Port Orford Meteorite - The John Evans documents - a "novel" idea

[Fish-Head Aric]

Port Orford Meteorite - The John Evans documents - a "novel" idea

Greetings, All!

I am resurrecting an old subject with a new thread, because after reviewing the age of the original thread's last post, I thought it might be more fun to "start fresh."

I am a longtime armchair enthusiast of the "lost Port Orford meteorite" legend. My family (father and uncle most notably) has been actively involved in searches for this mysterious rock of untold fortune, and I have been working on a set of novels that incorporate the legend into them.

Firstly, the purported meteorite was alleged to have been discovered in the southwestern Oregon coastal region, in the general vicinity of the town of Port Orford, by a surveyor/geologist named John Evans in the 1850s. Evans collected samples and claimed to send these back east, with the hopes of returning on a future expedition to retrieve the find. There is some controversy as to what became of the sample - that it was lost, confused with the sample of another find from Chile, etc.

Someone in the previous thread had stated that the Smithsonian denounced the find as a hoax, and it was also stated that the Evans papers were not available for reproduction - either parts were missing, lost, or simply unavailable - in a state of restricted status.

Glory be to the Rocks from Heaven! I am to tentatively have the Evans journals and related materials copied and sent to me! Pending the Smithsonian's policies, I will be tickled to death to share my information with anyone so long as I don't get my fingers bit by legal restrictions!

And thus, I open this great old topic for discussion with or without the acquisition of these archived documents... and, share the first chapter of the "Book 1 - Unnamed (The Uncle Klaus Story)." This set of books is in the works, and "Book 1" most directly approaches the subject.

Note, the novels I am writing are purely fictitious, involving a mix of historical and fictional information intended solely for entertainment. In no way are they to be taken as fact in any way, except for the purpose of intentional self-delusion and pipe-dreamery ...

And now, sharing Chapter 1 now for the fun of stimulating the imagination further.... Skip it unless you want to read it...


_________________________________________________

CHAPTER ONE
Rock Hunters Unite
​

The small fishing boat bobbed in the waves below a large pier as two men wrestled with a large crate teaming with a writhing mass of crabs (Dungeness) scrabbling chaotically, fretfully, seemingly aware of their impending doom. A cable descended slowly from a hoist mounted on the pier’s deck above, delivering a large hook to the fishermen as they positioned the crate for pick-up.

“It’s been a good season,” came the words from the hoist operator - a young man in his mid-twenties, bearded and dressed in gray sweater and jeans with a black stocking cap on his head. He puffed from a simple pipe as he waited for the men in the boat to secure their catch.

Another man, middle-aged (mid-to-late forties?) stood nearby peering over the rail-less edge of the dock to the boat bobbing twenty-some feet below as the boat‘s crew secured the cable to the crate and waved up to the hoist man, who flipped a switch, setting a small diesel motor to rumbling and reeling, drawing the container and its scurrying payload slowly up.

“We got three more, Phil!” one of the men hollered, waving his hand to the hoist operator and holding up three fingers to reinforce his statement.

“Good, good! We’ll see ’em off properly!” Phil waved back, grinning slightly as he bit onto his pipe and reached to guide the now-in-reach load over to a waiting pallet. As he unhooked the cable and returned it to the boat below, he glanced over to the onlooker. “Up from California visiting?” the young man asked cordially.

Returning the younger man’s gaze with a mildly amused expression, John Ingram nodded with a brief grin. He knew how many Oregonians felt about their neighbors to the south. Some went so far as to stand at the border with signs reading, “Welcome to Oregon… Now GO HOME!!!” While John was never quite sure what the animosity was about, he was not anxious to “stir up the enemy in his own land.”

“Ah, don’t worry, I won’t blow your cover,” Phil winked as he tended to his work. “So, what brings you to little nowhere-land Port Orford?”

It was April of 1974, and since Port Orford’s nearby saw mill had burned to the ground a few years back, the people depended heavily upon fishing and logging for their economy. The town was small and far from any major cities, located along the southern Oregon coast. With a population of of a fairly steady thousand or so, most of the locals descended from miners and settlers during the Oregon Trail migrations and fallout from the California Gold Rush. Few moved in, and few moved away. As with most such towns, most of the people knew each other for better or worse, and were not quick to welcome newcomers or strangers.

Deciding that Phil was harmless enough, John replied, “I’m just up hunting rocks. It’s a hobby, and I heard that this area had some interesting specimens in the hills.”
Phil nodded and grinned, “Well, I wish ya luck. Just be careful, the hills can be a bit crazy to explore.”

