Ellensburg's Blue Beauties

   In the gem world, a pale, blue stone known as the Ellensburg Blue Agate, or simply the Ellensburg Blue, is considered rock royalty.

   Formed through a complex series of geological and volcanic processes that occurred over—literally—millions of years, the agate has been described as one of the rarest gemstones in the world and is only found in northwest Kittitas County, largely in the area known as the Green Canyon notch (up Green Canyon and Reecer Creek roads).

   While in the past some blues had been discovered by farmers and ranchers in the alluvial fan below the notch, today nearly all that are uncovered are found on private property at higher elevations (pay attention to the ‘No Trespassing’ signs!).

   According to geologists, the agates came about as a result of the gradual depositing of small amounts of minerals mixed with silica-laden groundwater into small cavities or bubbles that formed in cooling volcanic basalt flows.

   The agate’s blue coloring, which can range from a light sky blue to much darker azure shades, sometimes with a slight purple tinge, is thought to be the result of trace elements that are present during formation, including copper, iron and manganese.

   One aspect of the agate that defines it is its relative hardness. An Ellensburg Blue will test from 7.5 to 8.3 or harder on the Mohs scale (named for the scale’s creator, chemist Fredrich Mohs), which is used to measure the hardness of a stone. For comparison, a diamond is a 10 on the Mohs scale, while talc is a 1.

   The earliest records of the existence of the Ellensburg blue can be traced to the native Kittitas people, the first residents of the Kittitas Valley area. Geologist John Prentiss Thomson, who grew up in Ellensburg and wrote a booklet called “Ellensburg Blue” in 1961, said the native people apparently didn’t use the blue gems for arrowheads or tools but instead found them useful when trading with white settlers.

   Interestingly, one of those most responsible for establishing the Ellensburg Blue as a desirable stone was Austin Mires, a local attorney and the town’s first mayor. In 1905, extracted some of the bright blue gems and had them set into rings.

   “Had two blue agate ring sets mounted in Seattle,” he wrote in his diary on March 29, 1905. “Cost $10, 14 carat gold.”

   About a decade later, Mires hired a stone cutter from Germany, and set up a small shop to sell the blue agates in a storefront that was located where Safeway now stands. The business did not prosper and was soon closed.

   Mrs. Mires, however, learned from the rock cutter how to cut and polish the stones. She continued to do so as a hobby and, according to a later account, “turned out some beautiful examples of lapidary art.”

   The Mires, however, weren’t the only ones to see something of value in the blue stones. A large part of the reason that John Prentiss Thomson was so interested in Ellensburg Blues was because his father, J.N.O. Thomson owned and operated a jewelry store at 318 N. Pearl Street in Ellensburg from 1913 to 1941 (the building no longer exists).

   According to the younger Thomson, in May 1913, several members of the Kittitas tribe showed his father specimens of the local blue agate and told him where to find more.

   “I happened to be in the store one evening and heard our favorite . . .  [tribal member], Cecilia, give one bit of instruction that has remained in my memory to this day. She said, ‘Walk with the sun over your left shoulder.’ The language was not this explicit but she demonstrated by walking and pointing [to where the stones could be found].”

   The elder Thomson soon began to craft jewelry using the gems, but also promoting their brilliance and beauty. In an Ellensburg Daily Record News ad on May 14, 1917, beneath the headline, “Ellensburg Blue Agate,” Thomson senior said, “Ellensburg has one gem that can be found nowhere else—the BLUE AGATE. The appearance of the stone as it is found in the rough does not even suggest its beauty when cut and polished. The colors range from light to dark blue, with occasionally one in rich lavender.”

   Two years later, Thomson the jeweler noted in an ad: “We have left two very choice Lavalliers, in the rare-blue agates, which to our knowledge are not found outside of the Kittitas Valley. We refer to the very deep blue agates which are more beautiful than opals, and far more durable.”

   John Prentiss Thomson credited increased attention on the blue gems around that time to a story that appeared in a local newspaper, which was headlined, “Local Jeweler Finds Blue Agate Mine.”

   “The article aroused considerable interest in blue agate jewelry and this continued until the automobile became common,” he wrote in his book. “After that, young men were much more likely to spend their money for gasoline and tires than on jewelry for their lady friends.”

   Thomson noted that until the day his father closed his jewelry shop, he always had blue agate jewelry on display. He added that whenever a tourist wandered into the store, and asked if there was anything that would make a good souvenir of the area, his father inevitably responded, “We have jewelry made from an agate near here and found nowhere else in the United States, the blue agate, a true souvenir of this valley.”

   Interest in the blue agates continued unabated throughout the next several decades. In July 1957, members of the Ellensburg and Cle Elum Boy Scouts attending a National Jamboree in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, presented an Ellensburg Blue to then-President Dwight Eisenhower.

   In response, the president conveyed his thanks for gift to Congressman Hal Holmes of Ellensburg, asking Holmes in a letter to “transmit to the boys my appreciation of their kindness.”

   On August 26, 1975, the city of Ellensburg celebrated Ellensburg Blue Day, which attracted more than 300 people to the Kittitas County Historical Museum to admire the museum’s displays of the blue agates and jewelry.

   Of course, part of what makes Ellensburg Blues so treasured is the fact that they are rare. By the late 1970s and 1980s, most of the easily obtainable gems had been excavated. An April 19, 1976 feature in the Daily Record News noted, “Ellensburg blues are getting scarce, but rock hounds who ply the fields and natural breaks in land north and west of Ellensburg are increasing, and the demand for the native agate is becoming greater.”

   The story also lamented the number of rock hunters who ignored the private property signs and were trampling private rangelands in their quest for the blues.

   Since there are many different types of blue agates in the world, determining if one is an Ellensburg Blue can be challenging. With the cost of a true blue selling for between $100 and $250 per karat, it’s important to know if it’s the real deal.

   While some suggest holding the blue agate up to the sun and looking for a pink tint, which indicates it’s a genuine blue, the best way is to consult an expert. A handful of local jewelry stores—which also sell their own Ellensburg Blue pieces—can verify a stone, including Kim Khap Gems and Jewelry in Ellensburg and Ireland Jewelers in Cle Elum.

   Perhaps the best place to view the elusive blues is at the Kittitas County Historical Museum at 114 E. 3rd Avenue in Ellensburg, which boasts one of the largest collections of Ellensburg Blues. More than 50 samples of the agates are in the museum’s ongoing Rock and Mineral display.

   If you’re interested in searching for your own blue—and want to avoid breaking no trespassing laws—you can purchase a permit at the 180-acre Rock ‘n’ Tomahawk Ranch, a private operation that allows rock hunting. Located at 2590 Upper Green Canyon Road in Ellensburg, the ranch is open seasonally (in warmer months). For reservations, which are required, call 509-962-2403.