Herkimer Diamonds

Herkimer Diamonds  are doubly terminated quartz crystals found in Herkimer County, New York and surrounding areas. These crystals have the typical hexagonal habit of quartz but are doubly terminated, making them quite rare and thus popular with mineral collectors.  The crystals are also used in jewelry because of their beautiful and interesting natural facets . Considered to be the most powerful of all quartz crystals, some people believe in their.metaphysical and healing properties.

Although similar double terminated crystals have been found in other locations like Arizona, Afghanistan, Norway, Ukraine and China, they could not rightly be called "Herkimers" (why???). Considering these unique crystals can be found so close to Kayuta Lake, it would seem such a shame to waste an opportunity to experience mining them first hand.

So, a few days ago, we went to the Ace of Diamond Mines and Campground, one of the 2 commercial mines in Middleville NY (the other one is Herkimer Diamond Mines). The $9.50 entrance fee per person allowed us to enter the dig area and to bring home any diamond or rock specimen we find.

Herkimer diamonds are found within cavities in the Cambrian-age, Little Falls Dolostone which was deposited about 500 million years age.  The most successful method of mining is "cavity prospecting", that is, breaking into large cavities in the walls and floors of the exposed dolostone using sledge hammers and wedges. The dolostone is a very hard rock and we did not have the tools nor the know-how for such a serious undertaking. Power tools are not allowed in this mine or the other.

We tried a little bit of "scavenger prospecting", which means just to search the rock rubble or quarry floor for exposed or loose crystals.  This was how the Mohawk Indians (who were known as Kanyenkehaka,  or The People of the Crystals) first found the crystals loose in the soil. Supposedly, some nice crystals can be found this way, but not by us.


Armed with our small tools (a regular hammer, small sledge hammer, a chisel), we did mostly "find and break" prospecting- that is, to find rocks already broken off from the quarry wall and breaking them into smaller pieces. It was hard work and a little dangerous, what with all the sharp pieces of rocks flying at each strike of the hammer.  We were glad we followed the mine's advice to wear safety goggles, long pants and shirt.



Although initially frustrating, after 3 hours of prospecting, we had some interesting finds starting with this broken rock which revealed a cavity with a few pieces of the clear crystals. Small, but definitely herkimers.

Our best find, however, was this one (shown on the left after we've brought it home).







The crystal had a fracture line and easily dropped out of the mother rock. Although the herkimer diamond is stronger (rated 7.5 on the Mohs scale) than other quartz crystal (rated 6.5-7.0), it's not as strong as a real diamond (rated 10).  It was about 2 cm in length but was not perfect in that it had a smaller crystal attached to it.  There are several inclusions, some clear and some golden in color.





At the end of the day, we felt satisfied with out find, our first mining expedition.  Whether there'll be a next one, that remains to be seen.

Cascade Lake and Cascade Falls

June 15, 2013

On a beautiful Saturday, we embarked on a slightly more ambitious hike around Cascade Lake.  About 1.4 miles after turning on Big Moose Road from Rte 28 on Eagle Bay, we found the trail head for Cascade Lake. This is part of the Pigeon Lake Wilderness Area  which covers about 50,100 acres of state land between four of the larger bodies of water in the Adirondacks--Big Moose Lake, Stillwater Reservoir, Raquette Lake and the Fulton Chain of Lakes.

 After signing the registry, we followed the trail for 0.95 miles until we reached a fork in the road. This is the beginning/end of the loop around the lake.  We ascended the trail on the right as directed by the sign (the left fork, of course would also take one to the lake since this is a loop) following the red markers. The trail was wooded, quite muddy in places, probably because of the rains we've had the previous days.  We had to cross a few small bridges crossing the streams near which the trail appeared even more waterlogged.

Just before the 4th bridge, we heard the sound of water and saw a glimpse of the falls in between the trees.  Although it was just 100 feet off the trail, there was no sign at all and it was hard to find the trail towards it.  Looking more closely, there were a few herd paths but only later did we see the actual trail which was right before you step onto the bridge.  Cascade Falls (not to be confused with Cascade Lake Falls  near Lake Placid) is 40 feet high but quite narrow, therefore classified as a ribbon cascade.  It was a great spot to rest and have a quick picnic.

