FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tobi]

Hi,

just found this interesting report about the Annual New Mexico Mineral Symposium on Mindat which also features many "behind the scenes"-impressions from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Socorro):

https://www.mindat.org/article.php/2681/38th+Annual+New+Mexico+Mineral+Symposium

Regards
Tobi

[Robert Seitz]

I will definitely have to visit the next time travelling nearby. It looks like a very nice museum.

Thanks for circulating this.

[Peter Lemkin]

I have been to that museum about 15 times and do not tire of going. It has some great specimens all very nicely displayed. The curator is also often available to knowledgeable collectors and/or mineralogists/geologists - a very unique feature of the museum. It is only a short drive from the famous Kelly smithsonite location where I collected so often and spent time talking to Tony Otero who was for a long time in charge of fee collecting there [he had been a miner there before and his garage was full of lovely smithsonite - I negotiated to buy it all, but was beaten out by someone I know well ;-(..... Tony has died, and I would imagine his family is still running the fee [minor amount] collecting there. One CAN find some wonderful specimens still, especially if you come soon after they've turned over the huge dumps with bulldozers. Alternatively, just dig down.

[Robert Seitz]

If you are interested in Kelly collecting, take a look at:

https://www.rozylowicz.com/retirement/kelly/kelly.html
(link normalized by FMF)

There is an August 2017 update to this.

[Peter Lemkin]

Well according to that update you posted the place has been picked over and they no longer turn over the dumps as Tony O. did. Too bad....well, I guess I got there while the pickin' was still good..... I know they are still finding good things underground, but that is forbidden to enter - although many a geology student from the university has been inside the huge underground workings - often without permission...in fact many of the mines interconnect underground and there are no signs saying 'stop here' [so I'm told]....Blue Sheppard owns some of the mining claims now. There is very nice free camping just East at the end of the pavement in Water Canyon. Tony O. used to let me camp on the Kelly, but I'm sure that isn't possible any more - and it was not a fun place to camp. Water Canyon is very nice!

[Pete Richards]

[Michael Shaw]