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fairburn agates
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.
Posted:
Oct 27 2008, 8:43 AM EDT by
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Fairburn Agates
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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Posted:
Jan 17 2009, 1:38 AM EST by
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Jewelry making supplys
Making all types of Fairburn Agate Jewelry. dbsagates.com
Posted:
Jan 17 2009, 2:01 AM EST by
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Looking for a rock hunting partner
What kind of rocks do you look for when you go on your adventures? We have some people here in Rapid City, S.D. that take people out to the Agate Beds for Fairburns. dbsagates.com
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Posted:
Jul 15 2009, 2:51 PM EDT by
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Something curious
Guess what those dummys on that Fairburn site was talking about that a couple months ago, you must have forgot! DB
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Posted:
Jun 21 2009, 3:17 PM EDT by
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Family fun
You didn't say which way you're coming from. With a whole month to spend, you might want to come over to the grasslands in N.W. Nebraska
and S.W. South Dakota to try your hand at finding Fairburn Agates. Some of the most beautiful agates in the world. They aren't easy to find, but
well worth the hunt. You'll also find prairie agates, jasper, petrified wood and possibly some dinosaur bone and other fossils.
Don
Posted:
Feb 11 2009, 11:07 PM EST by
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family friendly hunting
"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. " There are many sites in the Black Hills to collect agates, minerals, and even some gems. The Badlands are great to see, but are strictly off limits to all types of collecting. The Buffalo Gap National Grasslands are open for the most part to collecting. But be warned that this is rattlesnake country. Tall grass, children and rattlesnakes don't mix. See the Fairburn Agates discussion, and contact some of the folks on there for more details. Happy hunting, and good luck. I love the fact that you're including your 5 year old in the hunt.
Don
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Posted:
Jun 16 2009, 4:03 PM EDT by
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Slab Saw Love
"That's what Richardson's rock ranch charges, they are 3 hours away from me. :(" How I wish I was only 3 hours away from one of the good hounding sites. It takes me 6-1/2 hours to get to the Fairburn agate area. No good areas in my corner of S.D.
Don
Posted:
Nov 11 2009, 11:34 PM EST by
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Gold...metal detecting and gold-panning sites!!
"I live in Newport, OR.........looking for places to go gold-panning and a little metal detecting on the side. We, my sister and great-niece, are looking for somewhere in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, California......just relatively close to or in Oregon. Hopefully, somewhere pretty profitable!!" You can always keep coming futher East to other states like Montana, Wyoming or to the Black hills of South Dakota where gold is still being found even though one of the largest and longest operating Gold Mines is now closed is located here. Nuggets are still being found here as just a little over two years ago a fella found more that a dozen nuggets with a detector with the largest being over three ounce's. We have a Gold Prospecting Club here in Rapid City with over 200 members from all over the country. You can go on line and check them out. I myself have prospected for 40 years all over the country. It was my 1st love till I started finding Fairburn Agates :) dbsagates.com Good Luck in your gold mining and may God Bless ya. db
Posted:
Feb 28 2009, 9:58 PM EST by dbsagates
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Uncut agate?
"I am just curious if anyone has a link to pictures of rough uncut geodes that tunred out to be agate.. I am trying to familarize myself better with what I need to be looking for when searching for Agate (in KY dont find many that show visable agate so cant tell from that).. I am trying to keep from picking up to much junk rock that isnt agate or anything at all... (pretty back straining and I cant seem to get a clear image in my mind of what to look for) any help would be greatly appreciated.. thanks" I got to say if you ever figure out the answer to your question you will be able to retire early. It might be helpful to look over different photos of agates in the rough or what would be a natural uncut agate. There are several posts on here and threads that may help you by going over. As for fairburn agates yes there is some ways to familarize ones self to help in looking for those gems. Some of the times in looking for agates you don't see the full blown pattern stairing up at ya. Here in Western South Dakota we are faced with prairie agates or picture rocks, (water agates) they look good and have the colors but dont have the sharp fortifications of the famous fairburn agate. A true Fairburn is pretty much matrix free (host formation) it is pretty much a solid agate meaning the pattern pretty much occurs around the entire rock. Getting back to your question as for Fairburns look for the waxy surface ones refered to as "frogs skin" its usually a rusty brown colors or shades of grays. In looking for the ones that everyones missed the rock needs to either be damp or turned over. If you have ever seen our agate beds you will understand what I am talking about. Millions of agates on every hill side, that have been looked over for 75 years. The next best way and the easyest is to either wet the rocks or go after or during a rain and look for agate patterns, this requires a good eye or knee pads to get right down there and look. It may strain the back but it will get used to it. Good Luck DB
B
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Posted:
Mar 31 2009, 12:56 AM EDT by
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Hi new to this site
Welcome aboard. I can't help you with info on that side of the country, but there are many who can. I'd suggest contacting Bill, (aubryreynolds). He has all sorts of information on those parts of the country. Also, if you look to the left of the page, you'll see a blue box. Click on National Directories. Then click on the American flag. A list of all the states will come up. Just click on the states you're interested in. You'll find lots of good info. Be sure to check the links at the bottom of each page. Lots of info there too. If you ever decide to come west to South Dakota, contact me, or any of the other S.D. members of this wiki. You can find us swapping stories over on the Fairburn Agates thread. Again, welcome aboard.
Don
Posted:
Sep 26 2009, 12:31 PM EDT by
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Who Has Any Good Ideas for Kirsten's Next Trip?
No area is comparable to the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota where Mt Rushmore & the great Crazy Horse are nestled. Not only that, we also have the only locations in the world where one can find the Fairburn Agate, the most sought after agate. Our Agate Hounds have the best noses, to make sure she goes away with a Fairburn Agate. DB
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Posted:
Apr 7 2009, 10:13 AM EDT by
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Has anyone else been inspired to find something that was on the show?
