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Texas Outdoors: There are lots of rocks and a few precious stones in the Texas hill country.

The Lindsay Ranch has hosted people from all over the world looking for gems.

At the end of the day...my neck hurt. I had just spent the past few hours with my head pointed down, eyes glued to the ground looking for something I had never seen in its natural state...Topaz!

When I first arrived at the Lindsay Ranch, about 5 minutes north of Mason, TX Deloris Lindsay put two glass-like pieces in my hand and asked me which one weighed more. I told her the one in my right hand. "That is Topaz", she said.

It looked like a broken piece of thick glass but was obviously much heavier. Over the next 30 minutes, Lindsay described and explained almost every one  of the pieces on her "rock table."

Right away I was drawn to all the Native American artifacts. Arrowheads, spear points, and scrapers, all lined in rows inside neat glass showcases. Then she showed me the topaz and garnet that was found on her family's land.

The more than 1,000 acre ranch has been in the Lindsay family for more than 150 years. Over that time it has helped raise cattle and grown gardens, feeding generations of Lindsays... but never did they think anyone would ever want to walk their land, looking for rocks.

Thousand of years before the Comanche roamed these lands, before settlers brought their wagons and the white man...eruptions and shifts deep within the earth's crust brought the precious stones to the surface. Now rock enthusiasts roam the fields and creeks.

These aren't just Texas rockhounds either. Lindsay says she has had people from all over the world come to her door and ask if they could look for stones. If you are interested in taking a shot, here's a link to the Lindsay ranch website. 

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