This giant omnivore was between 6 and 15 feet tall. Plus, rockhounding is a great outdoor family activity. Copyright 2000-2023 Clarke Broadcasting Corporation. You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools. Jim Schultz. Other mining towns lively in gold rush days were Long Gulch, two miles south, and Cherokee, two miles north. For a more detailed history visit the Tuolumne Museum. You can find a variety of specimens including jade, chromite, mariposite, and spessartine. For more about Yosemite visit the destination guide. That piece of gold is the largest piece of crystallized gold on display. If you would like to read some of the source material for yourself I have listed them below. The state contains thousands of rockhounding locations which include mines, quarries, ocean beaches, and stream beds. Fights between grizzly bears and bulls amused early residents. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Menu How Do I? There's a couple things I haven't posted on there; Jade, Serpentine, Chiastolite, Vescuvianite and Fresno County Agate. For additional reading, Id highly recommend these book from Amazon: Please remember that rock collecting locations are constantly changing. The reserve has over 3,000 acres to explore and features waterfalls, lava outcrops, and a rare type of vernal pool. Use this resource as a guide to get you started. Home of the Jumping Frog Jubilee and Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Mastodon or mammoth remains have been discovered in these places. Rockhounds who choose to take the tour should not bring any food or water into the cave. Obsidian source to your northwest about 2 hours away. The Gem Hill location and the El Paso mountains look particularly prospective. Let's take a look at some of these locations and see what you can find. Disclosure: These are links to Amazon. If you ask around locally you may be able to get the scoop on some locations to search, but Ive compiled quite a few historically known places below that have produced specimens of many minerals including agate, nodules, turquoise, chalcedony, fire agate, geodes, and jasper. If you want to stay in the Mother Lode take a look our list of places to stay.