Anyone heard of an old Oregon opal mine?

[Tuberale]

Found a reference or two to it operating from 1860-1880. Said to have produced so much quality opal it glutted the world market. Owner dynamited it shut.

Can't tell you whether it produced fire opal or precious opal. Common opal is pretty common in Oregon. I've heard the largest piece found in Oregon was about 7 inches long in the shape of a willow leaf, found near Owyhee Gorge in extreme southeastern Oregon.

The alledged opal mine, however, was located in Central Oregon, within 50 miles of the Columbia River.

 

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[Nugget Hunter Smith]

Don't know about your opal mine but opal and jasper is found near Biggs Junction, which is next to the Columbia River. Then there is fire opal near Juniper Ridge. Also seams of opal to be found at Emigrant Lake near Ashland. Hope this helps!

 

[Tuberale]

Taught at Maupin (Wasco County, on the Deschutes River) in 1976. One of my students brought in a bigt thunderegg, and asked what the rock inside was. Couldn't believe my eyes: transluscent blue opal! Knew about fire opal, which is found further south in Jefferson County, but didn't know opal could also form in thundereggs at the time. He found it a couple miles south of Maupin while plowing a really rocky wheat field. He also mentioned thundereggs were fairly common in the area, so there's likely a deposit around there somewhere.

Precious opal also being found in Lake County. I've found lots of common opal, sometimes with a little fire opal mixed in near the Owyhee River. I think some of the Paiute in Eastern Oregon used common opal to make ceremonial arrowheads: about all they are good for, since they are extremely brittle and break very easily.

But the opal mine was around Briggs Junction. Just not AT Briggs Junction, if you know what I mean.