After doing much probing to find information on the Owl Canyon calcite locality, I didn't find much. Well, a few things
1. A book - The Rockhound's Guide to Colorado by Kappele that listed this as a locality and not much detail about where to find or look for crystals.
2. A friend, telling me that his dad had once found crystals in this spot.
3. Best of all, a cave survey detailing a cave in this exact area, describing the walls of a cave that were literally lined with crystals. Now that's promising!
After some trailfinding and bushwhacking, I made it to the outcrop, where Colorado Lien had previously dug some pits down to unexposed limestone. From what I understand, this company mines the limestone for a supplement in cattle feed. The limestone that the crystals occur in is the Fort Hays member of the Niobrara formation. I examined, smashed, and overturned lots of boulders, and searched directly on the outcrop for calcite crystals.
As for the cave, it descends probably 20' to 25' vertically and the horizontal is probably close to the same. I didn't quite reach the end, claustrophobia kicked in when things got tight, and being alone didn't help, though I am sure it just right down around the corner. The description, though, is quite accurate, the walls protrude in triangular calcite crystals, many have been smashed away. The degradation of the cave is evident, and sad. A small piece of plastic was in the main chamber, and I promptly found room in my pocket for it. As to the exact location of this cave, that information is only for those who are trustworthy. Preserving this cave is very important, and the more people that know about it (who will not take care of it) severely decreases the time that we will be able to enjoy it.
