The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon, houses a world-class collection recognized as the finest in the Pacific Northwest and one of the finest in the United States. Richard and Helen Rice constructed the building that would become the museum as their family home in 1952. The Museum building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its unique architectural style, natural stonework, and the extraordinary native Oregon woodwork found throughout the building.
In 2005, the museum opened what had originally been Richard Rice’s workshop as the Rudy Tschernich Northwest Mineral Gallery. This gallery focuses primarily on the mineral heritage of the Pacific Northwest.
Shown below is some of the jasper which is on display.
According to the display:
“Jasper is an impure, fine-grained quartz, of any color, that cannot be seen through. It is often red, brown, or green but can be the lighter colors white, yellow, gray called chert or flint. The color is from iron oxides and clay minerals. Jasper makes beautiful patterns, swirls, orbs, in an array of colors.”
Oregon
Washington
Idaho
More Minerals
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Some Oregon Minerals (Photo Diary)
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Some Washington Minerals (Photo Diary)
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Pacific Northwest Quartz (Photo Diary)
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Washington Quartz (Photo Diary)
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Some Montana Minerals (Photo Diary)
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Natrolite (Photo Diary)
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Barite (Photo Diary)
Northwest Mineral Gallery: Sagenite Agate (Photo Diary)