Darling Darlene Turquoise Mine (Nevada): Field Guide
Part of the Turquoise Mines field guides and The Southwest Jewelry Guide.
Mike Ryan II and Philip Chambless’s 2020 history records the Darling Darlene claims southwest of Battle Mountain, Nevada, through county records and the memories of Ron Sego, one of the original locators. Every statement below is quoted or paraphrased from their book, with page numbers, so you can check each one. Their book was published in 2020; anything described as current describes 2020. Where our other books disagree, the Field Notes say so.
The claims and the name
According to Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 212), the Darling Darlene and Darling Darlene 1 claims were first located on April 13, 1976 in the names of Catherine Barredo, Richard Lapier, Ronald Sego and John Peterson, and the Barredo family named them in memory of their daughter Darlene, who died at 23. [1]
According to Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 212), the Barredos kept filing Proof of Labor on the claims through the 1980s, although the turquoise was mined out within a few years of the first location; later Darling Darlene claims were not turquoise claims. [1]
Ron Sego’s account
Ron Sego recalled, in an interview published by Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 212), that Joe Barredo took up prospecting after losing an arm in a 1969 accident, and that the find came after his friend Sagy Williams, a Shoshone man, found turquoise while herding sheep. [1]
Ron Sego recalled, in an interview published by Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 212), that the mine is slightly southwest of Battle Mountain, up a canyon, with Valmy about fifteen miles to the west, and that their only turquoise claims were the original Darling Darlene claims in Trenton Canyon. [1]
Ron Sego recalled, in an interview published by Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 212), that demand was strongest for two or three years around 1976-77, that they sold it all as rough, and that they mined several hundred pounds, possibly a thousand, before it was mined out. [1]
Ron Sego, in an interview published by Ryan & Chambless (2020), on how the stone occurred:
“It was mostly nuggets. They were in white clay, and we had to literally rub it with our fingers to find out whether there was anything in there.”
— Ryan & Chambless (2020), p. 213 [1]
Field Notes by Mateo James
Branson (1975, p. 42) says Joe Barredo discovered the Darling Darlene in 1972, and Lowry (2010, p. 235) also gives 1972. Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 212) find the first recorded location on April 13, 1976. A find in 1972 and a filing in 1976 can both be true, and Branson’s 1975 book already describes the mine, a year before the claim Ryan & Chambless found. I tend to side with Ryan & Chambless on the recorded date, and I have left the 1972 date on the page.
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How this page is sourced. We strive for accuracy: every factual statement above is quoted from or credited to the printed works listed below, with page numbers, and this page is continuously updated with new information as we read more of our library. See something we should correct? Contact us.
Sources
- Ryan, Mike, II, and Philip Chambless. Turquoise in America, Part Two: 1910–1990. Callais Press, 2020. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2020.
- Branson, Oscar T. Turquoise: The Gem of the Centuries. Santa Fe: Treasure Chest Publications, 1975. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1975.
- Lowry, Joe Dan, and Joe P. Lowry. Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2010. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2010.