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Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals

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Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals
File:Rice nw museum logo.jpg
Logo of the museum
Map
Established1996
LocationHillsboro, Oregon, United States
TypeEarth sciences
Visitors25,000 (2006)
CuratorRudy Tschernich
Websitewww.ricenwmuseum.org

The Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is a non-profit museum in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located just north of the Sunset Highway on the northern edge of Hillsboro, the earth science museum is in the Portland metropolitan area. Opened in 1997, the museum’s collections date to the 1930s with the museum housed in a home built to display the rock and mineral collections of the museum founders. The ranch style home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first of its kind listed in Oregon.

The museum sits on 23 wooded acres, with the main building containing 7,500 square feet (700 m2) of space. Collections include petrified wood, various fossils, fluorescent rocks, meteorites, and a variety of other minerals. With more than 4,000 specimens, the museum is the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The facility has around 25,000 visitors each year, many of whom are on school tours.

History

Richard L. Rice married Helen Hart in 1932 and the couple began rock collecting in 1938 after finding agates along the Oregon Coast.[1][2] In 1952, the Rices built a new home north of Hillsboro on 30 acres that would later house the museum.[3] The Rices founded a museum in 1953 to display their collections.[4] Their collections won them the Woodruff Trophy three years in a row at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, which led to the retirement of the trophy.[5] Helen served as president of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies from 1959 to 1960.[6]

In 1996, the Rice’s started the non-profit museum.[7] Richard and Helen Rice both died in 1997 with the home passing to the non-profit museum as part of their estate.[1][7] In 1997, the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals officially opened.[3] In June 2000, 94 pieces from the F. John Barlow collection of crystallized gold were added to the museum.[8] The facility opened an exhibit in 2001 dedicated to the lapidary arts, and at that time the collections of the museum had grown to more than 4,000 items.[4]

The museum opened a new gallery in January 2003 to feature petrified wood.[9] Rudy W. Tschernich was named the new curator in June 2003, replacing Sharleen Harvey.[10] In 2004, the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory at Portland State University loaned the museum 52 meteorites in an exhibit funded by NASA.[11][12][13] Attendance had grown to around 15,000 in 2004.[7]

In 2005, the North America Research Group unearthed the fossilized remains of a thalattosuchian crocodile from the Jurassic period in Central Oregon.[14] The museum plans on displaying these fossils after they are studied.[15] Later in 2005, the 1,800 square foot Northwest Minerals Gallery opened in a former storeroom at the museum after renovations totaling $150,000.[16] By 2007 the museum received 25,000 visitors each year, mainly from school groups.[17] In August 2008, the museum opened a retail gift shop in The Streets of Tanasbourne shopping center.[18]

Collections

Entrance sign

The museum is the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest with more than 4,000 items.[6][7] The specimens come from around the world, many personally unearthed by the Rices.[19] Bill Dameron of The Mineralogical Record named the museum as having the best mineral specimens in the Pacific Northwest.[17] The collections include gemstones, minerals, fossils, meteorites, and some artifacts.[20]

Gemstones include rubies, diamonds, rhodochrosite, opal, emerald, and amethyst among others.[20][2][17][4] Artifacts include arrowheads, shark teeth, and a collection of petrified wood.[20][7] Fossils include coprolites, or fossilized dung, and a baby dinosaur of the Psittacosaurus genus.[7] One display features all 12 birthstones with a version of each in their natural state and as finished gemstones, along with the same before an after for other gemstones such as aquamarine.[4] Around 1,000 of the specimens at the museum are only viewable using a microscope.[2]

One gallery in the basement, the Rainbow Gallery, is designed to showcase rocks and minerals that have phosphorescent or fluorescent elements that allow them to glow in the dark.[7] An automated system uses a lighting cycle that includes ultraviolet lights to energize the rocks.[7] A large portion of the petrified wood comes from the collection of Dennis and Mary Murphy.[9] Their collection, which is in excess of 450 items and includeds a log of white oak weighing 1,200 pounds, was combined with the Rice Museum's existing pieces.[9][21] The log is from Eastern Oregon and is estimated to have lived more than 25 million years ago.[7] The petrified wood specimens comes from Oregon, Brazil, and as far away as Australia.[9] Other fossils include those of cycads, palms, and ferns.[1]