“Thanks,” John smiled, “I’ll take care. I’ve a few maps and gear. Never go unprepared.” He fished a Boy Scout compass out of his pocket and held it up, offering a further grin.
Phil’s eye gleamed a little at the sight of the object, and he smiled, a little more ernest in his expression. “Good. You want any help, just ask.” With that, the younger man returned to focus on his duties of tending to the fishermen’s catch.

John watched the work in silence for awhile, and then returned to his station wagon parked down the way, musing to himself as he realized his black and yellow California plates were a dead giveaway.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
​

The survey map lay spread across the table, colored pencil marks and notes standing out in numerous places. John Ingram had let out a room at the Ocean View Motel, perched on a hill overlooking State Highway 101 and the sands and rocky outcrops of the southern Oregon Pacific coastline.

When not working as a longshoreman on the Los Angeles docks and doing his duties as husband and father, John spent his time off from work exploring the Sierra Nevada mountain range in search of any number of different minerals - rocks, crystals, fossils, etc. Many times that included bringing his family - camping always provided a good cover for his ulterior motive and passion. Now, though, his kids were grown and pursuing their own interests, and his wife didn’t feel up to “another fun-filled, rain-filled adventure in no-man’s-land.“ Thus, he took his scheduled vacation time alone to go off and search for another unique and far more interesting “rock.”

It was late in the evening when a knock-knock-knock came from the door. Looking up, John puzzled over who it could possibly be. As if on cue, a familiar voice came from behind the door. “It’s me, Phil, the guy from the dock.”

John blinked and smirked, and, after a brief pause, opened the door to see the hoist man from the port standing there, carrying the scent of fresh crab and diesel exhaust.

“What can I do for you?” John asked.

“Sir, can I come in for a minute?” Phil replied, and John nodded, stepping back and gesturing for the visitor to enter.

Phil stepped through and glanced about the room, seeing the map and papers on the distant table. As the door closed behind him, he turned and got straight to the point of his visit. “You’re looking for the meteorite, aren’t you?”

John grinned despite himself, again caught off guard by this man’s perception. Indeed, that was the sole reason for his visit to Oregon - the legendary “Lost Port Orford Meteorite.” “Meteorite?” he replied, trying to put on a quizzical expression

“Oh, come on, Mister, I’m not quite stupid. You came up from California to hunt for the old meteorite that’s rumored to be in the hills.” Phil winked and pointed at John’s paperwork. “You know it’s not easy to get around in the hills, and I’ve got a few days off. How about I show you how to get where you need to go? I’m needing a bit of extra cash, and you’d do better to pay a few bucks to save yourself time and not waste time getting lost in the woods.”

Phil definitely gets straight to business, John thought, saying as much to his impromptu guest. “Ah, so you want to be my mountain guide as I hunt for rocks. How much does a Port Orford Expert Mountain Guide rate for his services?”

Beaming, Phil took the liberty of pulling his pipe from his pocket and setting it to his lips. “Well, I’m not greedy, and surely fifteen bucks a day won’t be a bad investment to see you get where ya need to go. I‘ve been all over the hills hiking and hunting - both for deer and mysterious, lost rocks from space.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
​

Philip “Phil” Fischer seemed well-versed in the subject at hand. After the two had properly introduced themselves and Phil accepted John’s counter-offer of ten dollars per day, Phil proceeded to convey his “vast wealth of knowledge” on the Port Orford Meteorite, much of which John already knew.

In the mid-1800s a geologist surveying the region had discovered a remarkable find; an extremely large rock and surrounding debris in the area of a “bald mountain.” The geologist, John Evans, determined the “rock” to be a meteorite of unusual composition, a valuable mineral called pallasite.

To his knowledge, were it true, the meteorite was by far the largest known specimen by far - weighing possible two to three tons. He further estimated the meteorite to be worth around $1,000,000, and set to return with an expedition to retrieve the find.

Evans arranged to have a mineral sample shipped back to the Smithsonian Institution with his notes on the find, careful to withhold the exact location of the “treasure from the skies,” in the hopes of insuring that he would have a significant share in his intended recovery expedition to come.

Sadly, the second expedition never came: the following year John Evans succumbed to illness and died due to complications from pneumonia, taking his secrets of the exact location of the meteorite with him.

