Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Montana's Geologic Introduction 4
Montana's State Gems 6
Rockhounding 10
How to Use This Book 14
Weather 15
Where to Stay 15
Safety 15
Ten Vistas for Your Montana Journey 16
Rockhounding Sites in Montana
1 Whitefish Fossils 23
2 Kalispell Pyrite 25
3 Libby Creek Gold 27
4 Fishtrap Creek Fossils 29
5 Cox Gulch Minerals 30
6 Taft Mountain Pyrite 31
7 Superior Minerals 34
8 Snowbird Mine Fluorite 37
9 Lolo Crystals 39
10 Garnet Mountain Fossils 42
11 Garnet Minerals 44
12 Drummond Fossils 45
13 Rattler Gulch Fossils 46
14 Helmville Fossils 48
15 Gem Mountain Sapphires 51
16 Flint Creek Rocks 53
17 Phillipsburg Minerals 55
18 Blackfoot River Rocks 58
19 Rogers Pass Onyx 59
20 Bowman's Corner Fossils 60
21 Augusta Fossils 63
22 Sun River Fossils 64
23 Two Medicine Dinosaur Digs 66
24 Blackleaf Fossils 68
25 Craig Minerals 70
26 Ellison Agate 72
27 Montana City Jasper 74
28 Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine 75
29 Argo Mine Minerals 77
30 Basin Barite 79
31 Homestake Pass Pegmatites 83
32 Radcr Creek Crystals 85
33 Quartz Hill 88
34 Calvert Loop Minerals 89
35 Crystal Park 91
36 Argenta Minerals and Fossils 94
37 Farlin Minerals 95
38 Clark Canyon Fossils 98
39 Dell Fossils 101
40 Rochester Mining District 103
41 Dillon Talc 106
42 Sweetwater Road Rhyolite 107
43 Ruby Reservoir Garnets 108
44 Red Rock Mine Garnets 110
45 River of Gold 112
46 Virginia City Minerals 113
47 Norris Crystals 116
48 Spire Rock Travertine 119
49 Big Sky Fossils 120
50 Red Cliff Crystals 122
51 Fairy Lake Fossils 125
52 Bozeman Pass Minerals 127
53 Hyalite Canyon 129
54 Point of Rocks Agate 130
55 Gallatin Petrified Forest 133
56 Gardiner Travertine 135
57 Daisy Pass Minerals 138
58 Red Lodge Fossils 141
59 Belfry Fossils 142
60 Pryor Mountains Chert and Fossils 143
61 Red Dome Fossils 146
62 Itch-Kep-Pe Agate 149
63 Laurel Agate 150
64 Dino Lab Digs 152
65 Riverfront Park Agate 153
66 Billings Fossils 155
67 Stratford Hill Fossils 156
68 Klein Fossils 159
69 Lavina Fossils 161
70 Ryegate Fossils 162
71 Shawmut Trace Fossils 163
72 Swimming Woman Creek Fossils 164
73 Crystal Lake Fossils 165
74 Yogo Gold and Fossils 168
75 Belt Fossils 171
76 Loma Fossils 172
77 Judith Peak Crystals 175
78 Musselshell Fossils 179
79 Flatwillow Creek Fossils 180
80 Little Rockies Gold 183
81 Fossil Hill 184
82 Malta Dinosaur Digs 185
83 Malta Fossils 186
84 Glasgow Chert 187
85 Timber Creek Fossils 189
86 Jordan Fossils 191
87 Paleo World Dinosaurs Digs 193
88 Paleotrek Dinosaurs Digs 195
89 Winnett Fossils 197
90 Ingomar Fossils 199
91 Forsyth Agate 200
92 Castle Rock Lake Fossils 202
93 Miles City Fossils 204
94 Strawberry Hill Petrified Wood 205
95 Fort Union Fossils 207
96 Terry Agate 209
97 Fallon Agate 211
98 Glendive Fossils 212
99 Baisch's Dinosaur Digs 214
100 Sidney Agate 217
Appendix A Glossary 219
Appendix B Further Reading 223
Appendix C Finding Maps, Land Managers, and Information 224
Appendix D Rock Shops in Montana 226
Index 228
About the Author 230
