MINERAL OF THE MONTH
June 2007
The mineral of the month is a Lake Superior Michipicoten agate. When a newspaper article was published in 1958 featuring the museum founder, Axel Niemi, and his 5.5 pound agate, Axel received a letter from Mrs. J. Oldenkomp. She had seen the article and asked Axel if he was interested in buying an agate that she inherited from her grandfather. Apparently, he had found the agate on Michipicoten Island, located in the northeast part of Lake Superior. As was common practice back then, he had the agate cut and polished. The lapidariest received half the agate in payment, and the Oldenkomp family kept the other half. Before cutting, the agate weighed over 8 pounds!
Axel and Mrs. Oldenkomp haggled over the price of the agate for 7 years before Axel finally purchased the specimen in 1965. The letters documenting this purchase are posted in the museum. Unfortunately, Axel cut out the price in the letter so we’ll never know how much he paid for this beauty.
Mineral of the Month Archives
May 2007 Mineral of the Month
June 2007 Mineral of the Month
July 2007 Mineral of the Month
August 2007 Mineral of the Month
Fall 2007 Mineral of the Month
December 2007 Mineral of the Month
January 2008 Mineral of the Month
February 2008 Mineral of the Month
March 2008 Mineral of the Month
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