“Lotsa guys been hunting that rock over the years. Some come without a clue of what they’re after or doing. Others come with some plan or another, and a few seem to’ve done their homework pretty good, as you’ve got going here,” Phil waved to John’s tabletop. “Me, I’ve hunted for the thing, too, on my spare time. Mostly before I ended up a family guy, but I still like to think on the thing, and I plan my hunting time hoping to find the rock. But, since I‘ve three kids to tend to, my free time‘s gone; work‘s not what it used to be since the mill burned and around here a guy takes whatever he can get.”

Phil continued to eye John’s map and related materials. “You seem prone to unusual timing, and a head for what I‘m working to, Mr. Fischer,” John said.

“Yeah, it’s been a hobby of sorts, Mister Ingram,” Phil smiled in return. “But you seem to have done your own homework real well. I’m thinking it best you call the shots and I just tell you what I know in that way, and go from that. How ‘bout you? Ya sorta chose a bad season though. We got alotta rain right now and it makes for pretty cruddy outdoor time.”

“I know, but then, I’m from California. Not used to thinking about rain,” John retorted with a snort and smirk, considering his station wagon and his rain gear - several heavy all-weather coats, boots, and related gear intended for just the weather in question.

The two spent the rest of the evening discussing the next three days in the southern Oregon Coastal Range questing for the elusive, legendary Port Orford Meteorite.

 

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[Tuberale]

Re: Port Orford Meteorite - The John Evans documents - a "novel" idea

I like the concept and the beginning with one exception: your representation of pallasite.

There is a real simple reason why a pallasite doesn't look much like an earth rock: a reason why a rudimentary geologist, like John Evans, might have suspected it in the first place. Your story doesn't describe that and therefore doesn't "hook" me.

Even among meteorites, pallasites are among the rarest of the rare. Pieces of the rock John Evans sent to the Smithsonian about 1853 still exist. But I have to concur that what John Evans sent to the Smithsonian appears to be part of a well-known pallasite, probably one he picked up in Panama, called the Imelac which fell in Chile, I believe.

Here's a possible hook for your story, which wouldn't take much rewriting. There's another meteorite. One that fell in recorded history of the area, but has not been reported in science. Not a pallasite that is known. It fell near Port Orford, but not AT Port Orford. There's a logical reason why it hasn't been recovered to date. Explore that lead, and you've got a story worthy of a novel in my opinion.

 

[Fish-Head Aric]

Re: Port Orford Meteorite - The John Evans documents - a "novel" idea

I like the concept and the beginning with one exception: your representation of pallasite.

There is a real simple reason why a pallasite doesn't look much like an earth rock: a reason why a rudimentary geologist, like John Evans, might have suspected it in the first place. Your story doesn't describe that and therefore doesn't "hook" me.

Even among meteorites, pallasites are among the rarest of the rare. Pieces of the rock John Evans sent to the Smithsonian about 1853 still exist. But I have to concur that what John Evans sent to the Smithsonian appears to be part of a well-known pallasite, probably one he picked up in Panama, called the Imelac which fell in Chile, I believe.

Here's a possible hook for your story, which wouldn't take much rewriting. There's another meteorite. One that fell in recorded history of the area, but has not been reported in science. Not a pallasite that is known. It fell near Port Orford, but not AT Port Orford. There's a logical reason why it hasn't been recovered to date. Explore that lead, and you've got a story worthy of a novel in my opinion.

Thank you much for your feedback, Tuberale. I value your insights greatly. I will approach this in two ways, from the FICTION STORY approach, and the FACTS AND REAL OPINIONS of those who have researched the subject.

On the purely fictitious side, regarding the story I am writing:

One thing of extreme import about the story I present, is that the story is pure fiction making use of certain historic things accurately enough to provide color for the story. I do wish to present the "meteorite legend" from the viewpoint of those in the story. Thus, Ingram and Fischer are two very different individuals who have shaped their own opinions about the meteorite legend based upon their own, not necessarily same, knowledge and beliefs. If and when (I am not going to give it away) the meteorite is actually found by the characters, the story will have to become "pure fiction," and the "meteorite" will, at that point, be something solely up to the author (yours truly). Of course, I know the outcome, and I assure you it will be "in the spirit of the book" if nothing else.

On the purely factual side of the meteorite story:


The Smithonian Documents: On the telephone, the Smithsonian Archivist I am working stated that the Evans documents consisted of three folders:

Folder 1: Containing a copy of Evans' journal related to "the Port Orford Meteorite" (as the Archivist stated it),
Folder 2: Containing journal copy related to an expedition to some peninsula with a foreign name I can't recall - possibly to do with the other pallasite meteorite, and biographical information about Evans.
Folder 3: Containing original journal documents.