The main rhodochrosite attraction is the "Alma Rose" from the Sweet Home mine in Colorado.[17] The Alma Rose includes crystals measuring up to 9.5 cm in length along with quartz and calcite highlights.[17] The Rices once owned the complimentary "Alma King" rhodochrosite from the same mine, but sold the piece to the Denver Natural History Museum.[17] The two stones had been purchased by the couple for USD$1 million.[7] Other rhodochrosite specimens includes those from mines in Arizona.[17] The museum also has a collection of 107 gold pieces from the F. John Barlow collection featuring items such as a 42 troy ounce leaf and pieces mined from the Ace of Diamonds mine in Liberty, Washington.[17][22] One of the museums pieces, a sperrylite from Russia, is consider one of the finest in the world.[17]

Individual items on display include coprolite from Mongolia, a 500 pound piece of the lightweight volcanic rock pumice, obsidian and basalt.[7] One specimen on display is a 30 centimeter wide plate with clear quartz crystals, epidote crystals measuring as large as 10 cm and translucent calcite scalenohedrons, and comes from Green Monster Mountain on Alaska's Prince of Wales Island.[23] The collection includes a cycad dating from the Jurassic era that weighs 500 pounds.[6] One meteorite is the Gibeon meteorite which weighs 210 pounds and came from the African nation of Namibia.[6][7] The world's largest known geode, a 1.75 ton thunderegg, is housed at the museum.[24] The thunderegg is Oregon's state rock.[25] Other items include azurite, coral, Oregon sunstone, pearls, Morenci, white jade, amber, copper crystals, zeolites, morganite, and agate.[4][17]

Facilities

Richard and Helen Rice House
Front of the home in 2007
LocationHillsboro, Oregon, USA
Built1952
ArchitectWilliam F. Wayman
Architectural styleRanch
Visitation15,000 (2004)
NRHP reference No.06001096[26]
Added to NRHPNovember 29, 2006[26]

The museum and grounds are located on the north side of the Sunset Highway west of Portland between the Helvatia Road and Jackson School Road exits.[27] Situated on 23 acres (9.3 ha) of mostly forested land,[19] the museum is housed in the historic Richard and Helen Rice House, built as a single family residence.[28] Completed in 1952, the home was built of sandstone mined in Arizona on the exterior and wood native to Oregon, including curly maple and myrtlewood.[7][27][28] All the wood was logged by Richard Rice, who made his living as a logging contractor.[1] Rice also milled the wood.[7] The sandstone is tan, rose, and blue in color.[3]

William F. Wayman designed the structure with Victor Batchelar building the home, while Charles F. Walters designed the grounds.[29] The home was designed to allow the basement to serve as a museum for the Rice’s collections.[3] Inside are three sandstone fireplaces along with countertops accentuated with hand-painted tiles from Mexico.[3] Myrtlewood is used inside as trim and for doors.[17] Bedroom closets were constructed with drawers, shelves, and ironing boards built-in.[3] Inside the two-level building are amenities such as dumbwaiters and a sewing room.[27] The original wool carpeting is still in use at the home, as is the original linoleum that features the museum's logo of a shovel and a pick.[3] On the outside raked cedar was used on the eves of the low-pitched roof-line building.[3]

The 7,500 square feet (700 m2) home with a 3,300 square feet (310 m2) basement cost $185,000 to build.[3][2] The ranch style home was the first ranch home listed on the National Register in Oregon.[28] In addition to the house, which has a full basement, the museum uses separate two-story building as a gallery.[17] Most of the rocks and minerals are housed in glass cases along the walls in the basement.[19] Before opening to the public an elevator was added to the home.[2] The museum includes a lapidary room, fossil gallery, educational room, and gift shop, while the outside grounds include a walk that features sandstone, columns of basalt, and a pile of rocks for children to climb over to find stones.[17]

