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Fairburn Agates
of South Dakota, Wyoming & NW Nebraska
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| TREASURE HUNTING IN SOUTH DAKOTA Add what you know about this area to create a handy guide for other treasure hunters. |
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| What this area is known for: 1.Fairburn Agate 2.Prairie Agate 3.Petrified Wood 4. Rose Quartz 5 Fossils 6.Gold 7.Pegmatite minerals- Tin Mountain Mine produced single crystals up to 30 feet long weighing several tons. | Biggest finds in this area: 1.Fairburn Agate is one of the most prized agate in the world.Some large specimens bring thousands of dollars. These large beautiful nodules are extremely rare. Most finds are smaller but can bring a good price. 2. The largest Gold Mine in North America was the Homestake Mine at Lead near Deadwood. There is still Gold in them thar Hills 3. Homestake Mine has been closed as a gold mine since 2002. |
| Local appraisers: 1. Name, contact info/website 2. Fairburn Agates-dbsagates.com 3. 4. | Local geocaching/treasure hunting clubs: 1. Custer City Gem and Mineral Society http://www.rmfms.org/ 2. http://www.blackhillsprospectingclub.com/photos.html 3. http://www.amfed.org/club.htm |
| Best time of year to go: Summer months. The Black Hills are spectacular and they are a prospector's dream ( so many gemstones and gold too boot. ) Agates can be found pretty much all year long. | Other helpful resources: (newspapers, websites, etc) 1.The book "Fairburn Agate" by Roger Clark lists a number of sites with maps 2. http://www.agatehunter.com/fairburns.htm 3. http://museum.sdsmt.edu/Default.htm#anchor607857 4. http://www.dakotamatrix.com/Black_Hills_pegmatites.asp 5. http://www.dbsagates.com |
| Have a question about treasure hunting or geocaching in this region? | |
| THE BEST PLACES TO HUNT Regions can have multiple good spots to go — add details to build a complete guide. |
| Location #1: Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Camping is available at the French Creek Camp Ground. Do not expect the Waldorf. It is nice camping but somewhat primitive. General description: The area around Fairburn is known for for the South Dakota state Gemstone: Fairburn Agate. The French Creek Campground is a collecting site for Fairburn Agate as well as Prairie Agate, Petrified Wood and other gemstones. http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/nebraska/units/frrd/bgng.html | How to get there: Drive south from Rapid City on HWY 79 to Fairburn SD. Turn east on CR 18 toward Red Shirt. The site is just North of the camp grounds. Hills of gravel to the East and the West contain the gems. Prairie agate and petrified wood are much more common. |
| Grade this location: (A to F): B+ | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to bring along: 1. Water & Food. This place is in the boondocks 2.Hand tools 3.Shovel 4. Good hiking shoes 5. GPS | Helpful notes to newcomers: Look for parallel tight banding. Prairie agate does not have the parallel banding.Prairie agate is a beautiful agate when the right one is found. fairburn will have several different colors of concentric bands. |
| Location #2: Two Hearts Ranch http://www.twoheartbuffalohunt.com/ General description: Jerry & Bev Austin own a piece of heaven on the Cheyenne River near Fairburn SD. They own a hunting lodge that can be rented by the week. During the off season for hunting rockhounds are welcome. It is one of my favorite places to spend a week. Jerry and Bev are great hosts and the gemstone finds are really something to write home about. | How to get there: Two Hearts Ranch is located just a few miles from the Fairburn agate site at French Creek Camping Area.(see above) The pickings are better at Two Hearts and the facilities are far better. In the cool of the morning you can set on the front porch drinking coffee and watch the deer and the antelope play. The movie "Dances with Wolves" was filmed in this part of South Dakota. |
| Grade this location: (A to F): A One of the best | GPS coordinates: 43.686749, -103.208206 |
