Idaho rockhounds dig up their experiences

Nathan Staley, a fourth-generation rock collector, descended from ancestors who worked in iron mines. As a kid growing up in Texas, he was drawn towards the dirt, often digging his hands in to look for fossils, the most common in the area. Once Staley moved to Idaho to attend Boise State University, he knew he had to take advantage of the location.

As the gem state, Idaho is often explored by collectors called “rock-hounds.” These amateur geologists spend their free time searching the outdoors for unusual or valuable minerals, a hobby that’s recently grown in popularity.

With family ties in Idaho and some connections to the rockhounding community, Staley’s been able to a find few areas in the Treasure Valley. However, there are some rockhounds who would prefer not to share locations.

“People are really stingy about sharing information, trying to find the good stuff is a pain,” Staley said.

“There’s people that do it for fun and people who do it for a living.”

While there’s a variety of minerals to be found, rock hunters must keep in mind the laws that govern public lands.

In Idaho, rockhounds can collect gemstones from most land administered by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Lands. However, some states impose limitations or restrict rockhounding altogether.

According to the National Park Service, rockhounding and other mineral-collection activities are prohibited in nearly all units of the National Park System, with exceptions for a recreational area in California and some Alaska park units.

“There’s something kind of Indiana Jones about it”

Thomas Williams, a clinical associate professor in the University of Idaho’s Department of Geological Sciences, takes part in the outdoor hobby.

“There’s something kind of Indiana Jones about it,” Williams said. “You go out in your boots describing rocks which is very satisfying.”

Located in McClure Hall, his office greets visitors with an array of minerals and rocks in every shape, color and texture. Every surface displays a stone.

As a geological professional, Williams is familiar with how to search for rocks, but those who aren’t may wonder where to get started. He suggests joining mineral collecting.

Clubs nearby or using the Mineralogical Society of America as a resource to help understand the process of rockhounding.

“If you really are interested in rockhounding, there are mineral collecting books that are not designed for professional geologists,” William said. “They can give you a background about possible locations and mineral information.”

Gem State Crystals, located downtown Moscow, has a collection of books like the kind Williams describes. The shop also displays local rocks and minerals that can be used to become familiar with exterior appearances.

Those who collect professionally go through legal processes in making claims to locations. According to the Idaho Department of Lands , there are opportunities to take out mineral leases or explore locations which give exclusive rights to explore and prospect minerals on state endowment trust lands that are not in lease.

“Rockhounding is not instant gratification,” Staley said. “Often it’s difficult to locate rocks and when you find it equipment and skill may be required to extract your find.”

There’s also potential dangers rockhounds must consider before going out, like the chances of encountering scorpions, snakes or treacherous trails.

Staley spends additional time cleaning and polishing his finds. But the time and effort are a rewarding experience for him. One of his favorite Idaho finds is the translucent orange opal from the Snake River aPlain and corundum with iron traces from Adams County.

Erika Rader began her rockhounding journey later in life. The geological assistant professor started going out on the field for leisure scouting in 2018 with the intention of finding local areas to take students for a future rockhounding course.

The volcano expert used this as an opportunity to explore into this part of geology that she normally does not focus on. However, in her short experience she too has seen the territorial characteristics of other collectors.

“Some people will bring their equipment in disguised packages that don’t look like they’re carrying gear,” Rader said. “They don’t want people to follow them or get asked questions asked about local finds…. It’s more fun for me and I want to be respectful about people’s property, claims and how serious this business can be for them.”

“Rockhounding is a fun way to interact with nature because it’s a slow pace”

The rockhounding course Rader wants to offer would educate students with rock identification skills. While the course is not available, the minerology class she teaches has some field trip opportunities, supplying a sense of what it would be like.

“Rockhounding is a fun way to interact with nature because it’s a slow pace,” Rader said. “You’re not trying to chase down anything that’s running away…. There’s no weather constraints, you can go year-round.”

Like any other hobby, there is passion behind the people investing time into it. William’s admiration for minerals and rocks shows as he shifts each stone in his office with care and precision. Finding the words to explain why people form an interest with geological formations is a challenging task, but he uses the words from his past geology professor.

“It’s a story you step into,” Williams said. “There’s a long history in front of you and you get to use different sciences to bring millions of years altogether.”