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Treasures from the Earth—Richardson’s Rock Ranch

Armed with rock hammers, shovels, and insatiable appetites for the unexpected, my wife, Chris, and I were anxious to do some digging in the dirt—and it didn’t take long to hit pay dirt. The technique isn’t too difficult: simply kneel down and hammer, scrape, chisel, and mine the dirt away from the egg. “Rock hounds love to get dirty,” declared Casey Richardson. So bring a bucket, gloves, and rock pick (Richardson’s provides a bucket and rock hammer for your use) to dig Oregon’s treasured state rock from the dirt.

Thundereggs became Oregon’s official state rock in 1965 and they are small as marbles but can reach basketball size. “Each one of them is different and if you dig a couple thousand pounds like I have, you go home with quite a feeling of accomplishment. It’s a ton o’ fun,” said the smiling Richardson.

Each thunderegg holds a colorful agate design inside.

Filling a 5-gallon bucket is no sweat and didn’t take us long—then the real fun began back at the rock shop. Richardson’s lifetime of experience enabled him to make a slice through one of our eggs at just the right angle with a diamond-embedded saw blade to reveal the rock’s interior. Thundereggs were first discovered in this area during the 1920s by a rancher named Leslie Priday. For the past 40 years, the Richardson family has owned and operated its recreational rock ranch for eager tourists who can dig their own treasures or purchase them inside a small lapidary shop.

Digging thundereggs is so easy anyone—at any age—can find a genuine treasure.

When they are cut open, they reveal agates of various colors and exquisite designs that stand out when they’re polished. As we waited for the automated saw blade to slice open all of our prizes, Richardson showed off his most valuable thunderegg called a Priday Plume. He called it “one in a thousand” and it was easy to see what he meant for it looked fabulous with varied hues of blues, greens, and reds. He proudly noted, “It’s unique for its size and how clean each plume is. It’s a phenomenal piece.”

Richardson’s displays inside the shop are real showstoppers too with rows of gorgeous thundereggs and other exotic-looking rocks from across the world. You’ll discover that thundereggs can be made into beautiful, varied jewelry, especially pendants, pen stands, and bookends. Family photos show off four generations of Richardsons that have kept the business moving forward.

Meanwhile, back in the workshop, Richardson said it’s the surprise of it all that continues to excite him. Once a rock is cut open, each provides a lasting memory of time well spent in the Oregon outdoors. As another Richardson family member told me, “The really neat part is that when you dig up a thunderegg and bring it down to have us cut it open, you’re the first person to have ever seen that rock. And to think it took 60 million years to make it, plus there’s no two alike, they’re all different—and the next one is going to be the very prettiest one you’ve ever cut.”