The Bloomington-based Funk Gem and Mineral Museum providesvisitors a solid understanding of Illinois’ geologic resources.

A Gemof aMuseumStory and PhotosBy Holly Schurter

Most of us have bent down topick up an interesting rock, butrarely does that curiositytranslate into a collection ofmore than 4,000 specimens.

If a rock collection sounds dusty anddull, you probably haven’t toured theFunk Gem and Mineral Museum yet.Filled with rocks, minerals and gems col-lected by Lafayette Funk II, this museuminspires wonder and excites curiosity—and it all began with a rock Funk pickedup on a field trip with his son at the Uni-versity of Colorado at Boulder.Something about that experience

excited this businessman’s curiosity. Hebegan to collect rocks, minerals, gemstones and other specimens locally andon his travels throughout the world asan executive with Funk Bros. SeedCompany. As others became aware ofhis enthusiasm they began setting asideinteresting specimens for his collection.

10 / OutdoorIllinois July 2007

As his interest—and his collection—grew, Funk began sharing what he’dcollected with like-minded enthusiasts.He and his wife Cleda established small,permanent displays at both Illinois StateUniversity in Normal and Illinois Wes-leyan University in Bloomington.Even then, the collection at Funk’s

home kept growing as he continued tofind new, intriguing specimens. In 1973,after consulting his brothers Eugene andTed Funk, the 75-year-old collector builta museum next to the stately VictorianPrairie Home (now also a museum in itsown right) of their grandfather, MarquisDe LaFayette Funk.The Gem and Mineral Museum that

Funk constructed is a concrete blockbuilding, the front wall swathed in 30tons of black North Carolina hornblendeand white stone containing mica. Geo-des and specimens of petrified woodline the entrance, hinting at the geologictreat within.Once inside, visitors find an exten-

sive display of geologic specimensdiverse in form, color, texture and size,as well as information from tour-guideBill Case about geology, geography andnatural history, and the industrial andbusiness applications of the rocks, min-erals and gems on display.

Everything from dry-head agates tozoisite from Africa is on display in a spa-

cious room filled with 30 free-standingdisplay cases. The walls of the room arelined with display shelves fronted withsliding glass doors. Smaller rooms open-ing off the main room—the fossil room,the black-light room and the Indianroom—supplement the display of Funk’scollection, while another larger room atthe back of the museum holds an addi-tional 18 free-standing display cases ofrocks, minerals and gems. A variety ofother displays, including a large sea turtleshell, coral and starfish are included inthis area. A historical area of this backroom changes the subject, displayingcarriages, wagons and other artifactsbelonging to the Funk family.One doesn’t need to be a trained

geologist or historian to enjoy this muse-um. Lafayette Funk educated himselfabout rocks, gems and minerals, but thiscollection is not a dry display of factsand figures about the specimens he col-lected. Instead, it reflects his relish forvariety in form, color and texture, as wellas his interest in everything related tothe natural sciences.

The entrance to the Bloomington-

based Funk Gem and Mineral

Museum is lined with geodes and

petrified wood, giving visitors a

taste of what is in store.

Specimens of millerite, a rare form ofnickel ore which Funk found in Illinois,came from a small gravel pit nearStreator. Millerite also can be found ingeodes, which are usually found in Illi-nois near rivers or creeks. Geodes,round rocks that often look like some-one’s brain, can seem light for their sizewhen picked up. When opened, geodesmay contain perfectly formed crystals ofdifferent sizes and colors growing intoan open cavity inside the shell.Visitors to the museum also can see

several other minerals sometimes foundin Illinois: strontianite, a mineral used infireworks and sugar production; witherite,another type of barium ore; and smith-sonite, a minor zinc ore named afterJames Smithson, the founder of theSmithsonian Institution in Washington,D. C. Smithsonite also is used as a pas-tel-colored stone in jewelry.Sphalerite, a mineral found in southern

and northwestern Illinois that is the mainore of zinc, also is on display. Zinc is usedto make flashlight batteries and paint;medically as zinc oxide and zinc tablets,and for galvanizing steel to prevent rust.

July 2007 OutdoorIllinois / 11

As a result, cases and shelves maycontain several different specimens of aparticular type of rock or mineral dis-played together, reflecting how geogra-phy and the circumstances of natureaffect form, color, texture and use.These groupings make it easy to noticedetails that might go unnoticed in a sin-gle specimen.Rather than a simple recitation of a

specimen’s original location, Case islikely to spin a story of when and how asaber-toothtiger skull pre-served inasphalt pitseast of LosAngeles endedup here; whyfluorite helps keep the cost of aluminumcookware down; or what the space pro-gram can do with titanium.Smaller specimens are kept safe

behind glass, but throughout the muse-um, some specimens are displayed inways that invite visitors to examine themmore closely—even to touch them, orpick them up. Larger examples of manyspecimens line the aisles, tucked underdisplay cases but easily examined byanyone willing to bend down.Although Funk’s collection includes

rocks, minerals and gems from aroundthe world—including quartz, agates,wulfenite, vanadium and selenite—themuseum also displays many specimensfound in Illinois. Fluorite, the Illinois statemineral, is displayed as large and smallspecimens, cut and uncut, polished andunpolished. Although some of Funk’sfluorite specimens were found interna-

