appreciate the kind words, and have been subscribed to your channel for a while now as well.
@@DonohueLabs Really? Thanks! Small world. I finished this video today. Loved how it ended.
Wow I knew it would be a good show BUT HOLY COW!! That was great! That was a legit documentary and amazing work Patrick! 🤘
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very interesting. I can't blame the farmer's for discouraging prospectors. They have rich soil, farming has its own risks without people wanting to excavate, etc.
I enjoyed the video, i see more in the future? thanks for sharing Patrick
More to come! At some point...just got to find the right stories.
Great work putting everything together Patrick
EXCELLENT video!!! Great Job!!
I really really enjoy your videos & learn a lot from them.
Thank you 😊
Awesome and very informative video. Fantastic work Patrick.
Many thanks!
Leo Mortensen was great on these topics. I learned a ton.
I am here in washington as well... and I have found beautiful opal AND gems that I have no idea what they are.
Great Video! Mustve been days of editing...respect! Subscribed'
Great presentation documentary. Wish there were more of them out here that are properly researched and presented. Thanks Patrick for your diligence!
Many thanks! I've watched a documentary or two in my time, and was trying to live up to some of the shows I'd seen in the past.
Seriously grateful! ❤❤
what a fantastic doc! i’ve mined sunstones, and opals and had a blast doing it. fascinating to learn of opals in my state but wrong side of the mountains😂
Glad you enjoyed it! I'm curious what hidden gems might have been lost on your side of the mountains.
the one cool thing i found all by myself was up near the town of enumclaw. there was a old mine and town by the name of franklin. if you hike to it, there’s a horizontal mine shaft that goes down close to 1200’ and behind it in the rock bank there what looks like shale but upon close inspection it’s all fossilized leaves. there’s tons of it❤
Excellent! Very well done 👍
Get after it guys! My pop had an opal mine in lightening ridge, heaps of black opal in the Family. Unfortunately My Uncle drowned in one of his mines there at 4yo. Interesting video ❤ from 🇦🇺
This was very impressive. Awesome video! Much appreciated!
My pleasure! And thank you for watching the premiere with us all.
Excellent documentary.
Great video, thank you.
Thank you Patrick. Love the history, very well done!
Many thanks!
The guy at 5:30 did a fantastic explanation.
Surprisingly, it was not understood until the mid 90s that opals are actually 3 dimensional photonic crystals. When dyed, an opal can be used to induce directional stimulated emission of light, or laser radiation. In time, the more sophisticated and subtle nanoscale engineering of such structures may allow for the creation of computer chips which operate purely on the manipulation of photons in such photonic crystals rather than electrons.
Interesting!
Enjoyed this documentary. Also nice to see Jerod.
You killed it with this one!! Great video Patrick 🍻
Looking forward to this ...
Sangat mempesona dan berkilau❤
Excellent video - thank you
Awesome video! I was excited to see @CurrentlyRockhounding & am excited to see more from *you* as well! :)
Excellent mini doc! very informative with extremely knowledgeable subjects interviewed. i liked the pragmatic disposition of the opal specialists. great historical footage included as well.
Such a interesting story except for the thief. At least you have the memory 💞
Along with learning more about my favorite gemstone, this also explains to me something I never understood which was my mom's fascination with opals. I had no idea there was any opal discoveries in America let alone the state I was born in. Thank you for such an engaging video.
Great video.
My grandfather had a fruit jar of harlequin opals that came up out of a gold mine in Republic Washington. I remember I used to turn the jar and look at all the incredible colors! After my grandfather died my parents had an outside estate sale and someone broke into the house and stole the jar along with a bunch of other things. Great video!
Sorry for the loss. Stuff like that really stings.
Great documentary of the opal. Thank you for making it.
Great Doc. Jeweler approved.
Great video! Vesicles are an indicator I use as well and a great display of them can be seen in my Red October 2 pit. I also agree about the CT-AG difference and believe Juniper Mountain down here in Southern Oregon is all CT (so far). Have you read any of the articles talking about how uranium may play a role in the development of play-of-color?
I saw something about U, but it was too in the weeds to dig into for this. Certainly an interesting prospect. There's a lot of uranium in northeast Washington, maybe somebody should start looking for opals there!
I had a great piece of opalized wood. A professor asked if he could take it to a gem show. I said fine. I never saw it again and he denied I ever gave it to him. Oh well...
What's his name
tell us his name
What an ass.
We want his name
Do tell !!! You might save someone a lot of grief not dealing with this loser professor of deception.
Fabulous ❤❤
I truly enjoyed this video. There seem to be more and more people becoming interested in the mineral and rock culture. I’m not much for all the hype, but if you’re willing to work hard, the beauty beneath the land can be found and enjoyed. There’s not any real way you “get-rich-quick”, but the GAMBLER in all of us seems to enjoy the chase. I love rock hounding, and I am thrilled when I find something beautiful in the effort. But I think that I enjoy getting out into nature and appreciating the peace that I find during my little adventures.
Great story thx for the history lesson. Love opals
This is going to be awesome!
Thanks for watching the premiere with us!
Colorado has some nice Opals
I live near Nye Beach Oregon one of my most favorite spots for blue agate hunting on the Oregon coast is just North of Strawberry hill and south of Seal Rock. About 25 years ago I happened to be on that beach during a winter storm and I found a few dozen fossilized clam shells. I love them because I never know whats inside the shell until its shell is removed. I often find spiral agate shells I have come across several that have light blue opalite interior. I was surprised one day after tumbling a batch of clam shells that one showed signs of a opal interior. We took it to a gemologist and he removed the remaining shell to expose a green to blue flash with spotty red flashes in the light. We had him keep as much of the shell shape as possible. 105 ct opal clam shell. I had it wrapped in a 18k wire frame and gave it to my mom.