| Handy to bring along: 1. Tools for collecting 2. Bucket for putting the goodies in 3. Food for the week. The cabin has full cooking facilities. 4. Fishing tackle - It has nothing to do with treasures but it is a lot of fun. 5. Binoculars for viewing the wild life 6. Desire to get away from it all and really relax | Helpful notes to newcomers: The River has carried a wide variety of gemstones, minerals, marine fossils and petrified wood down from the Black Hills. Long gravel bars are easy pickings. Be sure to high grade and leave some goodies for the next person. To the Lakota the Black Hills are sacred and now I know why. |
| Location #3: Homestake Gold Mine General description: Tour the largest Gold mine in North America and do some panning. http://www.mining-museum.blackhills.com/contact.html | How to get there: The Homestake Mine is located at Lead, Deadwood - South Dakota |
| Grade this location: (A to F): A for a tour of the history of Gold mining and a look into a Wild West Boom town | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to bring along: 1.Good walking shoes 2.Camera 3.Comfortable clothing | Helpful notes to newcomers: The tour is about 40 minutes and the surrounding area has many attractions including one of the Wild West's most historic towns (Deadwood). |
| Location #4: TEE PEE CANYON AGATE SITE General description: Tee Pee Canyon is a banded agate enclosed in a chert matrix. Roger Clark's book "Fairburn Agate" maintains that the Hill's Agate and the Fairburn Agate are from the same source, which are different from Tee Pee Agates. The Fairburns are eroded out of a sedimentary matrix. | How to get there: Tee Pee canyon is just west of Jewel Cave National Park on HWY 16. Drive about 3 miles west of the Park's western entrance. I usually turn north on FDR282 and drive a mile or two and search the slopes. There is a Ranger Station about a mile farther on HWY 16. Check at the station for local forest conditions and rock hunting regulations (No rockhounding in Park). The Agate is in inside of nodules of a tan chert. http://www.nps.gov/jeca/ |
| Grade this location: (A to F): A | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to bring along: 1.Hiking Boots 2.Water 3.Hand tools 4. Rock Hammer - you must high-grade but do not destroy the agate by shattering it with a hammer. Be sure to wear safety glasses if you hit a rock with a hammer. | Helpful notes to newcomers: Please be very, very careful with fire. The Hills are in drought conditions and are a tinderbox. Do not park in deep grass as the conventer is hot and could start a fire. The authorities won't over look carelessness with fire. Don't start campfires other than in designated camping areas and if you smoke carefully dispose of cigarette butts. I don't mean to preach but the Black Hills are the real Treasure and we are the stewards of the land. |
| Location #5: Road Cut General description: The road cut has a metamorphic schist and glassy-gray quartz, pink feldspar, silvery micas, and shiny black tourmaline. | How to get there: From Custer SD drive west on HWY 16 toward Jewel Cave National Park. The road cut is on the right about 2 miles from Custer. Be sure to see Jewel Cave and the beauty of the Black Hills from underground. |
| Grade this location: (A to F): B+ | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to bring along: 1. Only small amounts of mineral specimens can be taken from South Dakota roadways and only after notifying the nearest highway department office. ( see web page) 2. http://www.northern.edu/natsource/EARTH/Fairbu1.htm 3. | Helpful notes to newcomers: This site is an educational stop to learn about the unique mineralogy of the Black Hills. I have collected some very nice specimens fom this site. |
| Location #6: Museums worth seeing for those of us who love treasures of the earth. General Description: Three great museums that deal with rocks, minerals, gemstones and fossils are within easy driving distance of each other in the Black Hills | How to get there: See the links to this posting for directions. 1. http://www.mammothsite.com/ 2. http://www.bhigr.com/ 3. http://www.sdsmt.edu/services/museum/ |
| Grade the locations: A | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to Bring Along: 1. A camera is a must 2. Walking shoes 3. An inquiring mind | Helpful notes to newcomers: 1. Very educational 2. A place to gather information on rockhounding (ask a lot of questions.) |
| Location #7: General description:Gold Mining in the Black Hills | How to get there:Western South Dakota- Custer Area, along French Cr. Keystone, along Battle Cr. Rockerville Area & Deadwood Area, anywhere that is Forest Service and is not claimed. |
