New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

Ed Over, born in 1905, was undoubtedly the premier commercial field collector of the first half of the 20th century. Even by the time of his death in 1963, private mineral collections were very rare. Only a few of the richest people had acquired a "cabinet" of crystals worthy of the name. Museums, however, had long been interested in minerals from the great mines in Europe and America. Over was soon known to museum curators and rich collectors around the world.

He was born in Spokane, Washington, but at age two when his mother died he went to live with his maternal grandparents in Fort Riley, Kansas. His early school years were spent with an aunt in San Francisco, where he became interested in rocks, and attended the Boys Polytechnic High School. As a 16 year old he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to live with his uncle, Loyale Harner, and finished high school, then worked part-time in the Golden Cycle mill where his uncle was superintendent. He met and was influenced by Lazard Cahn, one of the leading mineralogists of the time. He attended the Colorado School of Mines at Golden, Colorado, for two years.

He decided he did not want tobecome a geologist working for someone else—he wanted to be free to work by himself where and when he liked. He married Louise Tapley, and had one daughter, Jean, but married life was not for him! He was already spending most of his time collecting in the Pikes Peak pegmatites and elsewhere and was divorced by his wife.

1928 saw him spending an entire season on Mt. Antero and Mt. White on the spine of North America. He camped in an old cabin at about 9,000 feet and hiked each day to 14,000 feet. He gained some fame by writing "The Mount Antero Aquamarine Locality" for Rocks and Minerals in December 1928. This was followed a year later with another article in Rocks and Minerals, "Some Mineral Localities of El Paso County, Colorado". He was able to sell his best specimens to various museums, and while at a mineral shop in Florissant, Colorado, he was introduced to Charles Palache of Harvard, probably the second most famous mineralogist of the day. Palache, who had been impressed with Over's collecting techniques and success, became instrumental in introducing him to another young collector and mineralogist, Arthur Montgomery. By 1934 the two had met and entered into a 50-50 partnership that lasted for 8 years and a lifetime friendship. Montgomery, living in New York City, became the sales manager of the team, and opened a shop in New York City that was soon visited by all the leading museum curators and private collectors.

In 1936 the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society (CSMS) was formed with Lazard Cahn as its founding honorary president. Ed became a charter member, but today few members have heard of Over. But his years of collecting topaz at Devils Head, Colorado and in the Thomas Range in Utah, epidote from Green Monster Mountain on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, wulfenite from the Red Cloud mine near Yuma, Arizona, variscite from Clay County, Utah, and many other sites across America made him a collecting icon within the museum curators and private collecting circle.

This PowerPoint program was put together primarily from photos from the CSMS history files held at Penrose Library in Colorado Springs and The Pioneers Museum also in Colorado Springs and from scanned images in various articles in Rocks and Minerals Magazine, The Mineralogical Record, and Matrix Magazine.

Over was not a photographer and this makes it unfortunate for us in that no photos exist of Over's collecting unless Arthur Montgomery was there, and that was only at three of his expeditions. His work was often the subject of numerous articles and they make very interesting reading today for those who wish to learn what collecting was like in the 1920's and 30's.
 

References:

1. 355-369. Montgomery, A., Edwin Over 1905-1963: Rocks and Minerals Magazine, Volume 39 n. 3-4, March/ April, 1964.
2. Lininger, J. The Life and Times of Arthur Montgomery: Matrix Magazine, Volume 8, n. 2.
3. Lininger, J., Editor, The Over-Montgomery Letters, Matrix Magazine Volumes 1-3 n. 2 and Volume 4n.1.
4. Mitchell, R. S., 1984, Who's Who in Mineral Names: Edwin Jenkins Over, Jr: Rocks and Minerals Magazine, Volume 59 n. 1, January/ February.
5. Montgomery, A., 1938, Storm Over Antero: Rocks and Minerals Magazine, Volume 13, n. 12, p.p. 355-369.
6. Over, Jr., E. J., 1984, Mineral Localities of Colorado: Rocks and Minerals Magazine, Volume 59 n. 1, January/February, Second Edition.
7. Over, Jr., E., 1935, Further Explorations on Mt. Antero, Colorado: Rocks and Minerals Magazine, Volume 10 n. 2, p.p. 27-29.
8. Peacock, M.A., 1935, Topaz from Devil's Head, Colorado: American Mineralogist v. 20, Harvard University
9. Switzer, G., 1939, Granite Pegmatites of the Mt. Antero Region, Colorado: American Mineralogist, v. 24, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
10. Szenics, T., Ed Over at the Red Cloud: Mineralogical Record v. 6, n. 4.
11. Zodac, P., publisher, 1940, The Over/Montgomery Exhibition Sale: Rocks and Minerals Magazine.