Ive never hunted Eastern Oregon or Washington for opal. When I was attending University of Washington State, I took several several geology courses and one professor explained that the Mesoula floods were caused by ice dams that held back huge amounts of water during the glacial toungs that were common during the last iceage 3-5 million years ago that would race down the Columbia gorge and what carved out the basalt layers of the gorge, the floods brought material from soutrhern Canada, Eastern Washington, Idaho and the Snake River valley. I have often found partial agate limb casts, pieces of fossile bones and fossilized shark teeth at the beach.
I’d be happy to work with you in the future.
Hey Caleko, thanks for watching! Love your Mining America series, looking forward to seeing the next stage of your journey.
Really good video !
I was on a beach on fidalgo island and i knew i found a piece of opal it had the purple specks as well as other colors looked like specks of glitter on a creme colored background. I have hounddd a lot around here and its the only piece i have ever found
I grew up in Pullman (1967-1990) andnever once heard about Whitman County Opals.
My friend found a piece of limb cast in Washington with a very small amount of precious opal in it and with all of our opalized wood I have been sure that Washington has precious opal
There's opals near east Wenatchee Wa, it's on county property though.
What about wood opal?
THANK YOU! I have learned more from this one video than I have from conversations with a half dozen so-called experts. You did me a solid.
Now, to return the favor, I'd like to recommend that you find a copy of EMPHYRIO by Jack Vance and read it,then just think about what it might mean.
Thanks again, this is useful beyond belief.
So we went for a geology field trip my freshman year in high school and one stop was a diatomite opal bed in east central Washington. I was drunk, and that was 26 years ago. No idea where that was.
The green in that rough opal reminds me of ammonite.
We have an opal mine in Arizona just south of Tucson heading toward Douglas AZ......just saying......
Nice. I adore opal, dream of having one, especially black opal. I guess the allure of hoping to find a nice deposit of gemmy opal must be great, else why call a landowner and threaten them? That is verboten, ya'll, LOL. Could get you ventilated for sure. Anywho, nice little documentary, thank you!
I Grew up working at the big Wood Crib Grain Elevator on Whelan Road haha Whelan Elevator
Have you been to the royal peacock opal mine in nevada?
Heard of it, but nope.
Bet clsy can be made from some of the soil. Glaciers break diwn a d rin diwn mtns tar most likeky produce clsy
10:08 Freemasons handshake
Common Opal found worldwide, I think?
Were those the new photos of the book? I contacted the president of the university about it a couple years ago and he told me the book was in queue to be photographed AGAIN. However i had found and shared the photos you displayed to a few rockhound and engraving groups before i ever messaged the U of I about it.. still hoping for new photos with detail of the opal.
No, unfortunately they were taking months to photograph the book and to my knowledge it's still in the queue. They said "by the end of summer" so...we'll see.
Nicely done!! You study with Zentner?
Nope, haven't had the pleasure of meeting him.
Ooooh, that could be so much fun....it was the 'remember opal' line that made me grin and think of Nick...
Only 17hrs to go....😊
Seems the opal is different to the type in Aus.
Oh, THAT Washington.
Think I seen you with Lapidary Dave at Denver/ Tuscon shows(??)
Nope, haven't had the pleasure of meeting Dave in person.
@@DonohueLabs my mistake. Do you sell rough? Have page/ website? Edit; sub'd😊
Misinterpreting the amount mined based on its value is a fallacy, if it was accurate the amount of opal found in Australia eavh year wouldnt be as valuable
spherosite?
Sphärosiderite. It's an iron carbonate. I probably should have put formulas or names up when Jared talked about them.
roadcuts and spleophites? 🤣totally new lingos
5:36 he can't effect any speech without his hands moving. Why is that?
Pink Spencer opal is beautiful
There's a opal mine in lewiston Idaho snake river 35 miles from Pullman it's been closed for 40 years.
Where at? Do you know the location?
@@zacharywatson5358 never been to it my brother in law grew up here in lewiston and said it was at the sand and gravel concrete plant on snake river just past the briden bridge.
Excellent video. Deserves way more views
I had a nice gemmy 1" square shard of Opal from Opal Butte (Oregon) which sat in dry storage for about 15 years. When I pulled it out it was all crazed (crackled throughout). Guess it dried out too much over time.
WOW 17:30 INTO VIDEO, SHE MENTIONED A VERY DISRESPECTFUL ROCKKOUND, SO SAD THIS HAPPENED TO HER.
I think many of those types hear opal and see dollar signs.
@@DonohueLabs this is why paleontologists hide their fossil sites. They sometimes rebury them.
Very interesting. I know we have a buttload of the common opal, never knew there was any of the good stuff around. A friend has dragged several boulders of common opal in to add to his yard. Thanks for the vid, good job! Love learning more regional geology.
Very cool, common opal can be pretty as well.
So very well done! Thank you for doing all the hard work so we could enjoy it!
A good documentary on the first Opal mine in the USA!
Pretty accurate information. I can appreciate the good representation of this beautiful gemstone
To add a bit: Australian precious opal is the only opal in its class as an amorphous mineraloid
And can form in sandstone yes, but also ironstone and sea or plant fossils as well.
Clearly, my favorite gemstone 😅
Thanks for sharing! Yes, opal is more complex than I'd originally thought.
All opal is amorphous, not just Australian.
Excellent video and research. Thank you