Cactus Green Morrisonite Jasper: A Bastard Child of the Morrisonite Claim
Imagine spending long days out in the sun, rockhounding at Morrisonite claims, and realizing that the strange green gems you once tossed aside are now rare and highly sought after for collectors.
Rockhounds were so focused on finding the “desired” colors... blues, pinks... that Cactus Green Morrisonite was set aside and largely forgotten. Today, Cactus Green Morrisonite is admired for its vibrant hues, and sometimes you’ll even spot hints of peach in the stones.
We’re with our buddy Brian, the Rockhound, to explore the overlooked, limited history of Cactus Green Morrisonite Jasper and how it went from a rejected “bastard child” of the claim to a collector’s gem.
🎧 Cactus Green Morrisonite: A Bastard Child of the Morrisonite Claim
hells canyon bolo co
Show Transcript
Nick
00:00 - 00:08
Okay, so the history of Morrisonite, in particular the one we like, the green one, has a little bit of mystery to it.
Nick
00:09 - 00:15
And here with my good buddy, Brian the Rockhound, and his family was a part of that history.
Nick
00:16 - 00:17
And now you're not supposed to go look for it anymore.
Nick
00:18 - 00:22
But a lot of this material came out to some of the old timers and his family was a part of that.
Nick
00:22 - 00:27
So we're just talking about what the days were like back then and who were some of the players.
Nick
00:27 - 00:29
What do you remember?
Brian
00:30 - 00:31
I really didn't remember much.
Brian
00:31 - 00:34
My dad had gone out there, helped Jake a few times.
Brian
00:34 - 00:36
He was a miner, you know.
Brian
00:36 - 00:41
And the green, the green was something that Jake said they used to just throw away.
Brian
00:41 - 00:46
No, probably not all of it, but the majority of it, they tossed it.
Nick
00:46 - 00:53
And they were just looking for the blue and the pink, you know, all these crazy orbed patterns that were really exciting.
Brian
00:53 - 00:53
Yeah.
Nick
00:54 - 00:58
This green color showed up, but they didn't even like it.
Nick
00:58 - 01:05
They were like, “yeah, that's just kind of a puke pea soup green color” and that's not what we wanted anyway.
Nick
01:05 - 01:09
So was it kind of all over in those digs, each of those pits?
Brian
01:09 - 01:10
I don't know.
Nick
01:10 - 01:17
It's just so hard to say what happened 50 years ago. Yeah kind of a bastard child of the Morrisonite claim
Nick
01:18 - 01:21
Probably the most famous Jasper claim.
Nick
01:21 - 01:24
Yeah, and it's just funny how popular that's become.
Nick
01:24 - 01:28
You know, anytime we make something with it and post it, somebody else will want something.
Nick
01:28 - 01:34
And I can count on one hand the times I've ever even come in contact with it in the last five, ten years.
Nick
01:35 - 01:39
Like a good rockhound, I just keep most of it hidden… But we do sneak out a couple of pieces of it.
Brian
01:40 - 01:42
Somebody's got a piece of it in an old collection.
Nick
01:42 - 01:49
As I keep learning in my travels, you know, these Owyhee jaspers are the finest on earth.
Brian
01:49 - 01:50
Yeah, they are.
Hidden Gems Uncovered
Cactus Green Morrisonite's history polished up in a custom set (bolo ties, a belt buckle, ring, and money clip). If you want a piece of this rare history, fill out our custom order form.
Curious to hear more from Brian the Rockhound, learn about hidden gems' history, or the background of Hells Canyon Bolo Co.?
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