The Treasure State: a Quick Guide to the Hidden Gems of Montana

Montana, “The Treasure State” has this name with good reason.

There are so many different kinds of beautiful stones just waiting to be found during your Montana adventure. Sapphires, moss agates, dryhead agates, garnets, petrified wood and even diamonds can be found by merely looking to the ground!

Sapphires

Montana’s sapphires are generally found in the western half of the state and were discovered in the 1860s. At first they were discarded by the gold miners; if only they knew that these stones would become very popular and used in jewelry across the globe! Apparently, a couple of the Montana Sapphires found their way into the Queen of England’s crown jewels.

Since their discovery, millions of cut sapphires have entered into the jewelry trade. Next time you are in Montana, take a trip to Yogo Creek in central Montana. Prospectors noticed that although not much gold was found, there were plenty of bright blue pebbles found in the stream. This is the place to go if you want the highly sought after blue sapphires.

Moss Agates

Montana’s Agates are also highly sought after and are much more common than blue sapphires. The two common agates to be found are the Montana Moss Agate, and the Dryhead Agate. Moss Agates can be located in the Yellowstone River Basin. Moss agates are from clear to a translucent white, grey, orange, yellow, or brown base color.

Dryhead Agates

Dryhead Agates can be found in the Big Horn Mountains, the Pryor Mountains, and the Big Horn River. Most Dryhead Agates are only a few inches across, and come in many different colors. Their colors range from white, to brown, yellow, red and pink.

Garnets

If you travel down to the Ruby Reservoir, near Virginia city, garnets can be found all over. The best time is early in the spring or late in the summer as water levels will be lower and they can be easier to find. Two methods of gathering garnets include using a wire mesh to sort the garnets out of the sand; the other method is to use a gold pan.

Petrified Wood

Petrified wood is easy to find in the Gallatin Petrified forest near Livingston in the Tom Miner Basin. What makes this place interesting is that a lot of the trees are positioned upright. I have always been intrigued by petrified wood ever since I visited a petrified forest when I was a child. Imagining that trees could be turned into rocks over millions of years was quite fascinating.

Where are the Diamonds?

In 1990, a famous diamond was found in Montana. It was 14 carats. It was located in Craig within in Lewis and Clark County. This attracted many treasure seekers but as of yet, not many more diamonds have been found. Diamonds are not currently being mined in Montana, but who knows, perhaps there could be a hidden gem waiting to be found.

Co Authored with @anthonyc

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