Finding friendship while hunting for rocks

John Moore, Jack Weiberg and Janice White were the presenters at the February 13 Tuesday Talks as they spoke about rocks and various artifacts connected to the Indigenous American tribes of Wyoming.

Arrowheads were the main subject during the lecture. Each one that has been discovered in Saratoga is evidence that Native Americans lived here before Wyoming joined the union. An arrowhead can tell a person about its historic significance such as what it is made of and where it came from.

The rocks introduced to the audience included metate manos, jasper, quarts, obsidian and raw stones which were used to make tools. The three presenters explained that each rock artifact has a story and an interesting cultural background.

Moore and Wieberg have been long-time friends since they were teenagers and have been on many adventures together, both in looking for rare rocks and hunting wild game. Wieberg went to Encampment High School and Moore went to Saratoga High School when they first met. White has also had a long-time friendship with Moore and Wieberg and has a deep passion for rock collecting. She told the audience arrowheads are often described as different varieties of rocks. As Wieberg was doing a demonstration on how to read a rock using tools, she explained what the outcome is when a rock is being fractured.

“When we are talking about arrowheads, we are talking about a certain variety of rocks that are either micro- or cryptocrystalline quartz,” White said. “Quartz is extremely hard and when you have the little microscopic pieces of it that are grafted together which are called diatoms, they make a stone that you can quickly fracture when you hit it.”

White said rock collecting has a connection to her family roots.

“When I was young I was brought up in Wyoming. My family came here in 1865,” White said. “They worked with Union Pacific Railroad and they dug up water wells, so they were digging up rocks. So I come by it naturally. My Dad died when I was young and my grandfather kind of took the reigns and serviced water wells on the railroads. He was a machinist and mechanic; he had a shop in Rawlins. Because my mom was working and my grandma was working we were thrown in the car and we would take off to the desert. I was not interested in the mechanical things at the wells but I loved the rocks and bones and I started gathering rocks.”

Moore said in his lecture that Indigenous tribes depended on arrowheads for hunting buffalo and protecting their land against intruders with arrows and spears. Moore explained that arrows and spears were also used during the time of ancient Rome, Greece and Jerusalem in many battles and wars. They were also used as a hunting tool.

“Since before the birth of Christ, people have been shooting arrows, throwing spears and using all kinds of tools,” Moore said. “These tools were used to hunt even during the ice age.”

Moore said hunting rocks has been a family tradition for him and credits his parents for getting him interested. His love for hunting rocks became a lifelong hobby that kept him feeling young at heart.

“My parents started hunting rocks and they had gold claims up here,” Moore said. “I went with them when I was younger and I got started when I was about 15 or 16 years old. I hunted with my family before I went into the service and I got hooked on it and have done it ever since.”

Moore also talked about his connections with the Indigenous natives of Wyoming that were friends of his family and also served with them in the Military.

“My family knew some of the Indigenous people who were ranchers up in Riverton,” Moore said. “They were good friends with my family so I got to know about them through my parents. I also served with indigenous natives during my time in the service. Every tribe in America is different and they make arrowheads different then others. They are all used for the same thing but none of them are alike. I have learned how they lived, where they lived and where they hunted.”

Wieberg said that a trip to California is what started his love of rocking hunting. It is where he would find his first-ever prized treasure. Little did Wieberg know that finding that first treasure would turn into a lifelong passion.

“It all started in California in 1948 where I would find my first arrowhead,“ Wieberg said. “ My dad would take us down to a dry place called Honey Lake. This is how it started for me and I have a love for it since then and I have continued doing this for many years.”

During the lecture, Wieberg talked about his amazing adventures he had with Moore. He said every rocking hunting trip he took with Moore always had an interesting story to go with it.

“Some of the best times I had in my life were spending time with John and going arrowhead hunting with him”, Wieberg said. “I was with him in Baggs, Wyoming and I saw him on his knees and I actually thought he had a heart attack. I heard him yelling and told me to get my pick up. So I got into my pickup and as I got close to him I saw a grin on his face and he found a star point arrowhead. The end part was sticking out and I helped him dig it out.”

Wieberg also has a desire for learning. He explained how he got interested in rock reading and making tools out of rocks. It all started because he had nothing else to do and learned how on social media. He said it was not easy but he learned quickly.

“I learned how to read rocks about a year ago in December of 2022,” Wieberg said. “I was bored so I went on YouTube and I watched a video by Jack Crafty and he was making arrowheads with tools. So, I said, ‘If he could do that and the Indians can do that well, so can I.’ So I started doing it and I broke a lot of rocks. I realized this is an art and I kept on trying and finally I was able to make some decent arrowheads by reading the rock and chipping it.”

Both Wieberg and Moore said the most rewarding thing about rock collecting is just to go out and enjoy the day. If you find something it’s a beautiful day and if you don’t find anything it’s still a beautiful day because you’re out with the companionship of your close friend and doing something you enjoy.