The Brushy Creek Mine, Located in the Viburnum Trend District of Reynolds County, Missouri has been known and loved by mineral collectors for decades, probably most notably for attractive calcite and marcasite combination pieces. In this series of videos we will be exploring the origins of some of these pieces, perhaps some which reside in your own collections to this day.
In 1994 Top Gem Minerals, owned at the time by Mike New and Joe Kielbaso, got the contract from the Doe Run Company to collect mineral specimens in the Brushy Creek Mine. The first of two collection efforts took place in 1994 from August to December. The second took place in 1995 from April to July, and over that time some truly staggering numbers would be amassed. 26,000+ diapers and 4 miles of bubble pack would be used to wrap and protect specimens that would find their way into 800+ chicken boxes. All told over 24 tons of material would be shipped back to Top Gem for later sale.
The chambers that were hand excavated ran 425 feet deep horizontally and the ceiling height reached 30 feet in places. Those present over the course of the two efforts, in no particular order, were; Joe Kielbaso, Mark "The Mine Rat" Kielbaso, Brian Stefanec, Brian Huntsman, Paul Jett, Ray Carillo, Travis "T-Bone" Hartin, and Eugene Quintana. (If we misspelled anyones name or left someone out we apologize.)
This is just one of a long series of videos exploring every chamber that was worked in during the project.
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Mine Rat Minerals is a division of Open Adit West, we specialize in and sell mineral specimens from all over the world. Visit our website and eBay store, and follow us on Facebook for updates on new lots of specimens for sale and show dates/locations!
We buy collections! Contact us via our website if you have one for sale!
