Happy Fourth of July!
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Daniel Enea
3rd Generation Funeral Director
VOLUME 2: NUMBER 7
JULY 2022
Rockhounds find rare Herkimer Diamond crystals at Diamond Mountain Mining by Donna Thompson
A world-class deposit of rare and unusual Herkimer Diamond quartz crystals can be found just outside the City of Little Falls. And while many area residents don’t know of its existence, Diamond Mountain Mining LTD, at 5037 State Route 167, Little Falls, is open for business and has already been drawing rockhounds - by reservation - from as far away as Colorado, Arizona, and Canada to dig for the crystals. In addition to the clear
Herkimer Diamond crystals for which the Herkimer County area is known, the mineral deposit on this property contains unique forms of the crystals not found at other locations in the area including the rare blackstemmed scepters and gem barbell formations, according to Deena Bak, director of sales, marketing, and programs. The deposit also yields hydrocarbon-included “black diamond” quartz, the result of material being trapped inside the crystal during formation, and large skeletal crystals, another rare formation.
“The black-stemmed scepters are the rarest of the rare,” she said. “They’re only found in Little Falls and St. Johnsville.” These are crystals that form on top of a rod of solidified hydrocarbon surrounded by a quartz crystal. Diamond Mountain Mining got its start when owner and CEO Larry Michon, a rockhound and mineral enthusiast, began looking for a piece of land containing Herkimer diamonds so he could have his own claim to dig when he retires. He has a CPA and business
consulting office in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and manages his multi-site rental property business in that area. Michon has been collecting minerals as a hobby since the 1990s and began digging Herkimer Diamonds when a friend
A knack for bread by Carol Vogel
Miya and Pete McGowan, owners of The Dolgeville Bread Basket. Photo by Carol Vogel
The house at 5037 State Route 167, Little Falls, now known as the Diamond House, is the headquarters of Diamond Mountain Mining LTD. Photo provided by Diamond Mountain Mining
When you walk into The Dolgeville Bread Basket, you quickly realize it’s the quintessential small-town Mom and Pop bread shop. Pete and Miya McGowan have been baking delicious artisan bread and bagels in addition to their takeout breakfast
and lunch menus here for two years. Before they opened in July of 2020, they had been making bread at home. Soon, they were making all sorts of rolls and bagels. “He has a knack for making bread!” Miya says of her husband Pete. Baking bread came
introduced him to hard rock mining at Diamond Acres in Fonda. Instead of finding an acre or two of property to mine, his search resulted in the purchase of the large house on Route 167 which was formerly owned by Please See RARE Page 6
naturally to Pete. “When I was a kid, my Mom would make all her bread. We didn’t buy bread. We were used to having freshly baked bread, whereas people today don’t have time to do it from scratch. She didn’t measure so there was no recipe, so I taught myself.” After a while, they began Please See BREAD Page 2
W W W . M Y L I T T L E F A L L S . C O M
BILL MACRI
ASSOCIATE BROKER C: 315.360.1920 O: 315.866.2209 bill.joemacrirealty@gmail.com joemacrirealty.com
235 S. Main St. Herkimer, NY 13350