RockWoofSketch map
Woof’s favorite find
Bautsch Mine
We picked it because its USGS record mentions 1 gem or collectible mineral (Quartz) and 3 of our card minerals overall. That ties with 11 other site(s), so we broke the tie by mine status (past producers first), then USGS record quality, then name. USGS lists it as past producer for Zinc. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Pyrite, Galena. Approx. location 42.344, -90.392. 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?
Produced ore or material at some point in the past.
Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.
The mineral was noted here, without development.
Status not recorded.
Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.
Mineral cards
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
32 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
31 sites
Galena
Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat
15 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals recorded here
Sphalerite 35Galena 15Marcasite 2Chalcopyrite 1Barite 1Smithsonite 1Commodities
Lead 164Zinc 76Iron 3Cadmium 2Sites (first 40)
| Site | Commodity | Minerals recorded | Status | Approx. location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glanville Prospect | Zinc | Barite, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.364, -90.405 |
| Hughlett and Gray Mine | Zinc | Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.498, -90.404 |
| Upper Mississippi Valley Zinc-Lead Region, Illinois Sector | Zinc | Galena, Marcasite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.450, -90.417 |
| Royal Princess Mine | Zinc | Galena, Marcasite, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.305, -90.394 |
| Blackjack Mine | Zinc, Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.366, -90.405 |
| Little Corporal Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.423, -90.470 |
| Vinegar Hill Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.496, -90.416 |
| Kansas Mine | Lead, Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.314, -90.233 |
| Haggerty Mine | Zinc, Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.327, -90.242 |
| Northwestern Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.499, -90.397 |
| Illinois Mine | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.313, -90.240 |
| Rockford Mining and Milling Co. Mine | Lead, Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.448, -90.239 |
| Skene Mine | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.298, -90.237 |
| Wishon Mine | Lead | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.335, -90.242 |
| Bautsch Mine | Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.344, -90.392 |
| Amelia Mine | Lead, Zinc | Galena, Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.386, -90.398 |
| Waters Mine | Zinc | Smithsonite, Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.420, -90.436 |
| Pittsburg Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.359, -90.400 |
| North Unity Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.503, -90.406 |
| Betsy Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.397, -90.479 |
| Birkbeck Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.486, -90.389 |
| Buck Lead Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.435, -90.426 |
| Gray Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.352, -90.396 |
| Ten Strike Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.408, -90.468 |
| Oldenburg Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.453, -90.443 |
| Marsden Black Jack Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.368, -90.410 |
| South Unity Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.498, -90.410 |
| Graham-Snyder Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.479, -90.431 |
| Appleton Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.432, -90.384 |
| Pilot Knob Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.382, -90.420 |
| Hoosier Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.462, -90.441 |
| Blewett Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.434, -90.420 |
| Birkbeck Prospect | Zinc | Sphalerite | Occurrence | 42.491, -90.390 |
| Graham-Ginte Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Past Producer | 42.467, -90.424 |
| Merry Widow Mine | Zinc | Sphalerite | Unknown | 42.407, -90.472 |
| Big Indian Mines | Lead, Zinc | — | Past Producer | 42.455, -90.435 |
| Brill-Hole Mine | Lead, Zinc | — | Past Producer | 42.444, -90.408 |
| Dooling Mine | Lead | — | Past Producer | 42.437, -90.431 |
| Fox River Valley Mine | Lead, Zinc | — | Past Producer | 42.488, -90.432 |
| Hartwig Mine | Lead | — | Past Producer | 42.454, -90.465 |
Fossil collections
The Paleobiology Database lists 4 fossil collection records in Jo Daviess County. These are research records, not public dig sites.
Nearby counties
Stephenson County · DeKalb County · Bureau County · Kane County · LaSalle County
Illinois mineral guides
Back to all Illinois 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