A RECENTLY FOUND IRON METEORITE FROM OAKLEY, 



IDAHO ^ 



By George P. Merrill 

 Head Curator of Geology, United States National Museum 



My attention was first called to the finding of this iron by a clip- 

 ping from the Salt Lake Tribune of May 13, 1926, foi'warded by 

 Mr. Victor C. Heikes of the Bureau of Mines. It read as follows: 



Oakley, Idaho, May 12. At the Idaho Power Co.'s offices here a small meteor- 

 ite discovered in the hills a few miles east of Oakley, is on exhibition. 



It is about the size of a cowboy hat and weighs 260 pounds. 



In color it is of a light brown and in general appearance it resembles a 

 piece of conglomerate rock. However, in substance it is a very peculiar 

 character formation of iron and steel, hard as flint, bidding defiance to file 

 or chisel and has the ring of very fine metal. 



A letter to the power company asking that the iron be sent on 

 to Washington for examination brought the following reply, which 

 constitutes all that can be learned regarding the finding of it. 



August 14, 1926. 



Inclosed please find B. L. covering meteor which has been sent as per your 

 request. 



In regard to the finding and location and so forth, the meteorite was found 

 aboiit 10 miles northeast of Oakley, Cassia County, Idaho, on the west side 

 of Mount Harrison. The actual finding was made by Lawrence Elliott, age 14, 

 and Burton Mackey, age 16. These two boys were cutting cedar posts and 

 one of them hit the meteor with his axe, which gave off a ringing sound, and 

 they then made further investigation which proved to be a meteor. 



As to its possibility of having been seen when falling, two parties state 

 that they saw something of this kind fall about 15 years ago and in the 

 middle of the winter, but as to this having any bearing on the meteor would 

 be a question. 



Yours very truly, 



Chaeles Elliott. 



The form of the iron (see pis. 1 and 2) was such as to excite inter- 

 est, and steps, which proved successful, were at once taken to secure 

 it for the national collections, where it now rests. 



' Catalogue No. 780. 



:No. 2693.— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 71, Art. 21. 



48191—27 



