October 21, 2017 Field Trip Clipper Mine

Past Field Trips

October 21, 2017 Field Trip – Clipper Mine

We will be exploring the tailings pile of the abandoned Clipper Mine out past Carbonado in Pierce County. We will be looking for Copper, Azurite and Chrysacolla.

Meet at the Rosie’s IGA Market (closed) behind the Chevron Station, 29393 WA-410, Buckley, WA 98321

Our Field trip guide is Tony Johnson (253-863-9238). The group will leave promptly at 9 am. So don’t be late.

You will need hand tools: hand pick, small shovel, scoop, plastic bucket or backpack. Sturdy hiking shoes. It’s an easy 1/4 mile hike with slight elevation from the road to the mine.

We will NOT be entering the mine as it’s too dangerous. Rock hunting confined to the tailings pile only as it still has a lot of good stuff in it. The kids will also enjoy climbing up and down the pile looking for rocks.

If it has not been raining it can be a little muddy when hiking to the site as we cross a couple of very small creeks. If it has been raining it will definitely be muddy along the way.

We did this field trip last year and it was so much fun. Everyone went home with something.

A little bit of history on the Clipper Mine:

The Clipper mine is located in the Carbon River Mining District of Pierce County WA at an elevation of 3823 feet.  The first discoveries in the district were around 1898.  The Clipper was part of the Surprise group of claims dating to around 1901.  The Leola Mining Company drove the Clipper tunnel using three shifts of men.  They were following a lead copper ore vein that at the opening was a 15 inch width and eventually grew to a 15 foot vein.  Assays showed $43 a ton in copper, silver, and gold after 380 feet of tunnel had been run.

The Clipper mine had also been known by the name Mother’s Day mine at some point in it’s history as well.  The workings of the mine consist of 1200 feet of tunnel with several short crosscuts or horizontal branches.

Here is a link to the website with pictures. http://www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/clipper-mine.html

Updated: January 7, 2018 — 9:03 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  I hope you’ve all had a chance to get out and look for rocks during the lovely weather we enjoyed in July – it’s been mostly perfect rockhounding weather. And for those of you who were able to come on the field trips led by our fearless wagon master Roger Danneman, I hope you found some good material. Big thanks to Roger for getting us all out there and helping us find beautiful rocks! August is a bit of a break from the usual club meeting cadence – instead of having our club meeting on the second Thursday …

Meeting Announcements

  • Our August meeting will not be happening at the American Legion – instead, this month’s meeting is our annual club potluck and picnic on Saturday, August 15. Join us from 12-4 at Gene Coulon Park, South Shelter 2 – setup begins at 10:30am. Bring something you want to share and/or donate to the club auction, also happening during the picnic. 

  • September’s program is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.

  • Noelle Barnes will present Using Gaia for Rockhounding, an overview of the features and tricks associated with the app Gaia and how you can use it for GPS, saving waypoints, navigation, photo tagging, trail recording and more. Show and Tell: Bring the rock(s) that have the best “story” – and tell everyone how you found them and where!

  • Club board member Paul Ahnberg will talk to us about the impact of wildfires on our lives – from protecting your home to staying safe while out rockhounding – and what we can do today to help mitigate our risk. Paul will combine his knowledge gained from learning at both the WSU Green School (Master Gardener) and WSU Climate Steward programs. Show and Tell: Bring something you found, from a place that you know has since been impacted by floods or wildfires – or was impacted shortly before you arrived. Tell your story!

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