As stated stated in his email (received yesterday):

"I have consulted Folders 1 & 2, as you requested (Folder 3 contains the original journal, a photocopy of which is found in Folder 1.) There are eighty-eight pages in Folder 1 and twenty pages in Folder 2. I have consulted Folders 1 & 2, as you requested (Folder 3 contains the original journal, a photocopy of which is found in Folder 1.) There are eighty-eight pages in Folder 1 and twenty pages in Folder 2."

As for the nature of the Evans meteorite, I await the documents from the Smithsonian, which I hope will serve to clarify exactly what Evans truly claimed. I am very excited about the papers, and hope to share everything, per the Smithsonian's assurance that I will be permitted to refer to the documents when I am issued proper permissions. As yet, I have not communicated with anyone who has said, "I have read the Evans documents." In that sense, I am excited to have the opportunity to be one of the few who can speak "for the records", whether they be as expected, or something completely different.

As to the location of the Evans meteorite, I am fairly certain that the main reason the meteorite is called "The Port Orford Meteorite" is due to Port Orford being the nearest community to the area where the meteorite was alleged to be found.

Per my father's, and uncle's (in-law of my father), own research and searches (as Port Orford locals)... and per the writings of others on the subject, the purported location of the meteorite is somewhere in the region, in the hills/mountains that are part of the Pacific Coastal Mountain Range. Several ideas have come forth:

• There is a "Bald Mountain" by name in the region.
  
• "Mr. Smith," an oldtimer of the area, told a tale of working in the forests preparing logging roads in the 30s or 40s, and, at a place called "Iron Mountain". He stated that he struck a large, dark boulder with his bulldozer blade, and it scraped open to appear metallic, and sparked greatly with the impact. The thing was in the way of his intended roadwork, so he pushed it off and out of the way, down hill and into a pond, where it sunk out of sight. Mr. Smith finishes his story, swearing intently, "...but I'm quite sure it wasn't ME who lost the Port Orford meteorite!" Humorous, but quite a possibility that the meteorite could have been found by any number of timber workers. After all, the Oregon hills and forests have been overrun by these men more thoroughly than anyone could ever imagine.
  
• My father and uncle both suspected that the meteorite could be located on Iron Mountain, which is northeast - up Elk River, but also considered several other sites, including both Bald Mountain and China Mountain - which are located southeast of Port Orford.
  

It would be reasonable as I see it that Port Orford is simply the nearest community, and that was how it got its adopted name.

This is an exciting thing to discuss as I see it, because, just like any "lost treasure of old times", there is so much room for speculation.

I do look forward to seeing Evans' documents first hand, as those would definitely be invaluable in discussing this matter with some sort of evidence, and not just speculation based upon research of other people's opinions and secondhand knowledge.

Considering I have seen people say on one side that the Evans papers did not exist, and on another side that they are restricted and unobtainable, and on other sides that they are incomplete, bogus, etc., to actually have them in hand will be wonderful, regardless of their actual content.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: Port Orford Meteorite - The John Evans documents - a "novel" idea

I think the John Evans documents are probably true ... to a point, at least. Others claim he was in deep financial difficulty, and tried to pass off a piece of the Imelac meteorite as a new find. But he seemed to remember where and nearly when he found it: probably north and east of Port Orford, sometime between 1853 and 1856. A letter from Evans states that Port Orford would be the closest port if someone wanted to move the stone.

It is possible that the person he sent the sample to at the Smithsonian may have put in a piece of the Imelac meteorite, hoping to cause a little notoriety for himself, not Evans. In other words, it wasn't the person who found the specimen which should be questioned, but rather the person who identified the stone in the first place.

The Oregonian Historical Society's Research Library has a large folder of clippings on the Port Orford Meteorite, as well as another folder on clippings of meteors and meteorites, including the Willamette Meteorite. I don't remember now, but they may also have photocopies of Evans' diary there.

The difference between a pallasite and almost any other meteorite is the inclusion of large greenish- or golden-yellow olivine crystals in a nickel-iron matrix.

Evans stated he chipped a sample from a much larger rock mass on the face of Bald Mountain. But it must also be considered when it happened. Evans mentioned in his diaries that a group of Indians came into his camp and questioned him what he was doing there. The Indians did not seem concerned after he showed them a variety of common rocks from the area, including serpentine, sandstone, basalt, etc.