"ABSOLUTELY!!! Everytime I watch the show, it makes me want to start planning my next vacation. In the meantime, it inspires me to go out and around the Black Hills to search for our backyard treasures.
Joe" Hey Joe B, the sun is out! I been doing honey dos like crazy the last three days at home and of course its rained almost every day, the wife is due back from NYC on Monday. Should try to get down to the river or go to Indian creek next week. Oh ya I am inspired too every show I watch, thinking if those people only knew about the Fairburn Agates we have around here. DB
Posted:
Apr 19 2009, 6:32 PM EDT by
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Tips for Newbees places to collect
"Ya Ya Ya. Another East River joke. Thanks D.B. I needed that one today. We've had about 8 inches of that cursed white stuff so far today, and
it's still falling. I'll bet I could loose all my marbles today, just by tossing them off the porch. Anyway, how many rockhounds do you know that
still have all their marbles?
Don" I hear ya Don, only Bill maybe one of those who has all of them. Its even to cold out here in Gods country to be out and about. They say back in the 50s in a couple days. The wife and I are getting things together to head out for Yuma, Az. Instead of loading my harley I am taking the ATV and some prospecting stuff as thats still maybe my 1st love next to Fairburn Agates. My mom will be 88 March 13th and she still lives alone, drives and dances two nights aweek. DB
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Posted:
Feb 26 2009, 2:06 PM EST by
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Labels on specimens -
"How do you know they were mislabeled? Was the seller knowledgeable? Did the mislabeled location affect the price? I would let him know.
Bill" Location generally does affects the price. A Fairburn agate has a much higher price than a common Brazilian agate. Fluorite from Illinois brings a much higher price than Fluorite from China. An Arkansas saw diamond brings far more than an African diamond for the same quality and size. By the way an Arkansas diamond is generally worth more if left uncut. Since I have family up your way we will need to get together to hunt treasures in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.
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Posted:
Nov 3 2008, 9:45 AM EST by
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Rockhounding for Dummies
"Oh Don you make me laugh sometimes. Hey Dena, I'm a Don too but beings he was so much older I just went for DB. :)" Ya, sounded better than Don 1 and Don 2, didn't it? Dena, if you want to see what this is all about, read some of the Fairburn Agates discussion. Oh, and DB is a little strange too. there's still plenty of crow in this old rooster.
Hey DB, so much older? Hell, I'm only 3 years older than you, ya old goat.
Don
Posted:
Jul 12 2009, 10:25 PM EDT by
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New Mexico Rock Hunting Sites
"Okay Don, what are you trying to tell me? I just looked up the areas you mentioned. The search engine for "west mesa" brings up several links, including one titiled: "police find 11th body in west mesa area". LOL. Actually, it does seem like a good place to visit for the history. I'm sure I'll be checking it out.
Joe" Thats why I got out of there, I only dumped two ha. Well you were saying that you wanted something close to Albuquerque, maybe you could just go out and count sage brush or cactus not much out there on the surface. But you can always go up north and check out the crater. Keep your eyes open maybe you can solve the case and have to come back down there on a free trip for court :). Just have fun Joe your on vacation. Its going to be hard to thank about anything but Fairburns now that you have found some anyway. DB
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Posted:
Mar 29 2009, 1:22 PM EDT by
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I'm new so don't crack my thundereggs
Welcome aboard JJDiamond. I'm not from Oregon. I'm from South Dakota. But there are many nice members on here from Washington who would be glad to swap rockhounding tales with you. Many are familiar with the good spots to rockhound in Oregon. If you ever decide to travel east to South Dakota, There are about 5 of us over here who would be glad to take you to some good houndin spots. Just come over to the Fairburn Agates thread and give us a shout.
Don
Posted:
Oct 6 2009, 6:50 PM EDT by
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Maine
"I LOVE Custer State Park!!! That park is amazing." Let's settle on a date. Custer it is . How about a date in June that we meet up at Custer State Park. Here is a link.
http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/custersp.htm
There is RV Hooks Ups, Camping, Cabins, Lodges (hotels) fishing, herds of wild life, and it is in the center of all the great Rockhounding. There are great National Parks within a short drive: Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewell Cave National Monument, Mount Rushmore, and there is two great museums: SD School of Mines, and Black Hills Institute. Specimens to collect in the area include Tee Pee Canyons Agate, Tourmaline, Beryl, Rose Quartz and numerous other minerals. At Two Hearts there is Fairburn Agate, Moss Agate, Barite Crystal Clusters, Bubble Gum Agate, Prairie Agate, Great Marine Fossils and colored Jaspers.
Bill
Reply to thread:
Maine
(12 replies)
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Travel Ideas
"I've been blessed this year with some left over airline credit from my work that i must book before the end of October. (about $650)
I am looking for ideas for cool or early spring winter rock hunting trips ..I want to go somewhere new and try something ive never done before.. something really cool! :-)
Anyone have suggestions?
Anywhere but the PacNW as i live here and flying would be a waste ;-)
-Jake
" Here's an idea. The Two Hearts Buffalo Ranch near Fairburn, South Dakota is in the heart of rock country. There is a cabin that sleeps four that is available to rent by the week or less. The ranch is on the Cheyenne river near the French Creek agate beds. Not only Fairburn and Prairie agates, but pet wood, barite crystals, ammonites, baculites and other fossils. Five parks and in a short drive: Badlands National Park. Wind Cave National Park, Jewell Cave National Park, Custer State Park, and Mount Rushmore plus the beauty of the Black Hills. ask Tom if the Hills are special. This is one our favorite spots on earth. There is also gold prospecting in the Hills.
Bill
Bill
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Posted:
Oct 30 2008, 7:43 PM EDT by
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