 

The rest of the trail was more dry than the southern part but there were still parts like this one by the 5th bridge where we really appreciated our waterproof hiking boots.  On this northern part of the loop, parts of the trail went alongside Cascade Lake, making for a very refreshing walk with beautiful views from some of the side trails.

A big waterfront campsite about 100 feet left of the trail shows a more panoramic view of the lake.  How wonderful it would be to be on a solitarty boat in the middle of this lake. The portage however might be a little bit too much.

 Further down and on the right of the trail, we saw some ruins of an old girls camp, the Lake Cascade Camp, which was built in the 1930's and operated until the mid 40's.  Across it is a clearing with more potential waterfront campsites.  I wished we had found the privy that was mentioned at cnyhiking.com supposedly located somewhere near the ruins. Then, camping here would be more inviting.

Completing the loop and returning to the parking lot,  we've walked almost 6 miles (a little longer than the purported 5.45 miles of the trail due to the side trails we've taken). Although there was only a 300 ft elevation gain, we went uphill and downhill a lot and according to my husband's fit bit,  we've climbed the equivalent of 53 flight of stairs.  Maybe that's calorie expenditure to justify a trip to Inlet for 1 or 2 scoops of ice cream or gelato.

Delta Lake and Delta Lake State Park

Whenever we drive on Route 46 going to the airport in Rome, we pass by Delta Lake and have always wanted to see it closeup.  We were always in a hurry though and did not want to pay the entrance fee to the park for only a quick visit.

On June 3, with our lunch basket, we headed for Delta Lake State Park  which is on a peninsula extending from the south shore of the lake. To our pleasant surprise, the usual $7 entrance fee per car was waved for us that day.  For what reason, we did not know.

Delta Lake is a reservoir just north of the city of Rome, about 18 miles southwest of our camp on Kayuta Lake. When the marvel that was the Erie Canal (completed 1825) started to lose traffic to the competing railroad, the State decided to enlarge the canal by the construction of the new "Barge Canal", consisting of the Erie Canal and the three chief branches of the State system -- the Champlain, the Oswego, and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. It was felt necessary to create three reservoirs to ensure consistent water level in the canal since frequent fluctuations which used to occur in the Erie would be dangerous for the bigger barges.  Delta was ideal because the deep valley could impound the waters of the Mohawk with only one dam being constructed.  Of the three proposed reservoirs, Delta was the only place that required acquisition of privately owned land and forced relocation of its 500 residents.  Most of the structures were torn down and only some moved to other locations before the town was flooded. Construction took 4 years to finish the dam (1908-1912) and another 4 years to fill up the reservoir. The Barge Canal had it's peak commercial use in 1951 but competition from the trucking industry eventually lead to it's closure in the 1990's.  The canals have since then resumed their original names and are now strictly restricted for recreational use.

Delta Lake covering 2560 acres now still supplies water to the Erie Canal and as well as controls flooding in the Mohawk region . Most of the lake is within the southwest part of the town of Western while the western part of the lake is in the town of  Lee.

The dam is on the southeast corner of the lake and can be seen on Golf Course Road, off Rt. 46.
 

 At the park, we headed for the beach and had our lunch on one of the many park tables. There's even a barbecue stand if we had opted to use one.  It was 52degree C with a brisk wind so we did not venture into the water.  

 A sign at the beach house is a reminder of the old town of Delta.  It is rumored that when the water at the reservoir is low, a few foundations that were left behind can be seen.




Park development had started in 1966 and now, it is a popular facility for summer and winter recreation. In addition to the sand beach and the lake, where people can go swimming, camping, fishing and boating,  the park has several picnic areas, 101 campsites, 19 of which are waterfront, a boat launch and some hiking trails.  In the winter, there is cross-county skiing, ice fishing, snow shoeing and snowbiling and even has a snowmobile warming room.

We went on the trail starting from the beach.  Because of the high water level though, most of the trail was under water so after only a short distance, we had to double back to the beach.  From the map, the other hiking trails did not look any more inviting.  The park appears to be best suited for those mainly interested in water activities.




References:
1. Your Hometown: The Lost Village of Delta Lake
2. History photos of the town of Delta : A Pretty Street, Delta NY
3. The Village of Delta: Social History and Eminent Domain
4. Delta Lake State Park
5. The Barge Canal