Rainbow Ridge Mine, Virgin Valley District, Humboldt Co., Nevada, USA

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The Rainbow Ridge Opal mine is a group of six patented placer mining claims known as the Black Opal #1, Black Opal #2, Black Opal #3, Rincon Belle, Royal Opal, and Pandora claims. The original location was made by Mr. MGhee under the name "Opal claim" in 1908, which subsequently became known as the Monarch Opal by Deb Roop and others. In November 1917 the mine produced the famous fist-size precious Roebling Black Opal which is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. Flora Loughead (phonetically pronounced "Lockheed"), mother of the famed Lockheed boys, purchased the claims, and relocated others, forming the Rainbow Ridge Mining Company with the Hammond-Fiske family. Ward's Science Establishment was a shareholder in the corporation. The mining claims are located in Sections 22-23, T45N R26E, MDBM. Six claims were patented in 1929 and 1930, respectively. The Rainbow Ridge Mine was purchased by the Hodson family in 1949. In 1952, the mine produced the now famous 6.3 pound Hodson Opal. As of 1991, there was an estimated 850 feet of underground tunnel in the main workings. The mine has been operated as a fee dig site during the summer months for decades. Many fine opals have been recovered by both fee diggers and the mine owners alike.

References

Rocks & Minerals (1933): 8: 16.

Rocks & Minerals (1938): 13: 57.

Rocks & Minerals (1944): 19: 13.

Eckert, Allan (1997) The World of Opals. (John Wiley & Sons, New York).

Mineral List

Opal

Opal var: Precious Opal

Opal var: Wood Opal

'Petrified Wood'

4 entries listed. 1 valid mineral.