D  e  s  e  r  t     E  x  p  o  s  u  r  e     March 2005

Rocks in Their Heads

The 40th annual Rockhound Roundup, March 10-13, will draw thousands of collectors to Deming, each dreaming of finding the perfect specimen.

Story and photos by Bob Venners

Red Roof Rock Shop owner Bill Haworth

Bill Haworth, owner of the Red Roof Rock Shop in Deming, became a hopeless "rockhound" one day back in 1982 when he found a piece of petrified wood near Texas Springs, Nev. "It was a piece of pink Limb Cast," Haworth recalls. "The Smithsonian experts said it was a million-to-one chance that I found it. They put a value of $4,500 on the specimen. They wondered if I wanted to donate it to them. I didn't."

The "specimen" in question now rests in a hallowed backlit display jar in the Red Roof's main sales room, a small part of the tons of rocks that fill dozens of wooden boxes in the parking lot and spill from display trays inside. Haworth has personally collected more than 90 percent of the material in his shop and loved every minute of it.

He's hardly alone in his love of rocks. From March 10-13, a hundred dealers and thousands of collectors will converge on the Southwest New Mexico Fairgrounds near Deming to celebrate an annual rite known as the Rockhound Roundup.

Sponsored by the Deming Gem and Mineral Society, the event attracts aficionados of rock hounding from all over the United States and Mexico. This year's Roundup will be the 40th annual event.

What fuels this engine of collecting, selling and buying, this passion for stuff that is, after all, just dirt?

For Barbara Hamilton, current president of the Deming Gem and Mineral Society that sponsors the Roundup each year, her love of the hobby evolved through a series of rock-hounding trips all over the country. "We went to Keokuk, Iowa to hunt for geodes," she remembers. "About a mile up the Fox River we found one that was 24 inches in diameter. It was so heavy we had to float it down the river on an inner tube, then haul it up the river bank and to the vehicle. We later donated the geode to Eastern Michigan University."

Hamilton also has fond memories of finding double-terminated quartz crystals in Herkimer, NY, quartz crystals in Arkansas and copper minerals in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. "It was an awful lot of fun."

In addition to handling the presidential duties in the club, Hamilton is also Show Chair, a job that entails hundreds of hours of labor. "If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it," she says.

Not that she doesn't have plenty of help. The society boasts some 300 members, and more than 80 showed up for a recent board meeting to plan their annual show.

When asked what makes the Roundup unique, Hamilton doesn't miss a beat. "The field trips!"

This year, four trips are planned, weather permitting. They will range from a trip to an ancient volcanic field near the Mexican border to a trek to the club's own mining claim, known affectionately as "Big Diggin's."

At Big Diggin's, participants will be seeking the elusive geode, an innocuous-looking lump of rock that nonetheless can contain super-spectacular cavities of crystals, sometimes the much-desired amethyst. The geode is not to be confused with (but frequently is) the less-desirable thunder egg. The thunder egg consists primarily of a center of solid chalcedony (albeit in sometimes amazing varieties of colors and patterns).

Those who are confused should also take the field trip to the Baker Ranch thunder egg site, at the end of which everything will be "crystal clear."

The excursion to Potrillo Volcanic Field will give rockhounds a chance to hunt for peridot and other volcanic-related gems and minerals. The field consists of 150 cinder cones and two maars (shallow depressions formed by volcanic explosions with little lava).

A fourth field trip is tentatively planned to a site near Hatch, to hunt for rhyolite. A small donation is requested for each field trip.

Bill Haworth is also involved in the Roundup, although from a slightly different perspective. He is a dealer, one of those in the hobby who has passed from a pure collecting phase to one in which a steady income can be procured by offering his wares to the public.

Haworth specializes in reconditioned machinery: tumblers to make the raw rock into shimmering gems; saws to slice specimens into slabs for conversion into cabochons, wind chimes, what have you; faceting gizmos to put an exact edge on a gem that is headed into a ring, bracelet or charm. With the machines come grits, adhesives, flux, oils and waxes, the never-ending supplies of the rockhound's world.

It takes more than 100 linear feet of tables to properly display Haworth's wares at the annual Roundup. He uses every square foot of it, as display space costs the dealer money and is the primary source of income for the Deming club.
The Gem and Mineral Society has done well over the years, primarily from a show that has attracted a vigorous following during the 40 years of its existence. It owns its own clubhouse, with a complete lapidary workshop attached, where regular classes in wire wrapping, rock polishing and cabochon production are offered to members at a nominal cost. The clubhouse came into being through the efforts of eight dedicated members, two of whom were Bill Haworth and his wife Geneva. The others included Al Lovell, Barb and Ellis Jackley, George Tyra, Ernie Bent and Don Hamilton.

The club has a visible presence in the Deming community, where it offers a yearly scholarship to a student headed toward a career in geology or allied field, contributes to the Sheriff's Reserve and regularly donates gems and minerals to the Luna Mimbres Museum. In addition, a donation is made each year to KRWG-TV, the Las Cruces public broadcasting station, and money is also donated to the Deming High School golf team for their help with the show. Gem and mineral kits are also made available to Deming school teachers for use in the classroom.

Hamilton says she has no idea of the economic impact on the community that the show has each year, but acknowledges it must be substantial. "Restaurants, motels, RV parks! The dollar amount must be very high," she says.

From a first show in 1966 at Rockhound State Park, the Gem and Mineral Society has come a long way, thanks to a dedicated membership and leaders like Hamilton and Haworth (who is a past president of the club and was show chair in 1999 and 2000). "Rock hounding is a wonderful hobby," Haworth says. "It's peaceful, no telephones and no boss. You can find something to take home and work on and it turns out looking like a million bucks."

Hamilton doesn't worry much about another successful Roundup. "There is so much for the visitor to do," she says. "We have a Silent Auction on Friday night and a Live Auction on Saturday night. We'll have smoked turkey legs this year and the traditional breakfast burritos from Primo's Restaurant downtown. And where else can you get coffee and a donut for only 50 cents each?"

The show almost fills the entire fairgrounds acreage, with dealers outside and inside, divided between two large buildings. Displays by members of the Gem and Mineral Society are located inside, as well as a club sale table which offers T-shirts, patches, buttons and lots and lots of information.

For the kids, the club runs a "wheel of fortune" and will cut geodes in half right before their eyes. Many tables offer grab bags at a discount for the younger collector and many gems and minerals are available at under a dollar.
After all, somebody has to start the next generation of rockhounding. Who knows what they might find out there?

The 40th annual Rockhound Roundup takes place March 10-13 at the Southwest New Mexico Fairgrounds, daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Signs all over town make it easy for visitors to reach the fairgrounds. Parking and admission are free.

Daily door prizes are offered at the Roundup at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. A cash raffle takes place on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a dollar donation per ticket (12 for $10). You need not be present to win. How they find you if you are not there is not explained, but be assured they will try!

Bob Venners, a frequent contributor to Desert Exposure, lives in Deming.

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