My Dad’s family were avid rock collectors. I was exposed to some interesting out of the way places.  One of these adventures was to the Apache tears mine in the Smoke Creek Desert. According to the late Jack Bonham, the mine dates back to World War I. Smoke Creek resident Gordon Mott while exploring a small canyon came across a mica deposit. He developed a tunnel and a vertical shaft hoping that he would find gold. What he did find was small pieces of obsidian embedded in the soft mica, sometimes referred to as Apache tears or Black Diamonds.

Tim