The author holds up a piece of purple fluorite at Snowbird Mine. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)
October 30, 2024
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October 30, 2024 midnight
Late season trip to Snowbird Mine
Snowbird Mine, in the Bitterroots, was started as a fluorite mine in 1956 and only used through 1957. Fluorite has historically been used for iron smelting and ornamentally for jewelry. It can also be converted into fluoride for toothpaste.