Morrisonite Story

TigerOakAntiques.com

Morrisonite "The King of Jaspers"
By Philip Stephenson
www.TigerOakAntiques.com

All serous collectors and hobbyists who have worked and shown Morrisonite through the years, will agree that it's the most diverse and beautiful Jasper on the planet. But, there are a few things and myths they disagree on. One of them I can dispel once and for all. Jim Morrison of "The Doors" rock band never owned the mines and was never at the mines or ranch. It is not named after him. So, despite want you have heard over the years about the mines, the only true fact is that, Morrisonite, IS "The King of Jaspers".

Sitting in a very small house in Boise, Idaho, my friend Gene Stewart and I are talking to his 100 year old mother, Alberta Stewart, about Morrisonite. His mother is bright eyed and still very aware, but very hard of hearing. Sitting in a chair in front of her, Gene cups his hands and almost yells his questions. "MOM! TELL US ABOUT JIM MORISON. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT DAD SAID ABOUT HIM?" With a fine shaky voice, she gives us short answers to our questions about the story behind Morrisonite. She opens her old black and white family photo album. The following is based on facts his mother related and what was said to Gene by his father Dudley Stewart

The Morrisonite story begins in early spring 1947. A Boise rock shop owner, Dudley Stewart, was prospecting in the Owyhee Breaks in Southeast corner of Oregon. While scouting, he came upon an small thin older gentleman living like a hermit in a stone, one room house along the Owyhee River. This was James Morison (no, it's not misspelled. That's the way he spelled his last name, unlike how it's spelled today). Morison lived alone, never married and had no family. He eked out a subsistence living off the land on his ranch. In the months that followed their meeting, Dudley would often visit James while in the area and would take him back and fourth to the store for supplies. They soon became good friends. On his trips out to James's place, Dudley would always pack in a sack of flour and sugar to bring out to him. Dudley and James would often have dinner at the ranch together, which consisted of what was either caught, killed or found growing that day. Many times, all they had was asparagus for all three meals. Dudley took James to Boise one Thanksgiving for dinner with his family and stayed the night. Alberta related that James, being used to his stiff rustic bed couldn't sleep on the mattress bed at her house, so he slept outside in her backyard under a tree instead.
James Morison enjoyed looking for Indian Artifacts and found many pictographs on the rocks near his ranch. This area of the Owyhee desert teemed with a great diversity of animal life and plants, which made it a favorite hunting ground for the Indians. One late fall day in 1947, Dudley was working one of the cliffs and James came by and said "Look at this rock! Make something out of it." Dudley looked at the amazing colors and patterns and exclaimed, "Where did you get this?" James showed Dudley where he discovered the Jasper and Dudley soon after coined the name, "Morrisonite" in honor of his friend James Morison. The Morrisonite madness began.

As word got out, people began showing up as early as spring 1948 looking for this amazing Jasper. Morison became irritated at all these unknown people starting to show up at his ranch and was thinking about closing the area off completely. So in 1950, Dudley remedied the situation by getting the word out that organized group rock hunting field trips would be made by the Boise Gem Club. Dudley was one of the founders and President. But, as the interest in this Jasper increased, so did the tide of people, trespassers and profiteers. Gene shows me one of the old yellow, pencil-written letters Morison wrote to Dudley dated August 26, 1951: "Dear Friend Dudley. Am sending you word as Troxel and Rathman are on their way out tomorrow. Yes the Boise Club has first filings on the Morisonite. Brookings, Roy Whipple and another member first filed the stakes, they filed before they came, I don't know what it all means_Maybe nothing. I would think you could find out in their meetings what all it means, if anything. Brookins says the club is coming in Sept. They [unleagable] it's to keep the California commercials out. Am waiting for further developments. Better come over if you can before the club comes. I don't know too much about it. Morison" I asked Alberta Stewart and other old timers if they knew what happened to Jim Morison, but no one really knows.

As the years progressed, the claim owners changed hands a few times and mining became more intense. Blasting became necessary and heavy equipment was being used to wench the Jasper from the mountain and pinnacles. Morrisonite, it's amazing colors, layered orbs, outstanding quality and high gloss finish make it the most sought after fine Jasper in the World and the uncontested title of the "The King Of Jaspers".

As we talk back and fourth with Gene's mother at her house, Gene recollects taking a trip out to the ranch in his father's1950 Ford. He recalls seeing his father walking up to the mountain pinnacles with a makeshift backpack. The home made backpack consisted of a large square metal can strapped to his back, in which the rough was hauled down the mountain. During the conversation, Gene's mother said, "Dudley never did make a claim there. Why should he, ...he knew the owner". It is getting late and his mother is getting tired. Gene sitting in his chair leans over and tells me, "You know my mother still has a good deal of Dad's Morrisonite". Surprised, I say, "Really?" He leans forward towards his mother, cups his hands and yells to her, "MOM! WHERE'S ALL YOUR MORRISONITE!." A broad smile forms on her face and she says, "Oohhh... well..." and shakes her head a little. She looks at the both of us and chuckles...Then silence. Gene looks at me, smiles at his mother's tease and shrugs his shoulders.

Some of the best treasures in the world are kept hidden from the public eye. I can only wonder and let my imagination go wild as to what Morrisonite Dudley and Alberta have kept privately for themselves.

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