When we exited at the dock, there was a young boy sitting at a table and advertising garnets for sale. Our guide had told us that the mine was the first one to be owned by two women, who later sold it to the Boyscouts to be used by children to further their education. This garnet mine has since been sold to a church for the same purpose. Only the children can dig garnets there. We were advised that it wasn't uncommon for the children to peddle their gems to pay for their college education, or to buy their first boat.
Lionel had a hand written sign introducing himself and informing us that he is saving for college. I had seen garnets for sale in shops in Juneau and thought they looked fake, perched on a piece of rock! And here was the same product. I asked, half joking, if he super-glued them onto the rocks, imagining this might be a form of Alaskan jackalope! But no, this is the way they emerge. I selected a $10 sample as a remembrance of this trip, and to honor this young entrepreneur.
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