Programs

The Rice Museum offers a variety of public programs, including hands-on classes for children where participants make necklaces out of rocks.[20] The museum also holds an annual festival in the summer with events such as thunderegg cutting and demonstrations of gold panning.[30][31] In the past the facility has hosted the Northwest Fossil Fest.[32] The museum offers tours for school groups and other youth programs, often handling multiple groups each day.[7] Children in the school tours get to select a stone to take home from a pile outside.[7] The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Harvey, Sharleen K. (January 1, 1998). "Richard L. Rice; 1911-1997". Rocks & Minerals. Heldref Publications: 61(1). ISSN 0035-7529.
  2. ^ a b c d e Colby, Richard N. “Tour of time: An open house will make it easy to take in the county’s hidden treasures, historic and otherwise, in one swoop”, The Oregonian, April 23, 1998, West Zoner, p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mandel, Michelle. “House of rock”, The Oregonian, March 1, 2007, Metro West Neighbors, p. 12.
  4. ^ a b c d e Campbell, Polly. “Family museum on foundation of rock”, The Oregonian, October 18, 2001, Southwest Zoner, p. 2.
  5. ^ "1962; Show Highlights; Tucson Gem and Mineral Show". The Mineralogical Record. 35 (No. 1). Gale Group, Inc.: S27(3) January 1, 2004. ISSN 0026-4628. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
  6. ^ a b c d Mandel, Michelle. “Splendid stones: free for the seeing”, The Oregonian, October 6, 1998, p. B2.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Hansen, Ellen. “Museum aims to spread the word about rocks”, The Portland Tribune, November 8, 2005.
  8. ^ Phan, Aimee. “Low-key museum rocks in Hillsboro”, The Oregonian, July 5, 2000, p. C2.
  9. ^ "Curator appointed.; Museum Notes & Announcements; Rudy W. Tschernich; Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals; Brief Article". Rocks & Minerals. 78 (No. 3). Heldref Publications: 204(2). May 1, 2003. ISSN 0035-7529. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
  10. ^ Hill, Richard L. “Mad about meteorites enthusiasts run a program that indentifies and collects space rocks at Portland State”, The Oregonian, December 8, 2004, p. E12.
  11. ^ Jones, Tricia. “Museum displays meteorite samples”, The Columbian, August 10, 2004, p. D4.
  12. ^ Campbell, Polly. “Meteorites land at Hillsboro Museum”, The Oregonian, July 15, 2004, West Zoner, p. 2.
  13. ^ Hill, Richard L. “Oregon's Jurassic croc”, The Oregonian, March 17, 2007, p. A1.
  14. ^ “Jurassic Crocodile is Unearthed in Oregon; 'Crocodile-like Creature' with a 'Fish Tail'”, Underwatertimes.com News Service, March 19, 2007.
  15. ^ Campbell, Polly. “Prospector says hobby is gilded in fun”, The Oregonian, August 18, 2005, West Zoner, p. 2.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m White, John S. (March 1, 2007). "Gallery reviews; United States mineralogy museum exhibits". The Mineralogical Record. 38 (No. 2). Gale Group, Inc.: 137(9). ISSN 0026-4628. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Diehl, Angella Foret. “Neighborhood Roundup – Metro West Hillsboro: Rock Creek/Tanasbourne”, The Oregonian, August 28, 2008, Metro West Neighbors.
  18. ^ a b c Mandel, Michelle. "New museum shows off rockhounds' bounty", The Oregonian, February 19, 1998, p. E2.
  19. ^ a b c d Baron, Connie. "Downtown Hillsboro: Summer may be winding down, but kids can still find fun activities", The Oregonian, August 30, 2007, Metro West Neighbors, p. 18.
  20. ^ Mandel, Michelle. "Too big to keep secret", The Oregonian, January 17, 2003, p. C1.
  21. ^ "Museum Notes & Announcements; Brief Article; Golden Opportunity". Rocks & Minerals. 75 (No. 5). Heldref Publications: 360. September 1, 2000. ISSN 0035-7529. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Toland, Douglas C. (September 1, 2004). "Famous mineral localities: Green Monster Mountain, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska". The Mineralogical Record. 35 (No. 5). Gale Group, Inc.: 383(24). ISSN 0026-4628. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
  23. ^ Christie, Tim. "Rock hounds check out goods at 18th annual Gem Faire", The Register Guard, March 26, 2007, Business and Financial News.
  24. ^ Frank, Gerry. "Frankly Speaking – Quest for best of Oregon reveals keepers", The Oregonian, July 2, 2006, p. T4.
  25. ^ a b "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). State of Oregon. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  26. ^ a b c Knudsen, Jenn Director. “North of Hillsboro - The quieter side of the city”, The Oregonian, October 26, 2008, p. S5.
  27. ^ a b c Trappen, Michelle. “Close-in sun and fun: A stone's throw away”, The Oregonian, July 3, 2008, Metro West Neighbors, p. 10.
  28. ^ Oregon Historic Sites Database: Site Information: Rice, Richard & Helen, House. Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved on February 7, 2009.
  29. ^ Robinson, Ann. “Plan next weekend Aug. 17-19 In the shade, on the grass”, The Oregonian, August 12, 2007, p. T8.
  30. ^ “Neighborhood Roundup - West Metro – Hillsboro”, The Oregonian, August 3, 2006, Metro West Neighbors, p. 14.
  31. ^ “Free fossil fest offers activities for adults, kids”, The Oregonian, August 8, 2007, p. C9.

External links

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