SPRINGFIELD – Growing up in foster care with multiple families, Audrea Shelley spent a lot of time looking for home. Born in Eureka, Calif. – the largest coastal city between…
SPRINGFIELD – Growing up in foster care with multiple families, Audrea Shelley spent a lot of time looking for home. Born in Eureka, Calif. – the largest coastal city between…
COTTAGE GROVE – Cory Chase was announced as the new Cottage Grove Police Department (CGPD) police chief on Aug. 25 and will officially start on Sept. 11. “This is a…
COTTAGE GROVE – Cory Chase was announced as the new Cottage Grove Police Department (CGPD) police chief on Aug. 25 and will officially start on Sept. 11. “This is a…
Signing up for what is essentially a summer school course in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field may not sound appealing to the average high schooler – but…
Signing up for what is essentially a summer school course in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field may not sound appealing to the average high schooler – but…
SPRINGFIELD – The Lions Club is well known for its charitable reputation, and it has certainly lived up to this reputation. On Monday, Aug. 28, the Lions Club presented the…
SPRINGFIELD – The Lions Club is well known for its charitable reputation, and it has certainly lived up to this reputation. On Monday, Aug. 28, the Lions Club presented the…
It has been said that Oregon has four seasons: fall, winter, spring, and construction. As this construction season nears its end, Eugene Airport’s two summer projects are wrapping up. The…
It has been said that Oregon has four seasons: fall, winter, spring, and construction. As this construction season nears its end, Eugene Airport’s two summer projects are wrapping up. The…
31 Aug 2023
In case you missed it…
Thirty years later, Cottage Grove rockhounders crack into XL agate
BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE. Linda and Craig Olson of Cottage Grove stand side-by-side with their impressive 2,200 pound agate found during a hunting excursion near Fall Creek in 1991. They recently found a way to slice through the agate, revealing the spectacular treasures hidden within.
COTTAGE GROVE – It’s been a little over 30 years since The Springfield News covered Linda and Craig Olson adorning their Springfield lawn with a 2,200-pound Oregon moss agate. This year, the now-Cottage Grove couple started the adventure of cutting into what hid below the surface.
However, the “pebble” (Linda Olson’s affectionate nickname for the valuable rock) was discovered on a hunting excursion in 1991. Olson had grown tired due to the dreary conditions and decided to take on rockhounding, her favorite hobby, instead. Olson stumbled across the rock on a forest service road, taking in a milky white pocket on its surface, and immediately concluded it was valuable.
“Some people like diamonds, and some people like gold. Linda wanted a pebble,” she said when reminiscing on her first encounter with the rock. “It just talked to me, and it was essential that it be a part of my life.”
After flagging down her husband, the two recruited extra sets of hands to transport the rock back to Springfield, a task that was much easier said than done. But with sheer determination, the strength of six individuals managed to combat the rainy conditions and a snapped trailer winch.
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