Rockhounds keep their heads down and eyes on the ground most everywhere they go, especially along riverbanks and near known mining areas. The Bozeman Gem and Mineral Club is home to over 220 local hounds and rock-hunting hobbyists out to find the next gem, agate, crystal or other keepsake for their collections.

​The Bozeman Gem and Mineral Club began in 1939, and is the oldest and one of the largest rock clubs in Montana, hitting over 220 adult members as of January, 2025. The club is one of 60 clubs in the Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies which operate in the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. The Northwest Federation has about 5,500 active members. BGMC members meet monthly at the Belgrade Senior Center, or at their clubhouse facility in Belgrade to listen to guest speakers and bid on specimens at a silent auction. They also gather on weekends to cut and polish rocks and minerals, and learn lapidary skills. The club sponsors collection field trips throughout MT, ID, WY, and UT from April - November, and maintains two mining claims in Montana. The mining claims give club members access and opportunity to dig for quartz and semi-precious gemstone crystals. ​​

​One afternoon in March, 2025, I met BGMC members Cassandra Lowell (formerly Officer-at-Large and Field Trip Committee Chair) and Past President Ken Zahn, to talk rock. Both Cassandra and Ken have been collecting for many decades. Ken was also President of the entire Northwest Federation in 2020. Cassandra especially likes to collect local-area petrified wood, Hyalite Opal, Picture Rhyolite, garnets, and quartz crystals, magically turning them into beautiful craft displays and jewelry. Ken has three favorites: a piece of Williamsite collected in Maryland at a chromium ore mine in the 1980’s, an amethyst crystal from one of the club claims, and a red beryl from southern Utah, found on a dump at a mine in the 1970’s. Williamsite is a very rare translucent variety of serpentine, valued for its translucence and jade-like color. In Hong Kong, Ken had his egg-sized piece of Williamsite carved into a small tree and bird, and intends to gift it to the Smithsonian Institute in the future. The ten-carat red beryl comes from the same mineral family as green emerald, but Ken’s piece is a beautiful deep rose color, and is mounted on a small clear pedestal stand.


Rockhounds like Cassandra and Ken bring many of their favored finds to rock shows, like the May BGMC show in Bozeman, to show them off and spur interest for new hobbyists. Once a year, the Bozeman Gem and Mineral Club holds a gem and mineral show. The primary purpose is to acquaint the general public with the hobby of rock collecting, and to share the beauty of, and fascination with, collections on display. This year, the Bozeman show will double in size over previous years’ shows by offering activities, vendors, an expanded courtesy food court, and displays in both Buildings #1 and #2 at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds over Mother’s Day weekend, May 10-11. This is a great opportunity for Bozemanites to view and / or purchase world-class mineral specimens—and also a great chance to learn more about (or join) the club.

The Gem and Mineral Club weekend show will include a raffle featuring a large and beautiful selenite crystal group from Mexico, for which only 100 tickets will be sold. There will also be an opportunity to win high-quality donated items from vendors, a silent auction running all weekend, and a garnet-sorting table and other new games that are especially fun for “kids” (of all ages). On display will be 22 cases of gems and minerals, as well as a new fluorescent mineral room featuring specimens from all over the world, including many collected by club members themselves. Additionally, 27 vendors from multiple states and internationally will be selling gems, minerals, fossils, beads, jewelry, home decor and more.

​Rockhounding isn’t just for the older crowd; youth as young as six years old have joined the Bozeman club. An achievement-award program sponsored by the Northwest Federation is suitable for kids of different age groups. Kids can receive monetary awards for their entries; they can also earn up to 20 achievement badges as they learn about a wide variety of rockhounding subjects. Two of the previously most active kids in the club favored geode collecting, general geology and beginning lapidary. Both received recognition by the Federation.

​If you are looking to get out on your own and start a gem and mineral collection, there are some easy places near Bozeman to find them, including any creek or riverbed. Crystal Park is presumably the easiest place to start, as it regularly gives up nice crystals. This 220-acre site in the Pioneer Mountains near Dillon holds a huge cache of quartz crystals throughout the decomposed granite landscape. Clear quartz, smoky quartz and amethyst are commonly found in the park with simple hand tools. Portal Creek in the Gallatin Range (about five miles north of the Big Sky turnoff, then six miles east on Portal Creek Road) is also known to have a good deposit of agatized petrified wood. The Sweetwater Basin south of Alder is a great area for garnet and “picture rhyolite” digging. Hyalite Canyon just south of Bozeman holds fluorescent Hyalite opal, galena, barite, jasper/agate, and small fossils. It shouldn’t take you long to begin a collection of your own.

​For anyone interested in gems and minerals, or individuals who would like help with mineral identifications, the Bozeman Gem and Mineral Club Show is a great place to bring questions or specimens. Club members will be wearing blue vests at the show; anyone with a blue vest will be happy to talk rock and answer questions. The show starts Saturday, May 10 at 10 am and goes until 6 pm. Sunday hours are 10 am-4 pm. Admission is $5 on Saturday, and $3 on Sunday (in honor of Mother’s Day). Kids 12 and under are free with an adult. Rock on!