Searching for jewels
Rewards for hikes usually mean a nice view, a swimming hole or a glimpse at wildlife. This adventure almost guarantees something with a little more market value – jewels.
Like Harrison Ford searching for the sacred stone in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (that’s a stretch, but use your imagination), garnets hidden in the hills of the St. Joe National Forest draw rockhounds, as well as folks just looking for fun. In the movie, Indiana Jones bailed out over India – which some claim is the only other place in the world known to produce the sought-after star garnet. Unlike in the “Temple of Doom,” these gem searches don’t required battling volcanoes, venomous snakes or Thuggee guards.
Until last week, digging for garnets in the Emerald Creek area meant slopping through mud while wielding a shovel and a pulaski. Now the Forest Service does the heavy work for you, hauling loads of dirt with hidden garnets to a central area. One just shovels the loose dirt into buckets, screens the dirt and runs the rocks through a sluice box while picking out the treasures.
The two-hour drive from Coeur d’Alene weaves along Lake Coeur d’Alene and through the heavy forests of St. Joe country. A half-mile walk from the parking lot leads up a trail to the site, which features two long sluice boxes, buckets and shovels. Folks that I met at the site were a friendly bunch, and some offered great tips. Everyone was having a fun time while sloshing screens in the sluice boxes and occasionally proudly announcing a find. The garnets appeared as small, chunky, purple balls and were of the almandine group (categorized as violet to red).
The Emerald Creek area produces plenty of nongem quality crystals, which are used as abrasives for grinding and polishing. The gemstone quality, like one displayed by 13-year Emerald Creek garnet hunters Dylan and Gina Beecher of Spokane, are the treasures sought in the sluice boxes. The Beeches say the new system provides equal chances for all to find garnets.
Directions from I-90 and U.S. 95 in Coeur d’Alene: Go east on I-90 for approximately 21.4 miles, taking Exit 34 (ID-3) toward St. Maries. Go right on ID-3 (through St. Maries) for approximately 56 miles. Just after the large tan metal building on the right (a commercial garnet facility), turn right onto Road 447 for approximately 8 miles to the parking lot.
Preparation: Visit the Web site, www.fs.fed.us/ipnf/rec/activities/garnets/index.html, or call the St. Joe Ranger District (208-245-2531) for more information.
Fees/dates: Daily permits are $10 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 14. Open Friday through Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The scheduled season-closing date is Oct. 2.
Gear: Drinking water, lunch, sunscreen and a container for garnets. You probably will get a little wet and plenty dirty, so a change of clothes is a good idea.
Local accommodations: Emerald Creek Campground is four miles east of the garnet area. Cedar Creek Campground is three miles north of Clarkia on Highway. 3. The Clarkia Work Center Bunkhouse Rental is on Highway 3 in Clarkia; call (208) 245-1134 or (208) 2531 for bunkhouse rental information.
Restrictions: Pets are not recommended, but if brought, they must be leashed at all times. Motorized equipment is prohibited in the garnet area.
The word “garnet” is derived from “granatus,” meaning “grain” or “seed” in Latin, as it resembles a pomegranate seed. In the Bible, Noah used a garnet lantern on the ark to light his way through dark and stormy nights. Mined in Sri Lanka more than 2,500 years ago, garnets were discovered in the early 1880s near Fernwood in Benewah County, with commercial mining starting in the early 1940s. The Idaho star garnet was adopted by the 1967 Idaho Legislature as the official state gem. Considered more precious than star rubies and star sapphires, the Idaho garnet normally has four rays but occasionally has six.