tionally, most are from southern Illinois.Children visiting the museum are often

surprised, then delighted to learn that thelarge purple fluorite specimen they aretouching could become an ingredient inthe toothpaste they use each time theybrush their teeth. They listen attentivelyas Case explains that fluorite is heated tomake fluorine gas, which is then bubbledthrough water to make hydrofluoric acid,which later is the raw material for the flu-oride in toothpaste and the clear polycar-bonate plastic used in making the lensesof eyeglasses.Case goes on to list some other uses

for fluorite, including attractive settingsin metal buckles or jewelry. Illinois fluo-rite is most commonly found in twoplaces in southern Illinois: Rosiclare andCave-in-Rock.Another mineral on display, some-

times found in Illinois, is barite, used indrilling oil wells, making fireworks and inmaking glass and ceramics. Barite alsois processed into barium for use in med-ical testing.Illinois barite is displayed near a rose-

colored, jewel-like barite, commonly foundin Oklahoma and South Dakota, knownas “Oklahoma roses” or “desert roses.”Fool’s gold from Galena is on dis-

play, as well as pieces of lead minedthere. Marcasite “suns” light up one dis-play case. These medallions, shaped abit like sand dollars, are sometimesfound in Illinois coal mines.

Wulfentite is a minor source of

molybdenum.

Copper impurities in this sample

of smithsonite are responsible for

its green-blue color.

(PhotobyIllinoisStateMuseumcourtesyDougCarrandMeganNewell.)

(PhotobyIllinoisStateMuseumcourtesyDougCarrandMeganNewell.)

The Lafayette Funk residence, PrairieHome, is next door to the Funk Gem

and Mineral Museum, and is also opento the public for tours.

The Prairie Home was built by thefirst Marquis De LaFayette Funk for hiswife Elizabeth. He began building in1862, and continued through 1863.While exterior work was mostly finishedby then, in January 1864 the Funksmoved into the house, and continuedwork on the interior finishing. Visitorscan see most of the original furnishingsof the home as well as family artifacts.

Operating hours, driving directionsand contact information are the same asthe museum.

Holly Schurter is a freelance writer liv-ing in Normal.

Another mineral commonly found inIllinois is calcite, the second most com-mon mineral on earth after quartz (sili-ca). Calcite, seen in the museum in sev-eral different sizes and forms, is used inpaint, concrete, lime, fertilizer, as a fillerin rubber and as lithographic stone pow-der for polishing.Garnets, tourmalines and jade are

some of the gem-quality minerals visi-tors will see. Funk collected carvedsoapstone figurines from China as well,and many of those carved pieces are ondisplay in the museum.Funk’s interest extended to fossils.

The fossil room contains everythingfrom woolly mammoth teeth to dinosaurbones from Colorado. Shark teeth, petri-fied myrtle wood and a mastodon tuskare on display, as well as petrified fish

and an ammonite, the fossil of a snail-like animal from ancient seas that cov-ered what is now Oklahoma.Visitors can stroke a “dinosaur rock,”

an aid to dinosaur digestion, or touch theresults of the digestion, a coprolite—petri-fied dinosaur droppings. Coprolites some-times are polished and used for jewelry.The black-light room, filled with rocks

that react to ultraviolet light, is a favoritewith visitors. When the regular lights goout, the rocks light up, showing vivid col-ors normally hidden to our eyes. Thisroom illustrates the fluorescence of manyotherwise ordinary-looking minerals.Funk also collected Indian artifacts,

most from along the Sangamon Riverbetween Springfield and Decatur. Visi-tors can see part of Funk’s collection ofarrowheads, small stone fish hooks aswell as a bone fish hook, stone spades,tomahawks, axes and grinding stones.The Funk Gem and Mineral Museum

is open to the public March throughDecember, every Tuesday through Sat-

urday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitorsmust call (309) 827-6792 and book atour in advance. The guided tours arefree, usually last about one hour, andcan include from 1 to 50 people. Whenyou book a tour, you receive directionsto the site, off I-55 near Shirley.As you take the tour, you’ll find your-

self bending down to discover the trea-sures hidden in and around LafayetteFunk’s display cases. Perhaps, just ashe did, you’ll also find yourself headinghome with an interesting new hobby,your curiosity excited and your sense ofwonder inspired.

12 / OutdoorIllinois July 2007

Funk MineralsExhibited at theIllinois State Museum

In May, the Illinois State Museum inSpringfield opened a special exhibition

featuring minerals originally collected byLaFayette Funk. The exhibition includesspectacular, large specimens of tourma-line, calcite, pyromorphite, wulfenite, nativecooper, quartz, smithsonite and gypsum.This exhibition is the pilot for a larger exhibition that will feature collections developed byIllinoians. Also on exhibit are scale models of coal mining and processing operations in Illi-nois. The models were producd by the Illinois State Museum for use in educational pro-grams given by the Department of Natural Resources, Office of Mines and Minerals.

The Illinois State Museum is located at Spring and Edwards Streets, just south of theState Capitol in Springfield. For additional information visit www.museum.state.il.us or call(217) 782-7386.

One of the most abundant minerals

on earth and used in the production

of fertilizer, paint and rubber, calcite

crystals take many shapes.

In addition to world-class gems and

minerals, the Funk Museum contains

fossils and other natural artifacts.

(PhotobyIllinoisStateMuseumcourtesyDougCarrandMeganNewell.)