LOCATION
• The Rowley Mine is located a few miles north-west of the town of Gila Bend. For several years this site has been one of the favorite field trip locations for our club.
• The Rowley Mine has been yielding a wide variety of excellent rock specimens for over 115 years
MEETING LOCATION
• We will meet at McDonalds in Gila Bend at 9:00 a.m.
• The street address of McDonalds in Gila Bend is 800 W. Pima Street.
• Plan on about 2 hours, or more, to travel from Apache Junction to Gila Bend.
ROCKS AND MINERALS WE EXPECT TO FIND
• The Rowley Mine produces some of the very best wulfenite and chrysocolla in the State of Arizona.
• Most chrysocolla looks exactly like turquoise. In fact, most of the rocks sold in the world as turquoise are actually chrysocolla.
• The chrysocolla from the Rowley Mine is siliconized and gem quality, and it will polish by using rock tumblers or standard lapidary equipment.
• Other rocks that have been found in the past include wulfenite, copper, mimetite, barite, and more.
• Another rock found at the mine has been identified by the mine manager as palladium, which is a very valuable metal used in making catalytic converters for vehicles.
• The mine is currently being worked, and excellent rocks will be found in the tailings piles.
• Sometimes the manager of the mine uses a tractor to dig up some of the old tailings for us to look through. We always find “keepers” in the tailings.
• The mine manager often hides several good size pieces of high quality chrysocolla for us to find. It is like an adult Easter egg hunt.
• Excellent samples of chrysocolla will also be available for sale.
UNLIMITED PARTICIPATION
Everyone is invited. Club members, those who are not club members, family members, friends, and youth are all welcome. About four years ago 102 club members and guests showed up in Gila Bend for a trip to the Rowley Mine. Everyone went home happy.
TRANSPORTATION AND VEHICLES
• Any vehicle will make it to the meeting location and to the Rowley Mine.
• To help reduce the stress and fatigue of travel you might want to consider getting a hotel room in Gila Bend or Maricopa on Friday evening.
• Two of the less expensive, yet clean, hotels in Gila Bend are the Palms Inn and the Gila Bend Lodge.
• Parking at the mine site is very convenient. In many cases we can park within a few feet of where we are collecting rocks.
RECOMMENDED THINGS TO TAKE
Basic rock hunting tools, sturdy boots, buckets, water, club badge, shovel, rake with 4-5 stiff tines, knee pads, trash grabber, gloves, and a travel lunch.
FEES
• There will be two separate fees for this field trip.
• There will be the standard club field trip fees: $5 for adult club members, $10 for adult guests, and $0 for all youth under the age of 18.
• There will also be a fee of $30 per person paid to the manager of the mine.
• On eBay a single fist-size chrysocolla rock is selling for $20-$30. There is no limit on the amount of rocks we can collect.
• Please take cash to pay all fees.
TRAVEL DIRECTIONS TO McDONALDS IN GILA BEND
• From Apache Junction or Mesa travel west on the I-60 Freeway (Superstition Freeway) to the I-10 Freeway.
• Travel south on the I-10 for approximately 9 miles to Highway 347 (exit #164).
• Travel south on Highway 347 approximately 14-15 miles to Maricopa.
• In the north section of Maricopa turn right (west) onto Smith-Enke Rd. (also known as Highway 238 or W. Maricopa Rd.), and travel west approximately 37 miles to Highway 85.
• Travel south-west on Highway 85 approximately 2.8 miles to McDonalds.
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