Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine

Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine Our Sapphire Mine produces some of the highest quality, diverse colored sapphires in the world. Hist Samuel T.
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In the late 1800's this portion of the Missouri River was dredge mined for gold. Hauser Montana's 7th territorial governor oversaw the mining operation. After hearing complaints from the miners about blue stones clogging the sluices he decided to collect some samples, and sent them to England. They were identified as sapphires, and were deemed worthless. During the Civil War (1861-1865) the miners

were able to continue dredging on the condition they were contributing to the war effort. They did this by collecting rounded sapphires, and hematite which were used as ammo. The mining operation was eventually halted due to the decline of gold recovery. It wasn't until the 1950's that the sapphires were unearthed once more. A supreme court judge by the name of Wesley Castles had purchased the land for recreational use for his family, and it was his youngest daughter Deb Castles who rediscovered the sapphires in the shallows on the Missouri River. Wesley Castles opened Castles Sapphire Mine to the public shortly after. The Montana sapphire started to gain in popularity during the 1970's, and in 1981 a rumor had spread about princess Diana's engagement ring being a Montana sapphire. People from around the world flocked to Montana in search of their own fortunes. In the 1980's Castles Sapphire Mine was renamed Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine after the gravel bar where the sapphires were deposited 30-40 million years ago. Today visitors can either mine their own sapphires from virgin banks, or buy concentrated gravel which has been run through a trommel and jig that classifies down the rocks by weight, and size which tends to have a higher yield than digging by hand.

Congratulations on this beautiful 3.10ct Suri and Fred from Boston!
08/27/2026

Congratulations on this beautiful 3.10ct Suri and Fred from Boston!

Congratulations Shawn from Great Falls, Mt on your purple 4.40ct sapphire!
08/21/2026

Congratulations Shawn from Great Falls, Mt on your purple 4.40ct sapphire!

Congratulations Taya from Missoula, Mt on your clean 5.98 CT!
08/14/2026

Congratulations Taya from Missoula, Mt on your clean 5.98 CT!

Mandi from Ennis Montana found a beautiful 7.17ct sapphire from a Mother Lode Bag this morning! Congratulations.
08/04/2026

Mandi from Ennis Montana found a beautiful 7.17ct sapphire from a Mother Lode Bag this morning! Congratulations.

Congratulations to Hazen from Park City, Montana on your 18.00ct sapphire!
08/01/2026

Congratulations to Hazen from Park City, Montana on your 18.00ct sapphire!

A 8.20CT and 18.20CT sapphire found today from one of our El Dorado Digs by Samuel from Wisconsin. Congratulations!
07/26/2026

A 8.20CT and 18.20CT sapphire found today from one of our El Dorado Digs by Samuel from Wisconsin. Congratulations!

Congratulations on the 7.73 CT sapphire found by Aubrey from Chicago found in a Mother Lode Bag!
07/26/2026

Congratulations on the 7.73 CT sapphire found by Aubrey from Chicago found in a Mother Lode Bag!

07/24/2026

šŸ”„ Due to the current heat advisory, the Spokane Bar Hand Dig will be closed starting today and throughout the upcoming week to help ensure the safety of our guests and staff.

Reserved digs on the El Dorado will continue as scheduled.

The Main Office and Outdoor facility is still OPEN and we have bags of gravel in stock as well.

Thank you for your understanding, and please stay safe and hydrated during this extreme heat!

Congratulations Barbara from Oregon on your 14.76ct sapphire from a Mother Lode Bag today!
07/07/2026

Congratulations Barbara from Oregon on your 14.76ct sapphire from a Mother Lode Bag today!

Address

5360 Castles Road
Helena, MT
59602

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14062278989

Website

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