Three pieces of the Evans sample remain today. One in India, one at the Smithsonian. I don't remember where the third is located.

An important article you need: from the Smithsonian Research Reports #72, Spring, 1993. "Scientists and historian debunk Port Orford, Ore., meteorite hoax"

Also available from the Oregon Historical Society's Vertical File on meteors and meteorites is a newspaper clipping from the Portland (OR) The Oregonian dated 13 October 1957, which estimated the Port Orford Meteorite to weigh 22,000 lbs., or just slightly smaller than the Willamette Meteorite, usually given as 13+ tons (26,000+ lbs.).

The Oregonian newspaper printed Jan. 28 1993, p G5 in the Science section entitled "Meteorite Mystery". I'm certain this is at the Oregon Historical Society's Research Library, in their vertical file, as well.

 

[Fish-Head Aric]

Re: Port Orford Meteorite - The John Evans documents - a "novel" idea

A bit about the mixed information I have come upon about Evans' "Bald Mountain," that may be cleared up by the viewing of the journal...

I've seen some sources state that Evans referred to the meteorite as being located on "a bald mountain," rather than "Bald Mountain" as the proper name of the peak in question.

A list of the peaks/summits of Curry County can be found here: < http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/list-mountains.asp?cid=162645 >
As per that site, there are 155 peaks/summits in Curry County, OR.

BALD MOUNTAIN:
Per website < http://www.oregongenealogy.com/curry/placead.htm >:
Bald Mountain; Located 10 miles southeast of Port Orford. Indian name is Chus-suggel. Named in mining days of the 1850s. Elevation 2, 967 feet.
Location including map - per website: < http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/detail.asp?fid=1966656 >

IRON MOUNTAIN:
Per website < http://www.oregongenealogy.com/curry/placead.htm >:
Iron Mountain; Located 15 miles east of Port Orford. Named for the reddish-brown color of its rock. Elevation 4,000 feet.
Location including map - per website: < http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/detail.asp?fid=1973656 >
A bit of side information about Iron Mountain exploration... In the 1960s, my father and uncle both found, at different times, the wreckage of a Canadian bomber that crashed during a flight returning to Canada sometime during WWII. My uncle dug around and found an old parachute and kept it as a souvenier.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: Port Orford Meteorite - The John Evans documents - a "novel" idea

Keep in mind that a "bald mountain" that one could "see the sea" from must be taller than nearby peaks.

Vegetation changes rapidly in this area. Very high rainfall can grow shrubs and trees rapidly. What was "bald" in 1853-56 may not be "bald" today. It might even have a dense forest on it.

From Lewis A. McArthur's "Oregon Geographic Names" is this listing for Bald Mountain in Curry County: "Bald Mountain, elevation 2967 feet, is a prominent point about ten miles airline southeast of Port Orford, and has been so called since the days of the mining excitement in the '50s. Glisan in Journal of Army Life uses the name on March 15, 1856, and it is apparent that the name was in vogue before that date. ... It is possible that in early days the name Bald Mountain was applied to the ridge rather than to either of the two points. Davidson, in Coast Pilot, 1889, describes these features, though the wording is not entirely clear."

The problem with this location is that Evan's diary of his trip follows a different course. He would have ended up about 30 miles inland, and northeast of Port Orford, not southeast. Keep in mind that he was on his way to Eugene.

Oregon Geographic Names also names Iron Mountain, partially in both Coos and Curry counties, "...is a north-south ridge about 15 miles east of Port Orford and has a maximum elevation of about 4000 feet. ... the mountain was probably named becasue of the reddish-brown color of the rock mass and not because of the presence of iron ore as such."

Dr. John Evans also described bald mountain as being easily seen from far out to sea.

The wreckage of a Canadian plane (don't know if it was a bomber) was found near the top of a peak near Powers, Coos County, Oregon. Many people in Powers know of the wreckage, and have known about it for years. Some have salvaged small pieces of it over the years. I first heard of it in 1976, when my brother-in-law was teaching there.

 

[yesifoundit]

I have found impact sight. It is my belief it has been rolled in to a pond. But not on iron mt. He passes never by saw dust creek which is Hubbard's creek. If you go any father your wasting time. I am sure look at pitchers I've posted. I would like to know name of cat opperator

 

[yesifoundit]

i brote that to atention. i wll be at county assors reserching. and read a servayers book and looking to how to discribe a location.

who r u. related to kent! he was a native to port orford and arizona. i will be at library in port orford to marrow.

the rain brought samon in this weakend