#17: A Kooky Capital

just south of Norman

The Timberlake Rose Rock Museum is owned and operated by Joe and Nancy Stine and is located in the Rose Rock Capital of the World - Noble, Oklahoma. The barite rose rock is the State Rock of Oklahoma, and if you've never seen one, I must tell you they are an amazing creation. They are a reddish brown, as is most of the dirt in the OKC area. What is truly amazing is how they are formed. Sandy crystals of barite form petal-like clusters that resemble a rose. I really don't understand the science of it, but can you truly explain God's creation? Rose rocks are found in Central Oklahoma from Pauls Valley to Guthrie, but mostly east of Norman and Noble. They have to be dug up by hand to preserve the rose formation.

a museum display of rose rock clusters

a large cluster of rose rocks

tiny rose rocks

A:

The Rose Rock Museum was pretty interesting. First of all, when we arrived, it was this dinky house that was out near the woods that had this sign that said Rose Rock Museum on it. When we went inside, we saw the history of the rose rocks, how they are formed, and which families found them and sold them. We saw a group of rose rocks that was as big as a microwave!!!!! It was huge!!!!! We looked at all the rose rocks that were for sale and all the other things we could buy. I found a slice of agate that I really liked. It was a pretty color of blue, and it can fit in your hand. That's what I bought when I went to the rose rock museum. I could have stayed there for a while, just looking at the different types of rose rocks, but we had to leave, and I was sad. I love rose rocks. They're really cool!

C:
I got to see rose rocks at the rose rock museum. I wanted to see one big rose rock, and instead of one big, I got to see thousands of rose rocks. We saw other stuff, too, like shark teeth, glass turtles, pieces of agate, a pen with rose rocks in it, and a wind chime made with agates. There were two dogs in the museum - real dogs! "No dogs allowed!" But there was dogs! There were also rocks with carved pictures on them. They had a lot of stuff for sale!