Remember when someone stole the Mineral Museum’s prized gold nugget in 1992? (It was recovered.)
Or when the place burned in 1990? (Restoration took one year.)
Did you know Copper King W.A. Clark’s prized collection can be seen at the museum?
The museum, located on the Montana Tech campus and administered by the Bureau of Mines and Geology, celebrates its 110th anniversary with an open house Sunday, Nov. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m.
Docents will present the highlights of the displays. Activities and free mineral specimens for kids are planned. Museum curator Dick Berg will give short talks throughout the afternoon.
The oldest museum in Butte, it dates to 1901, six months after the School of Mines opened. The collection consisted of 177 specimens that were purchased for study by the students. At that time, the museum was housed in Main Hall. In 1939, the museum moved into the newly completed Library-Museum Building.
Museum highlights include:
A fire in 1990 forced the museum to close for a year to clean the collections and restore the building.
Many still recall the theft of the Highland Centennial Gold Nugget in 1992. Weighing 27.475 troy ounces, it’s the largest gold nugget on record found in Montana in the last 80 years. The nugget was recovered less than a month later.
Over the years, several collections have been donated, including that of Copper King W.A. Clark, bequeathed by Clark’s son, W.A. Clark II. The collection contains over 1,000 worldwide specimens.
In recent years, 18 new display cases have brought the museum into the 21st century. Newer acquisitions include the Rheanna Star, the largest smoky quartz cluster found in southwest Montana, and a 32-pound meteorite on temporary loan that was found in Montana.
The museum has a new earthquake display that allows visitors to simulate seismic waves by jumping on a platform.
From the Montana Standard