PHILIPSBURG, Mont. — Montana's extensive mining history coined its nickname. The Treasure State. For generations, people have been flocking to find their own treasures near Philipsburg. At the Gem ...

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Bureau of Land Management has approved a five-year plan for sapphire mining in Lewis and Clark County. The McCune Bar sapphire mine will cover 6.1 acres about a quarter-mile ...

I have heard that sapphires can be found near Butte. Is this true? Where do they come from? — A Butte resident The answer to your first question is simple — yes. Your second question is an excellent ...

Montana's history is rich with stories of mining. In Helena there was gold, in Butte it was copper, but just off the banks of the Missouri River and Hauser Lake, there's a different type of mining ...

Cooney got involved as an environmental engineering consultant. He said American Gem tried to reopen the mine as a public dig in 2000, but had to shut down after just 41 days. That was the year the ...