| Grade this location: B+ | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to Bring Along: 1. Gold Pan, Sluice 2. Shovel, Bucket, Small scoop, 3. Something to put the Gold in. | Helpful notes to newcomers: Black Hills Prospecting Club has a web site and has a number of claims in and around the Black Hills. They meet once a month every 3rd Sat. and also have family outings. Check with Forest Service located South of Rapid City on Hwy 16 for a free mining guide. |
| Location #8: General Description: | How to get there: |
| Grade the locations: | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to Bring Along: 1. | Helpful notes to newcomers: 1. |
| Location #9: General description: | How to get there: |
| Grade this location: | GPS coordinates: |
| Handy to bring along: 1. 2. 3. | Helpful notes to newcomers: |
| Location #10: General Description: | How to get there: |
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| Handy to Bring Along: 1. | Helpful notes to newcomers: 1. |
| VIDEO FROM THIS AREA Upload a YouTube or Google video of geocaching or treasuring hunting excursions from this area. |
 About this video: Video submitted by: | About this video: Video submitted by: |
| About this video: Video submitted by: | About this video: Video submitted by: |
| PHOTOS FROM THIS AREA Upload pictures of your geocaching or treasuring hunting excursions from this area. |
| About this photo: Crazy Horse Monument is being carved from a granite peak near Custer South Dakota. When it is finished it will be much larger than Mount Rushmore. Photo submitted by: Bill Reynolds  | About this photo: Smithsonian Institute Photo submitted by:Bill Reynolds Triceratops South Dakota State Dinosaur  |
| About this photo: Fairburn Agate is the South Dakota State Gemstone and it one of the most prized and valued agates in the world. I saw one museum piece valued at $13000 dollar. Photo submitted by: Bill Reynolds  | About this photo: Rose Quartz is the South Dakota State Mineral and is found in the pegmatite mineralogy of the Black Hills Photo submitted by: Bill Reynolds  |
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Latest page update: made by dbsagates
, Sep 15 2009, 9:27 PM EDT
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| dbsagates | Fairburn Agates (page: 1 2 3 4 5 ... last page) | 2361 | Yesterday, 11:39 PM EST by dbsagates | ||
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Thread started: Jan 17 2009, 1:38 AM EST
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It would be nice to see a episode of Treasure Hunter on Fairburn Agates. I would be willing along with others to do what ever it takes to make that happen. Please check out my web site dbsagates.com Fairburn Agates are some of the most beautiful, colorful and rare agtes in the World.
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| ChristyLoveMN | family friendly hunting | 5 | Jun 17 2009, 2:51 PM EDT by dbsagates | ||
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Thread started: Jun 16 2009, 2:32 PM EDT
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I'm looking for family friendly sites to do a little rock hounding with our 5 year old duaghter. We live in Minneasota but have car trips planned for Oklahoma City and Black Hills/Badlands this summer. She absolutely loved our trip to ThunderBay for Amethyst last summer. We are pretty open to what to look for, it just needs to be safe and easy enough for a young child.
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| agatefreak | fairburn agates | 3 | Oct 31 2008, 9:32 PM EDT by pvjjh | ||
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Thread started: Oct 27 2008, 8:43 AM EDT
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In the national grasslands of southwestern south dakota the elusive fairburn agate can be found. those of you that hunt regularly know what i mean. i have my favorite spots whhere i go and can find at least one a day, but then you decide one day to try a new spot. and don't find any for many days. Agate hunting is very enjoyable for me, but if you do not have a lot of patience do not try it. I have a website with my collection so far, it is at www.sdrocksunlimited.com. i do offer my expertice on finding these agates for the beginner. Thanx and happy hunting.
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