Geodes in Keokuk Iowa

In the 70's my wife, Anita, and I took a long 4th of July weekend and drove down to Keokuk Iowa. We were going to find geodes. Actually, we never looked for them in Iowa. We stayed at a motel there and used it as our base for this adventure. We had been advised that when it came time to go looking and collecting, we should go across the river to Hamilton Illinois.

A fellow rock hound had advised us of a gravel quarry near Hamilton that would be a great collecting site. After asking directions locally, we crossed over the river and found the quarry.

It was the 4th and no one was at the quarry. It was deserted and there were no signs telling us to stay out, so Anita wrote a note and left it on the gate thanking them for allowing us in and left our names.

I had two strong cardboard boxes that once had held reams of copy machine paper. We dragged them down into the quarry and began searching. It was a geode hunters paradise. They were everywhere. All we had to do was to remove them from the dirt walls of the quarry. After a couple of hours we had one box full and I lugged it back to the car.

It was about 107 degrees out and we were tiring. Anita decided to leave the area where we were working and take a walk around the floor of this huge quarry. I continued collecting and after about 15 minutes I heard her shouting my name in a voice filled with panic.

I ran to when she had disappeared and when I rounded the corner I saw her problem. She had found a shallow pool of water about 50 feet across and had tried to wade through it. Now she was stuck half way to her knees in mud.

Trying hard not to laugh I was able to get her out with only minor effort. But now we were both mud from our necks down. That effort as well as the heat had us beaten. So we gathered up the half filled second cardboard box and went back to the motel for a well deserved shower and long nap.

For the next 15 years I gave away all of those geodes except for one that I keep in memory of that crazy weekend. Of course this story frequently accompanied the geode.