RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Phi Kappa Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 5 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Fluorite, Silver) and 9 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Garnet, Gold, Feldspar, Pyrite, Galena, Fluorite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 43.846, -114.204. USGS record.
Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.
Field cards: what kind of sites?
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Was producing when the record was made.
Status not recorded.
A processing plant site.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
515 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
502 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
239 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
223 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
155 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
105 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
45 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
44 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Galena 102Chalcopyrite 69Sphalerite 63Gold 33Scheelite 31Tetrahedrite 29Monazite 25Ilmenite 24Garnet 24Molybdenite 23Fluorite 23Malachite 22Commodities
Gold 320Silver 292Lead 157Copper 73Zinc 68Tungsten 43Molybdenum 33Fluorine-Fluorite 25Uranium 24Geothermal 24Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Mine | Gold | Acanthite, Electrum | Past Producer | 44.602, -114.556 |
| Willis Diggings | Gold | Amalgam, Cinnabar | Past Producer | 44.280, -114.941 |
| Champion Mine | Copper, Lead | Anglesite, Calamine, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Smithsonite | Producer | 43.860, -113.673 |
| G. B. Williams Antimony Mine | Antimony | Anglesite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Enargite, Galena, Jamesonite, Pentlandite, Proustite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 44.137, -114.607 |
| Copper Prospect | Lead | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Jamesonite, Tetrahedrite | Occurrence | 44.191, -114.601 |
| Silver Bell Group (CH_510) | Silver | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Cubanite, Digenite, Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 44.226, -114.590 |
| Hoodoo Prospects | Zinc, Silver | Anglesite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Smithsonite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 44.171, -114.633 |
| Last Chance Number Five Prospect | Lead | Anglesite, Covellite, Cubanite, Jamesonite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Prospect | 44.192, -114.628 |
| Lucky Strike Prospect | Silver | Anglesite, Jamesonite | Prospect | 44.186, -114.606 |
| Star Group Mine | Lead | Anglesite, Jamesonite, Libethenite, Malachite | Past Producer | 44.176, -114.582 |
| Redbird Mine | Silver, Lead | Anglesite, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 44.310, -114.475 |
| McClure Prospect | Gold | Argentite | Prospect | 44.377, -114.672 |
| Whale Mine | Gold | Argentite | Past Producer | 44.442, -114.752 |
| Black Mine | Gold | Argentite | Past Producer | 44.369, -114.670 |
| Charles Dickens Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Cerargyrite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Silver, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.389, -114.718 |
| McFadden Mine | Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Electrum, Gold, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 44.450, -114.707 |
| Why Not Mine | Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold | Past Producer | 44.445, -114.707 |
| Montana Mine | Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.444, -114.707 |
| Ramshorn Mine | Lead, Silver | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite, Cerargyrite, Fluorite, Malachite | Past Producer | 44.410, -114.361 |
| Golden Gate Mine | Silver, Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 44.455, -114.705 |
| Fourth of July Mine | Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Gold, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.372, -114.669 |
| Yellow Bird Prospect | Gold | Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite | Prospect | 44.371, -114.670 |
| Wire Silver Prospects | Antimony | Argentite, Gold | Prospect | 44.364, -114.674 |
| Sultana Project | Silver, Gold, Copper | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cuprite, Galena, Malachite, Molybdenite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tenorite, Tetrahedrite, Powellite | Prospect | 43.890, -113.675 |
| Empire Mine | Gold, Copper, Silver | Bornite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Cuprite, Galena, Malachite, Molybdenite, Scheelite, Sphalerite, Tenorite, Tetrahedrite, Powellite | Past Producer | 43.892, -113.669 |
| Badger Lode Prospect | Silver | Bornite, Chalcopyrite | Prospect | 44.600, -114.999 |
| Strawberry Basin Claim | Gold, Silver | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Jamesonite | Prospect | 44.075, -114.675 |
| Republican Group Mine | Gold | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.592, -115.156 |
| Lead - Metals Mine | Silver, Lead | Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 44.595, -115.042 |
| Lucy Group Prospect | — | Bornite, Galena | Occurrence | 43.899, -114.622 |
| Kelley Creek Placer | Gold | Brannerite, Cinnabar, Euxenite, Garnet, Gold, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Monazite, Rutile, Sphene | Prospect | 44.272, -114.927 |
| The Great Centennial Placer | Gold | Brannerite, Euxenite, Garnet, Gold, Ilmenite, Monazite, Zircon | Past Producer | 44.249, -114.677 |
| Centauras Workings | Gold | Brannerite, Euxenite, Garnet, Hematite, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Monazite, Sphene, Zircon | Past Producer | 44.256, -114.691 |
| Jordan Creek Placer | Gold | Brannerite, Euxenite, Garnet, Zircon | Past Producer | 44.387, -114.727 |
| Mcgregor Group | Lead, Silver | Cerargyrite, Smithsonite | Past Producer | 44.409, -114.317 |
| Silver Dollar Mine | Antimony | Cervantite, Stibnite, Uraninite | Past Producer | 44.277, -114.927 |
| Hermit Mine | Silver | Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Covellite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite | Past Producer | 44.151, -114.588 |
| Golden Day Mine | Silver, Gold | Chalcopyrite | Past Producer | 44.322, -114.905 |
| Lost Eagle Claim | Silver, Lead | Chalcopyrite | Prospect | 44.577, -114.897 |
| Pedrino Prospect | Copper | Chalcopyrite | Prospect | 44.289, -114.388 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 15 fossil collection records in Custer County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Blaine County · Camas County · Elmore County · Valley County · Boise County
Idaho mineral guides
Back to all Idaho counties.
How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.
Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.
Updated