25 Years Ago – June 2001

• For the General Meeting, Phil Janney, of the Field Museum, did a presentation titled “Introduction to the Earth’s Mantle.”
• The Juniors were learning about Trilobites.
• The Mineralogy/Micromount Study group was discussing phosphates, like adamite, olivenite, vandenite, and auterite.
• There was a field trip to Marion, Kentucky to collect Fluorite. The group also stopped by the Clement Mineral Museum for a special tour and barbecue dinner. In April 1958, an ESCONI group actually met Ben Clement and his family (see Throwback Thursday #235)!
• Karen’s Korner had a piece about “Big Al” the Allosaurus. “Big Al” had his life story told in a special episode, “The Ballad of Big Al”, of “Walking With Dinosaurs” in 2000.

50 Years Ago – June 1976

• There was much discussion about the “All-Illinois Rock Swap” to be held August 28th and 29th, 1976. Collectors from Illinois and all surrounding states were invited. Rich Rock, long-time ESCONI member, was the General Chairman with Bruce Lauer on the Public Address.
• Russell P. MacFall (1903-1983), of Macfallite fame, did a presentation on the Field Museum’s Halls of Gems, Jade, and Meteorites. McFall was an editor for the Chicago Tribune newspaper and, earlier, for other newspapers. We did a post about him in Throwback Thursday #299.
• Mineralogy had a program called “Where to Go and What to Look For”. Sort of a preview for summer vacations?
• The “Micromount of the Month” was Wolfenite and Scheelite, which are both principal ores of tungsten. Too bad there are images in the old newsletters!
• The newsletter had an article by Diane B. Kribs with many tips for all the lapidaries out there.

70 Years Ago – June 1956

• The Regular Meeting featured a presentation by Helmer A. Walstum, who spoke about prospecting for minerals and how to make a claim.
• There was a field trip to Buffalo Rock State Park near Ottawa, IL to collect minerals.
• There was a second installment of “Underlying Strata” in the newsletter. It discussed rock layers of the Paleozoic and the Mesozoic. The first installment was in the May 1956 issue.
• The Forest Bed near Two Creeks on the Manutowoc and Kewaunee County Line in Wisconsin to see glacial deposits. Prof. Frederick T. Thwaites was conducting the trip. He was a well known authority on glaciers and their deposits. Collecting was allowed.