w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m
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WALL OF BUGS • CRYSTALS • SAPPHIRE JEWELRY
MONTANA FOSSILS • GOLD PANS • ECLECTIC GIFTS
25 North Willson Avenue
(406) 586-3451
EarthsTreasuresMT.com
EARTH'S TREASURES
VISIT
EST. 1989
DOWNTOWN BOZEMAN'S
FOSSIL AND MINERAL MUSEUM GALLERY
ONE
OF
A
KIND
IS
WHAT
WE
DO
BEST
EXPERIENCE
Enter our contest to win a genuine Earth's Treasure at distinctlymontana.com/earth
poop, as they think it might send the wrong
message about how I feel about Mom's par-
enting. So they patiently walk me around the
whole place, showing me options that are very
reasonable, to my pleasant surprise. Maybe
I can buy the old girl's geode and still have
enough to get a six-pack!
As Gail wraps up my presents with a meticu-
lousness I could never have managed myself, I
notice that much of the store, from the jewelry
to the the mining supplies, from the gorgeous
butterfly wing earrings to the fossils, are from
Montana, Morocco, China and Europe—some-
thing from nearly every continent. But much of
it from Montana.
I then go on a hunt for the oldest thing I can
find, which turns out to be a fossilized blue-
green algae called stromatolite. At 220 million
years old, it predates dinosaurs. This really is
the kind of store where you can find things you
absolutely won't find anywhere else.
Just by going to the store and looking
around, you've taken, as Patti puts it, a trip
"around the world and outer space, too."
The store is also a museum, after all, and
a free one at that. But unlike most muse-
ums, this one is unusually tactile. With staff
supervision, there's plenty for you and your
kids to poke, prod and feel!
But for me the real test is whether or not
dear ole Mom will light up when she sees
her present. I end up choosing a geode cut
down the middle, with a creamy yellow color
that springs up from the center like flames. It
is, in fact, the first one I inspected—the one
which prompted firework noises in the first
place.
But I don't have to tell you Mom loves it.
I bet you've already predicted that.
Earth's Treasures is located at 25 N. Will-
son Ave in Bozeman, Montana, and is open
Monday through Saturday from 9:30 AM
to 5:30 PM. Check out their website or give
them a call at (406) 586-3451, or see them
in person—but beware, they will make you
touch million-year-old poop!
