The local urban legend  offers up Stefoinite as being named by Rudy Stefoin. This is backed up by his daughter Helen. He and Switz Tynsky, and a small hand full of others knew the location. Switz had the rock shop here in town for years and was involved in the hay day of wood, fossil fish, and other lapidary collectables of SW Wyoming. From a recent interview with one of his daughters, Rudy named it himself.

The stefoinite story goes that they both (and others) took the secret location with them when they checked in to  rockhound heaven.  Switz passed on in the early 1970's. and Rudy left in 1988.  Best we can tell, stefoinite was discovered in the 1950's or earlier,  back when Rudy drove an early '50's blue  Dodge station wagon.  I have found evidence of a third party  (and possibly two others), the late Cecil  Rhodes, that may well have been the third member of the three amigos. He too never mentioned where they went to collect!  From the many old estate collections I have previewed and/or purchased, I continue to only find one, or two, sometimes maybe  third  piece but never much to speak of. Size of pieces range from 1/4-1/2 pound up to a couple that went 3-4 pounds and one whopping 8 pounder last fall. This summer I have aquired "rudy junior" a 108 pound excellent quality specimen!

Good stuff!

Of the old rock hounds, I have never been able to get any information of the areas they hunted even. Wamsutter to the Green River, a place known as bush rim and on to Big Piney....where to search next!

Stefoinite is a brecciated jasper/mudstone with fine silification and it will make excellent high end cabs. The above two cabs courtesy of Blue Heron Gems. If you have a good picture or two, I would post it here with your credit.

At one time, a number of years ago, I stumbled on to a tidy pile and sold it off with out much thought as to any value of this material as I had never seen it cut or any cabs locally. Now days, with out a source, and the market eager for more of this fine material, it is like gold.

As my travels encounter new information, there should be more to learn about this unique and rare material and possibly new locations in the  Green River Basin that are yet to be discovered. I am sitting less than 50 miles from the source and it is north and west of here. I am on the trail!

Here is "rudy" a 108 pound specimen of very good quality stefoinite!  I discovered it today, 8/14/07- good karma! What a rock! 20" x 19" x 9" thick. What to do next?

Hopefully one day I can devote more time to searching areas where this beautiful brecciated and resilified mud stone may have came.  It would be in an area where the silification is greatest as that should be a clue. I suspect north of Green River to be an area of interest. I have further clues but, like the three amigos, I can't tell you either!  Part of the puzzle that is a hinderance, most of the entire Green River Basin is full of some form of mud/silt stone. Until then, keep watching for a piece to get smoked out of hiding now and then.

I now live 3/8's mile from the Tynsky rock shop here in Rock Springs, and received my honorary rock degree there in the early 90's while working part time there. I dig fossil fish with Jim Tynsky when the weather allows.

If you liked this guide feel free to vote for it. Voting is free and appreciated.  Be sure to see the other 14 of my Southwest Wyoming  adventure guides on blue forest wood, fern, stromatolites, apple green nephrite, and fishes.  Closing in on a top 500 reviewer   One in 38 of you take the time to vote for this guide. Over 1,000 visitors. mjwy